WYNNE, AR (abc24.com) - The Commission on Religion and Racism describes what happened to a black Wynne Junior High football player as a horrible, despicable act of racism.
The group held a march in Wynne to protest what they call "a hate crime."
Dr. Isaac Richmond, President of CORR, told abc24.com after he learned a 14-year-old African-American football player on the Wynne Junior High School team had a noose tied around his neck by white football players he was outraged. "That rope and noose stand for something in the African-American community too hideous to even mention," Richmond said.
He said the message the Wynne School board is sending by just suspending the white players that committed the act for the rest of the semester is inadequate. He's asking the U.S. Dept. of Justice to investigate the school board.
While school board members could not be reached for comment, Superintendent Carl Easley had previously stated, "The high school administration did a thorough job of investigating the incident and found that nothing took place that could be considered criminal, that no student was physically injured, or had been pulled with a rope as reported in the media. On Monday October 1 the high school administration met with students and the parents of those that were involved and informed them of the suspensions and recommendations for expulsion. During the investigation the high school administration made every attempt to protect the due process rights of our students in spite of rumors and media reports. At no time did anyone try to cover up the details of what happened."
