SAN DIEGO — San Diego County’s new human relations commission is holding a special meeting Monday to discuss the racial controversy from the June 19 basketball game between Coronado High and Escondido’s Orange Glen High.
In one of its first special meetings, the Leon L. Williams San Diego County Human Relations Commission will hold a virtual discussion at 5 p.m. Monday focusing on incidents after the basketball game. The commission said in a statement Friday it is “seriously disturbed” about “reports of recent hate incidents” and “related characterizations” of events at the game.
After the basketball game ended, an altercation ensued between the two teams in the gym, during which at least two Coronado players threw tortillas into the air at the Orange Glen team, which is mostly Latino. The incident triggered protests and scores of public comments at recent school board meetings.
The Coronado Unified School District, Escondido Union High School District, Coronado police and the California Interscholastic Federation launched investigations, and Coronado’s school board fired its basketball head coach Tuesday.
The California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school athletics, announced Thursday it expects to issue a ruling next week, after reviewing the internal investigations conducted by each school district.
It is unclear what may result from the special meeting of the Leon L. Williams San Diego County Human Relations Commission. It said in a statement that Monday’s meeting will “begin discussions on addressing this and similar issues with proactive action that can provide support for our youth.”
The county Board of Supervisors created the commission in May 2020 after a prior commission was defunded in the 1990s. It is supposed to advise the supervisors and county staff and to promote positive human relations and respect.
“The HRC stands in solidarity with our community against bias, bigotry and racism, and will continue to monitor the next steps taken by the Coronado District and the CIF office in the best interest of our county youth and our community,” the appointed body said in statement.
The commission’s meeting will be held online at https://zoom.us/j/98335215929. People can sign up in advance to give public comments by submitting an online form at sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/lwhrc/request-to-speak.html.
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