Houston, Tx
‘We are appalled’ | Community activists want Bellaire HS baseball coach fired over racial incidents
“He was trying on the dugout they usually have been scratching and appearing like a monkey and making monkey sounds,” Quannel X stated Friday.
BELLAIRE, Texas — Neighborhood activists are demanding that Bellaire Excessive Faculty baseball coach Nick Ozuna be fired over allegations involving racist taunts by his gamers.
HISD is investigating after gamers and fogeys from Westbury Excessive Faculty stated a Black pitcher and different gamers of colour have been focused by the Bellaire bench.
Editor’s notice: The video above initially aired on March 30, 2022.
“We’re displeased, we’re appalled, and we’re extremely upset,” Dr. Candice Matthews, with the Rainbow Push Coalition, stated Friday at a information convention.
“Whereas he was pitching, he might hear among the Bellaire gamers making monkey sounds,” Quannel X stated. “He was trying on the dugout they usually have been scratching and appearing like a monkey and making monkey sounds. This was proper in entrance of the Bellaire Excessive Faculty coach.”
HISD investigating racist taunts, gestures allegedly utilized by Bellaire baseball crew
The activist stated a minority participant on Bellaire’s crew instructed his teammates to cease, however they ignored him and Coach Ozuna did not say something.
When an umpire instructed the gamers to chop it out, Quannel stated Ozuna yelled at him.
“You do not discuss to my gamers, I discuss to my gamers. You discuss to me,” the coach shouted on the ump, in line with Quannel.
He stated when the gamers chanted, “I bought bananas, I bought bananas, I bought bananas,” and issues bought heated between mother and father from each groups, the ump ended the sport.
The daddy of the Westbury pitcher was “enraged,” in line with Quannel, and confronted the Bellaire teaching workers within the parking zone. HISD cops stepped in earlier than issues escalated.
One participant was suspended for one recreation, in line with Quannel, however activists need Ozuna fired.
“With regards to him educating younger males tips on how to be morally respectable of others, respectable of coaches, do not present bias towards the race. The person is bankrupt, for my part. He cannot educate that,” Quannel stated. “And that ‘s extra vital than educating a child tips on how to swing at a baseball.”
HISD confirmed it is investigating the incident.
In accordance with an inside memo, Ozuna was beforehand discovered to have violated district coverage by dismissing considerations of racial slurs made by gamers.
Activists say he was additionally investigated after allegedly telling a participant he could not have an afro.
Ozuna’s lawyer, Levi J. Benton, launched the next assertion earlier this week.
“We sit up for HISD finishing its investigation and reinstating Coach Ozuna as quickly as doable. Coach Ozuna has coached at Bellaire Excessive Faculty for 18 years and has greater than demonstrated his love for all his gamers, opposing coaches and groups. Any allegation that he condoned any racial slur is fake. Any allegation that Coach Ozuna has any racial animus is fake. Now we have no additional assertion presently.”
The Bellaire booster membership had scheduled its personal information convention Friday to defend the coach however it was postponed.
