Racial slur hurled at young children by teens at Riverhead football game cannot be tolerated: Great-grandfather demands action by district

The great-grandfather of four Black children who were called a racial slur at a Riverhead football game last weekend is calling for accountability for the two Riverhead students responsible.

The four children — between the ages of five and seven — were called the N-word by a high school student and a middle school student while at the game Saturday, their great-grandfather, Robert Brown told the school board at its meeting Tuesday evening. Brown, a Riverside resident who grew up in Riverhead and regularly attends school board meetings and works on programs celebrating Black history within the school district, also said one of the children was pushed to the ground during the incident.

“I want to know what the Riverhead school district is going to do about this type of thing. I mean, this is 2023, this is our town,” Brown told the Riverhead Board of Education Tuesday. “You know I come to these school board meetings, I’m in different programs with the school. And I can’t imagine how this could be tolerated.”

“And it’s not a kid problem, it’s a parent problem,” Brown said. “Those kids that were calling the N-word to my great-grandchildren got that from someplace, and it didn’t come from the street, it came from the home.”

School district officials acknowledged the incident and said many people in the crowd at the football game, including school board member Virginia Healy, witnessed the incident and heard the racial slur.

Three teenagers were involved in the incident, officials said, including one Riverhead Middle School student and one Riverhead High School student. The teenagers were white, according to Brown. The incident was reported to the police.

Healy and Superintendent Augustine Tornatore said both Riverhead students involved were going to be disciplined by school administrators and are not allowed back at football games.

“We were all appalled by that — and we stand with your family,” Healy said. “Everybody heard it and it was not acceptable.”

“I will be upset if this is all these kids get is just a slap on the wrist,” Brown said. “It’s got to stop. And it’s got to be something firm that’s supported by the whole school board and the administration. If the parents have to pay, the parents have to pay.”

“I am 83 years old, I don’t need to take this crap,” Brown said. “I grew up in Aquebogue with this stuff. It was the N-word every day in school — and I’m tired of it.”

“These kids need correction; they need education,” he said of the offenders.

Tornatore, who said he was also at the football game, said he had a “very lengthy conversation” with “a family member involved” about what the district is doing about the situation. 

“We certainly know that this is a diverse community. And this community, what makes Riverhead so beautiful, is the diversity. So, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry that your family had to go through this,” Tornatore said to Brown. “It is completely, completely unacceptable. And believe me when I share with you, there will be severe consequences.”

In a phone call Friday, Brown said the incident can’t be swept under the rug by school district officials. 

“I don’t think they should come out and call anybody’s name, but they should make a statement as to how this problem has been addressed and what is something positive that they are doing to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” Brown said. “And If it happens again, you will be subject to these kinds of penalties.”

“I think there should be some kind of action taken that makes people think twice about doing these things,” he said.

Since Brown brought the incident to the school board, the only statement remotely related to the incident was a post reminding people of the state’s guidelines for sports game attendance. “The guidelines forbid the use of derogatory or racially explicit language, discriminatory harassment or bias conduct that creates a hostile environment that is disruptive to the educational environment,” the post says.

Eva Roberts of Riverhead said during Tuesday’s school board meeting that there should be a school gathering where the incident should be publicly denounced. 

”I fully support increased programming at the school,” school board President Colin Palmer said. “As you’re well aware, it’s not just a school problem, it’s not just a Riverhead problem, it’s an American problem, still. At least in our community, we can do things to help bend towards justice.”

Palmer said the school needs to work with Riverhead’s Anti-Bias Task Force, the town and the greater community to “start these conversations.” 

Tornatore said he is continually meeting with leaders of the First Baptist Church of Riverhead and the Butterfly Effect Project — two prominent Black-led organizations in Riverhead — to expand the school district’s relationships with both.

“Additionally we have our restorative practices, which we want students to get to a point where they understand their behavior and why it’s wrong, not just have the consequence, so we have that as well,” Tornatore said. “Additionally, whenever students are suspended and it goes to a superintendent’s hearing, I like to have a stipulation of agreement where we work with the parents or guardians so that the student is receiving counseling services and support, as we try to not only deal with the issue of the behavior and the consequence of the behavior, but so that we get to a place that this will not happen again.”

Mark McLaughlin, the chairperson of Riverhead’s Anti-Bias Task Force, said the task force will investigate the incident.

“We will never accept discrimination and disrespect for someone’s color, religion, choice and life,” McLaughlin said. “That’s without a doubt not acceptable.”

After his investigation is over, McLaughlin said he would seek to “sit down with the families on both sides, to make sure that this never happens again.”

Denise Civiletti contributed reporting.