* Great. Just great…
A hate crime investigation is underway after two nooses were found at the York Community High School football field in west suburban Elmhurst.
The nooses - made of rope - were found hanging from metal bleachers at the field between noon and 2:30 p.m. Sunday by a group of adults who had gathered to play an informal game of soccer, police said.
The group took the nooses down and contacted authorities Monday, police said. Investigators found messages on the tape used to attach the nooses to the bleachers.
One message read “Let them play!” and the other read “Hear us now! Please!” police said.
In a letter to parents, the superintendent of Elmhurst Community School District 205 wrote in part, “Regardless of intent, this act decries the principles, values and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose holiday we paused to celebrate today… We further pledge to be courageous leaders, who will ensure that symbols of hatred, oppression and violence have no place in our school district and in the city of Elmhurst.”
Ain’t nobody gonna listen to your argument on anything if that’s how you behave.
Hopefully, the folks advocating for restarting high school sports will universally condemn this despicable nonsense. The rhetoric is getting way out of hand as it is.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:07 pm:
The high school athletics angle;
As much as it’s awful for the student-athletes, the parents living through the student-athlete has been, at times, the worst actor during these times.
These are the same parents that also forget band students, student in the arts like theatre are missing out.
It’s disappointing, as infections and worse continue, these parents are still pushing that *their* child is being hurt.
We all are being hurt. Lots are feeling great pain.
An act like this is the best way to lose sympathetic people fir the students.
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:17 pm:
=== Hopefully, the folks advocating for restarting high school sports will universally condemn this despicable nonsense. The rhetoric is getting way out of hand as it is. ===
Waiting…
- Anon2 - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:33 pm:
Understatement of the year:
The rhetoric is getting way out of hand as it is.
- Frank talks - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:40 pm:
DuPage County for today’s win on white privileged anger.
Any thoughts Sheriff?
- Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:41 pm:
Between Ken Leonard comparing missing football to Nazi Germany, to parents and coaches blasting away on social media, the whole story of HS coaches turning young people into responsible adults has been shown to be false.
They have taught kids that if you don’t get your way and are asked to make sacrifices for the greater good, throw a fit, act like you are being picked on and above all, deny experts who are trying to protect the public.
Time for SHG to yank a knot in Ken Leonard and shut down his twitter account that is still spewing false information.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:42 pm:
=== The adults aren’t listening===
So use a noose?
- harp5339 - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:52 pm:
== These are the same parents that also forget band students, student in the arts like theatre are missing out. ==
This parent of a senior student-athlete reminds him of that all the time.
What I’m not getting is the connection between a noose and allowing kids to play sports. It’s like painting your complaint about classroom size on a confederate flag.
- Loop Lady - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 4:52 pm:
IMO, folks in Elmhurst would rather not deal with a diverse
population…sorry to hear this…
- Frank talks - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 5:06 pm:
Buckner’s father, Chris Buckner, said the teen had been battling depression the last few years but “his depression worsened significantly after COVID hit.”
Do not put his suicide solely on not playing sports. Dave Duerson, Junior Seau committed suicide they got to play sports. Depression is real. I’m sure the football team is hurting but do sports teams check on mental health the way they check on physical health? My guess is no. This is not good for anyones mental health but to blame his suicide on lack of sports is ignorant.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 5:42 pm:
=== We do need to start thinking about mental and psychological health of our kids.===
Sometimes… no means no.
Meaning… life isn’t fair, and a pandemic, a global, once in a century pandemic, means so many things aren’t happening.
=== Pro-sports and college sports aren’t the only ones who are important just because these are lucrative enterprises.===
For the 6,895th time;
The cost of the pro and collegiate testing to keep sports going… it’s not economically feasible to mirror at the high school level.
If the parents of student athletes would like to pay the same freight as what the pro and collegiate teams are paying, write the *cashier* checks. Schools paying for athletes’ testing as band, art, theatre get none of those options.. nope.
Don’t get me started on “scholarships (exclamation mark)”
Yeah, Oswego 308 had a whole list of signees that schools “found” these 308 athletes with no sports played by those signees.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 5:52 pm:
=== There aren’t any restrictions on college or pro-sports.===
(Sigh)
* attendance
* testing
* protocols
* conference rules to positive results, including canceling games
Friend, you may not be paying attention. Like this ignorance to facts;
===with specific restrictions for health in place===
Every collegiate conference, every professional sport had restrictions, after millions to testing were implemented to all teams participating…
You wanna pay for the mirrored way college and pro sports went about their business, the B1G conference, as an example, the money spent for merely 14 teams… now do the hundreds of High School teams.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:12 pm:
The virus has taken 400,000 lives… and you’re concerned about… high school football.
Perspective, please.
- Someone you Should Know - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:17 pm:
Joe Newton is rolling in his grave
- Essential State Employee - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:19 pm:
After this deplorable act I would just pull the plug on high school sports in Illinois statewide and for everyone for this school year for sure. Including this summer.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:22 pm:
“Please!”
Looks like those calls civility are already working, huh?
– MrJM
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:23 pm:
Seems like a good time to point out the study that found a link between conservatives being in control, and the number of suicides. The connection was significant.
I believe the study was initially done in the UK. But holds in the US UK and Australia.
Is the can’t play sports angle just another deflection. Because it sure seems like it.
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:31 pm:
This does not help further the effort to get kids back to playing but it also shouldn’t be the reason they don’t get to play.
I stand in the find safer ways for them to play camp. When I see volleyball players in masks I wonder why not in Illinois. When I see basketball players in empty gyms playing I think why not Illinois. When nearly every other state is playing many of not all of these sports I wonder if the experts in Illinois are really that much better than in all those other places.
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:45 pm:
And the mental health angle is largely a red herring.
It’s terrible but kids kill themselves in good times and bad. And for the new ones who suffer because of what’s been taken away from them by this virus, you have others who feel more free without the daily grind of walking the halls of a school and being picked on and bullied for being LGBTQ or having blue hair or something totally else.
The recent mental health crowd didn’t give two rips about a transgender teen ending their life a year ago. But now that’s it’s about jocks it’s critical we do something about it.
I sure hope all those coaches going on and on about this issue sure take a look in the mirror and examine how they coach, motivate and at times inspire their students. Many locker rooms and not the most inclusive places.
- Mr. Hand - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:47 pm:
To assume that COVID is the lone actor in student mental health would be in error. There is likely some correlation, but student mental health has been a focus for years in educational circles.
Currently, border states are running leagues for Illinois teams where hundreds, if not thousands, of Illinois athletes are participating. These places will feature dozens of teams with spectators in confined spaces. When the game is over, they come back to Illinois.
High schools can provide these and other activities to our student in safer conditions. Schools in our area are having staff vaccinated this week. It is time to consider a plan to move closer to some normalcy in our lives.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 6:56 pm:
learning from a DC rally. hate.
- Jibba - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 7:58 pm:
===When the game is over, they come back to Illinois.===
For this and other reasons, like people and businesses flouting regulations, covid has been running rampant in Illinois. People criticize JB for a lack of results despite high restrictions, and then they go out and eat.
- Ferris Bueller - Tuesday, Jan 19, 21 @ 10:02 pm:
The logic behind the argument that people are breaking rules so we should just drop the rules is super baffling. Its not persuasive to say that people are going to cross the border to play football (Eat at a restaurant, etc.) so we should just let them do it here. The argument that these kids need exercise to burn off energy is equally self-serving. No one is saying the kids can’t exercise, kick a ball with their friends after school, etc. but we should focus on safely opening schools for education before we worry about extra-curricular activities.