SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane NAACP President Lisa Gardner has expressed her disappointment regarding the alleged racist remarks against Utah and California Irvine women's basketball players in Coeur d'Alene.
Allegations surfaced over the weekend that the Utah Women’s Basketball team faced racial abuse while staying in Coeur d’Alene for the NCAA Tournament. The alleged abuse forced the team to move hotels.
"I was very speechless," Gardner said. "I didn't know what to say. It was absolutely disgusting."
According to Tony Stewart, the secretary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, two teams were walking to dinner in downtown Coeur d'Alene when a truck with a confederate flag stopped and began yelling racial slurs, including the N-word. After dinner, the teams were walking back when the same driver came back with reinforcements and continued harassing the players.
Even though Gardner heads the Spokane branch, she wants to work with people in North Idaho to make sure racist incidents like this don't happen.
"They are our neighbors, so I want to make sure that we are allies that work with the human task force there in Idaho," Gardner said.
The president went on to say that the fight against racism doesn't stop and that she'll continue to fight for progress.
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