As the NCAA championship tournament advances, the University of Utah women’s basketball team traveled last week to Spokane, Washington to face off against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The team was staying about 35 minutes away in the nearby town of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, where they fell victim to racial harassment. 

“Racism is real, it happens and it’s awful,” said University of Utah head coach Lynne Roberts during a press conference.

While walking from their hotel to a restaurant, a man driving by yelled the N-word at the team. Witnesses say the truck was decorated with a Confederate flag. As they walked back to the hotel after dinner, it happened again.

“For our players and staff to not feel safe in an NCAA environment, it’s messed up,” coach Roberts said at Monday night’s press briefing. 

A report filed with the Coeur D’Alene Police Department details the two incidents.

The first instance was a man who acted alone. However, the second time around, the driver was accompanied by several other offenders who continued to shout slurs and threats at the team.

Players of the Utah women’s basketball team have mixed racial backgrounds, including White, Black, and Latina. Authorities have not identified any suspects. Potential charges may include malicious harassment and/or disorderly conduct.  

Response

With help from the NCAA and rival team Gonzaga, the Utes switched hotels out of concern for their safety. Gonzaga released a statement about the incident, saying, “Hate speech in any form is repugnant, shameful, and must never be tolerated.” It continues, “We are frustrated and deeply saddened to know that what should always be an amazing visitor and championship experience was in any way compromised by this situation, for it in no way reflects the values, standards, and beliefs to which we at Gonzaga University hold ourselves accountable.” 

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Local law enforcement, in partnership with the FBI, have announced their preparedness to launch an investigation into the incident. Mayor Jim Hammond held a press conference to denounce the behavior and offer an apology on behalf of the city. During his statement, an alleged white supremacist interrupted the conference. 

Idaho Governor Brad Little released a statement saying, “The is no place for racism, hate, or bigotry in the great state of Idaho.” Utah’s Gov. Spencer Cox applauded Little’s response. 

Busy Weekend in Spokane, Limited Hotel Space

The University of Utah also spoke about the troubling incident and brought into question why the NCAA placed them in a hotel 30 miles away from the arena. “As we continue to heal, we remain very disappointed in the decision to assign our team to hotels such a great distance from the competition site — in another state.” The school is working closely with the NCAA following the incident.

Teams from South Dakota State and University of California Irvine were also staying in Idaho at the time. The men’s NCAA championship and a volleyball tournament were also taking place in Spokane, causing a shortage of hotel availability.

History of Far-Right Extremism

Kootenai County is no stranger to racism and ties to white nationalism. 

In June 2022, Coeur D’Alene witnessed the mass arrest of more than 30 white nationalists. Authorities believed the group was en route to the city’s pride parade. The area had worked hard to overcome long-established connections to white supremacy. Neo-Nazi groups, specifically the Aryan Nations, used the region as their headquarters from 1974 to 2000. 

Leader of Aryan Nations Richard Butler established a compound just north of Coeur D’Alene in the early 1970s. His congregation grew on ideals of white Christian nationalism and antisemitism. Over the coming decades, Butler’s followers engaged in violent crime and even defaced a local Jewish restaurant with antisemitic graffiti. On several occasions, the group held Aryan Nations parades in the city.

A human relations task force spearheaded by local advocates brought legal action against Butler over code violations. Butler’s group lost the $6.3 million lawsuit, leaving them bankrupt. They then abandoned the compound.