A New Jersey family is reeling from a racist and hostile environment during a recent high school basketball game. Stefanie Dickerson has accused Wallkill Valley Regional High School administrators of allowing students and fans to taunt her son and her family with racial slurs.
Dickerson told NJ.com the crowd at a game last Wednesday between her son's school, Lenape Valley Regional High School, and Wallkill made monkey noises and hurled the word "n****r" at her son, 18-year-old Nasir Dickerson.
She claims no one in attendance attempted to stop the racially charged insults from being yelled at her son.
"He felt like he was singled out because he’s the only Black boy on the team," Dickerson said. "He doesn’t understand why this is happening to him.”
The mother posted a clip of the incident on Facebook along with a detailed description of her interpretation of events:
In the post, Dickerson says her family grew increasingly uncomfortable, writing her daughter was "upset and disturbed." Additionally, she says her husband got kicked out for defending their son.
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She says that this moment caused her to fear for her safety. Two men allegedly walked up to the father, one gesturing toward his gun, and told him he had to exit the facility.
“The one without the firearm was [Wallkill Valley] Superintendent David Carr, and the first words out of his mouth was ‘Get Out!!'” Stefanie wrote. “When my husband asked ‘Why, I’m a parent? Who do you think your [sic] talking to like that? You don't hear them over there, you don’t see them over there?’ [Carr] told my husband ‘Get up and Get out or you will be arrested.'”
As the New York Post reports, some Wallkill Valley students deny the claims.
“We would never do that,” said senior Greg Michas, who was present at the time of the game. “We would get in so much trouble. Our athletic director and supervisors would never, ever let that slide.”
NJ.com worked to create an audio-enhanced version of Dickerson's video; however, it remains difficult to distinguish the words of the loud crowd.
Bob Poggi, the athletic director of Lenape Valley, told reporters that the school district is "actively investigating” the incident.
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