Pulled from David Douglas’s Official Instagram

“Load the buses!” and “You can’t do that!” 

These are passive-aggressive, but harmless chants from the student sections around Portland Public Schools (PPS) and the rest of the US. But what’s really being said on the field?

For the David Douglas High School (DDHS) Scots football team, being on the field means hearing various racist chants, slurs and taunts targeted toward them.

Marcell Frazier, a volunteer coach for football at DDHS, spoke out on Instagram in early October, explaining how players and coaches have faced racist chants, taunts and slurs at every away game. Frazier says, “Every single game, monkey sounds have been chanted at us, N-words used against us—we’ve had to stop the game multiple times to address this—players have been called ‘King Kong.’” Frazier also mentions how this goes beyond just the athletes, but to parents and coaches. “… and tonight at Nelson we had a cake thrown in the stands at players’ parents as well as monkey sounds chanted at a coach.”

Though only three games had been played when the statement was made public, three are far too many racist encounters for players to be facing. 

Being the third most diverse high school in Oregon, for them, this isn’t new. David Douglas ASB posted to their high school’s Instagram after Frazier’s statement stating, “Sadly, this isn’t a new experience for our community.” 

Today, various rules and regulations have been made: Title IX for example. Title IX protects people from discrimination at school or during activities such as sports. Pulled from oregon.gov, Title IX states, “There will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability in any educational programs, activities, or employment.” There are consequences when breaking Title IX like expulsion, suspension, community service and losing various other opportunities.

Rules can only do so much. Frazier brings up this point in an Instagram post: “There are laws and safeguards in place to protect our kids and community from abuse, but they are meaningless if we don’t use them.” A third school district, North Clackamas, has investigations underway for multiple racist incidents in games against DDHS. 

In an interview with KOIN, Frazier says the team and himself felt powerless in that moment. Out of the first five weeks, four had the same incidents. “Our kids are already facing enough. Just showing up to school is a freaking battle. Just finding food to eat when they go home is a freaking battle,” said Frazier. “And then you go out and you see them get subjected to racism and abuse, and you see the tears in their eyes, and it just, you know, it breaks your heart as an adult.”

The Oregon School Activities Association has been alerted of these incidents and is working with school administrations to investigate. 

OSAA launched the S.T.A.R. initiative in the fall of 2022, which revolves around athletes gaining tools against discriminatory behaviors within a team or opposing team. OSAA executive director Peter Weber said, “We believe this program is going to set the bar for non-discrimination in Oregon high school sports and activities.” S.T.A.R. provides a model for racial equality awareness and how to navigate and educate when racial discrimination occurs within a high school sport or activity.

A bigger emphasis on S.T.A.R and its values could help and support athletes at David Douglas, and educate surrounding schools like Rex Putnam, Nelson and Forrest Grove, preventing this incident from occurring in the future. 

Frazier and the community want change. “I don’t care for statements. I don’t care for emails,” said Fraizer in an interview with KOIN, but real-life change and support from opposing players. Frazier wants OSAA bylaws regarding hate speech and consequences like expulsion or suspension for those responsible. 

At IBW, Title IX is a widely used resource when needed. If issues occur,  school staff are expected to get involved early and employ disciplinary actions depending on the severity of the issue.