Opinion: Ignored Racism Aimed At Utah Girls A Black Eye For Idaho

It's been nearly one week since an Idaho prosecutor made the decision to not pursue hate crime charges against a Coeur d'Alene-area teenager for reportedly threatening and shouting racial slurs at the Utah women's basketball team while in town for a tournament game.

Having lived in Idaho for a number of years, I've been part of several discussions where the panhandle of the state gets brought up for its known presence of hate and anti-government groups. Such groups have been identified and tracked by The Southern Poverty Law Center. This type of cruel intimidation is embarrassing and unacceptable. A slap on the wrist in the form of a fine or ordered anger management classes would have at least made a statement.

It's unfortunate that no message whatsoever was sent to this individual who further contributed to the already tarnished image that northern Idaho has when it comes to the region's documented support of racist and extremist tendencies. Allowing such behavior sends a message to other colleges that their athletes are not welcome and possibly in danger when staying in the city for a short time.

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Hate groups sadly are a reality in every state across the country, but the hammer of justice should be swung with THOR-like force down upon "Americans" who harass innocent young people in this type of manner.

For those who haven't heard about what happened yet, I'll give you the condensed version. The Utah women's basketball team was reportedly heckled and targeted with racially hateful language while visiting Coeur d'Alene in March for a game. The actions of those involved in the incident that took place while the ladies were preparing to be seated at an area restaurant have been determined to be protected by the First Amendment, according to a report shared by ESPN.

This type of despicable behavior isn't of course a problem in just Idaho, but it continues to be an encouraged and supported mentality throughout the United States. Hate groups sadly are a reality in every state across the country, but the hammer of justice should be swung with THOR-like force down upon "Americans" who harass innocent young people in this type of manner.