Watch As Franklin High Students Racially Taunt Black Athletes

FRANKLIN, WI — The Thursday, Feb. 22 boys basketball game between Racine Horlick High School and Franklin High School will be remembered not for the outcome of the game, but for a racially charged incident against black players from Racine.

According to media reports, spectators at Thursday night's game shouted racial slurs, including derogatory name-calling and mock monkey sounds at black players from Horlick. In a video posted by one of the game's attendees, you can hear the sounds of harassing and mocking noises coming from the stands.

According to a CBS 58 report, as racially-charged taunts rained down from the stands, the parent of one of the Horlick High School students who was on the court that night said their son felt demoralized by what he was experiencing.

"He was in danger. I really felt my son was disrespected. He felt less than human. He cried. He just didn't understand. He's been playing basketball since he was six. He's 17, this just never happened before,” said Shanika Sutton, a parent of a Horlick High School basketball player.

“I was the one shooting free throws and I was shooting, they started making the monkey noises, I just held my composure,” said Horlick High School basketball player.

Although media reports indicated that an administrator "immediately" found the offending student and kicked him out of the fieldhouse, an eyewitness account who recorded the video said that racial slurs took place during the entire game, and that the suspected offender wasn't removed until there were five minutes left in the game. In addition, the person who recorded the video and posted it on YouTube said that following the game, Franklin spectators continued to make racial slurs to the players.

The Horlick Activities Director Joe Wendt released the following statement about Thursday night’s game:

"I have been in contact with Franklin administration today. What I would like to share is that I am extremely proud of the way our athletes, coaches and students carried themselves last evening. They showed class, dignity and respect in the way they responded to a difficult situation.

The next day, Horlick High School students marched from the school to Central Office to address school leaders on racial matters.

Franklin Public School responded to the incident with the following statement:

Franklin High School administration is investigating a complaint that inappropriate and racist conduct occurred during a boys’ basketball game last night and have been in contact with Racine Horlick leadership today.

Thursday's incident was just the latest one involving racially-charged language directed against black students at the school.

In late January, Patch.com reported that an unknown student at the school posted two signs near a school water fountain: one that read "white" and the other "colored." The "white" sign was above the fountain, and the "colored" sign was above an empty space right next to the fountain.

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