Utah Women’s Basketball Team Faces Racial Hate Crimes in Coeur d’Alene

In Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, there were some really bad incidents involving racial slurs aimed at the University of Utah women’s basketball team. 

The town’s mayor, Jim Hammond, said sorry for what happened. People yelled racial slurs at the team, their band, and cheerleaders while they were out for dinner. 

It happened twice, once when they were going to dinner and again when leaving the restaurant.

A person from a group called the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations strongly condemned these acts of hate. 

Utah Women’s Basketball Team Targeted

The police are working with the FBI to figure out what laws were broken. They’re looking at federal laws and state laws about harassment and disorderly conduct.

The FBI also said they’re watching the situation and will step in if they find any federal crimes.

Utah’s women’s team was in Coeur d’Alene for a tournament in Spokane, Washington, but had to stay in Idaho because there weren’t enough hotel rooms.

The coach, Lynne Roberts, said racism is a real problem, and it was upsetting for everyone on the team, no matter their race.

After the incidents, the NCAA and Gonzaga University helped the team move to a different hotel for safety. They apologized for what happened.

Coeur d’Alene has a history of problems with hate groups. One group, the Aryan Nations, has caused trouble in the area for years.

Recently, there were arrests related to another hate group called the Patriot Front.

At a press conference, someone tried to change the subject, but people weren’t having it. They booed him because they wanted to focus on fighting hate.

A former leader of a group against hate in Idaho talked about the long history of extremism in the area.

He said it’s important to keep an eye on things, especially with new people moving in who might bring extreme ideas with them.

As Coeur d’Alene deals with what happened, it’s clear that people want justice and for everyone to be treated fairly.