The family of a Black high school soccer player released a statement on Friday to address the racist harassment their daughter faced during a state championship game in El Dorado, Calif on March. 5. Posting the family’s statement to Twitter, Brian Wilson said his loved ones were “horrified, angered, sad and in complete and utter shock” when they heard ape sounds coming from the stands at Oak Ridge High School while Ciara Wilson was taking a penalty kick for Buchanan High School.

“Time stood still for a few seconds as we all processed what just happened on the field,” the family said in their statement, adding that the noises were “calculated, disrespectful, and hurtful.”

Brian said the racist incident, not only affected Ciara, but also his two sons who were at the game. The family, who made the three-hour trip from their home in Fresno to El Dorado for the championship game, is now demanding an apology from Oak Ridge administrators and from the CIF, the state’s governing body for high school sports.

“What happened on the Oak Ridge soccer field during Ciara’s penalty kick, comes down to Oak Ridge administration, CIF official present, and referees failing to protect Ciara and providing a safe environment,” the Wilsons said. “There is absolutely no way you can deny the ape noises made during and continuing after she took the penalty kick and also laughter coming from the Oak Ridge side. It is disheartening.”

The Oak Ridge administration, CIF official present, Referees and adults “seemed unfazed and unbothered by what happened,” the family stated.

“There was absolutely no immediate action taken to address the crowd. She was in shock and felt embarrassed,” the Wilsons said about their daughter. “As she went back to the center of the field from her PK, she was visibly shaken as teammates consoled one another.”

In the clip shared online, the monkey sounds can be heard clearly as Ciara prepares to take her penalty kick.

Brian said he walked to the Oak Ridge side of the field after he heard the noise, looking for answers. However, as he demanded to know who made the noise, the outraged father didn’t get any answers.

“While I was there, no one from Oak Ridge administration even attempted to address the crowd,” Brian said. “No one seemed concerned, which brings to light a deeper issue. Where was the compassion? Where was the moral compasses? Where was the general concern for Ciara? Even more concerning, a CIF official was present and did absolutely nothing and my daughter was never addressed to see if she was OK.”

According to the Sacramento Bee, Oak Ridge High School has disciplined the student who made the monkey sound.

“I legally cannot share the discipline that a student receives other than to say they did receive it. And this student did,” Oak Ridge principal Aaron Palm said in an email to The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday. “I have spoken to the impacted family and apologized to them on the phone and in writing.”

In the family’s statement on Friday, Brian said he is frustrated with the statements he received from Oak Ridge.

“The Oak Ridge principal, who was not in attendance, contacted me by phone days after the incident occurred,” Brian said. “Days after our phone conversation, he proceeded to put out a blatant false statement indicating, I had only complimentary things to say about our girls’ soccer team and coach. The Principals statement is a lie. There has been no true apology about the failures that happened that day.”

The family is still demanding the school to take accountability.

“The truth is that there was no immediate action to remove or even find the student. There was no care or compassion to our daughter who was subjected to racist heckling, and the staff was not disgusted,” Brian said. “An apology would acknowledge that in the moment none of these things happened and the game went on without realizing the severe impact this would have on our child.”

The family has also expressed gratitude for the support they received from their community and from the Buchanan girls soccer team. Additionally, the Wilsons said the Oak Ridge goalkeeper showed compassion to their daughter after hearing the noises.

“We taught Ciara to be strong and she has been courageous and brave throughout this situation but, we have to still realize that she is a 17-year-old girl,” the family said. “She came off the field after the game ended in tears visibly shaken from what occurred. Ciara’s teammates visibly crying came up to our family apologizing for what had taken place. Ciara is tremendously affected by the blatant racism Saturday night. This is a memory etched in her and our family forever.”

In an interview with Fox 26, Ciara said her team was disappointed with losing the game, but the racist incident made their day even more difficult.

“It made it 10 times harder just to go home not winning the game,” said Ciara, who plans to play soccer at her hometown school, Fresno State, next year. “I was upset because it was my last game, but also being treated that way, it made it more emotional.”

 

While discussing the incident with local radio station FOX Sports AM 1340, Brian continued to express his disappointment with the number of adults who allowed the game to continue after hearing the monkey sounds.

“When you have that many adults who heard it — I’m talking about multiple adults — I heard I think the head administrator of the CIF was there. For her to allow the game to continue, that says a lot about her character,” Brian said. “This is a moral thing. This is not about a rule’s thing. This is strictly about your morals. When do your morals and common sense come into play?”

Brian WilsonBuchanan HighCiara Wilsonmonkey noisesOak Ridge