Racist Locker Room Video Leads to Police Investigation

Police in Illinois investigated a racist video that came from a high school locker room and was posted to social media Friday.

The Quad-City Times reported the Moline Police Department has completed an investigation into a video from the Moline High School locker room.

The 11-second video reportedly involved Moline football players in the locker room. It shows a Black player being forced to sit in a locker adorned with banana peels, with a white player threatening him to sit in the locker “or I’ll break both your knees.” When he sits, the players cheer.

"Detectives have identified all the athletes who were involved in the incident and the circumstances surrounding the video,” Moline police chief Darren Gault said. "Those involved are fellow high school football teammates. They are also individuals of both different and similar races to the victim. The students directly involved in the video are all friends.

“Regardless of these facts, we all agree that this is a disgusting way to treat a fellow teammate, a fellow human being and most certainly a friend.”

According to the Quad-City Times, Gault said department detectives spent Saturday conducting interviews with Moline football players, coaches and staff members. The information was sent to Rock Island County State’s attorney Dora Villarreal for review. The school district, which is conducting its own investigation, was also given an initial summary of the police investigation.

"The vile behavior depicted in the video does not represent our core values and has no place in our learning community," Moline-Coal Valley School District spokeswoman Candace Sountris said in a statement, noting the district became aware of the video Friday evening. "Clearly, we have work to do. Decisive action will be taken upon the conclusion of both the law enforcement and the school district’s internal investigation."

"We all agree that regardless if the students viewed this as a joke, it is unacceptable behavior," Gault said. "This is a teaching moment for everyone and a reminder that we can do better. We can treat people better. We can be better friends. We can be better teammates. We can be better people. We can also stand up and confront situations when they are wrong. In doing so we can raise our morals and increase the respect we have for each other."