Police: ‘Racial slur’ painted on town high school field
RIDGEFIELD — A “racial slur” was found sprayed onto the surface of the turf field at the Tiger Hollow Complex at Ridgefield High School, according to police.
Police are investigating the incident, which occurred Wednesday evening, according to Ridgefield Police Capt. Jeff Raines.
High School Principal Jake Greenwood said in a message Thursday to the school community that he has pressed charges on the party involved.
The Ridgefield Police Department immediately launched an investigation, and Ridgefield Public Schools administration began reviewing camera footage, according to Greenwood.
Greenwood wrote the incident occurred after a pick-up game on the multi-purpose turf field “and was not perpetrated by a member of the Ridgefield community or a student in any of our schools. The painted word was removed prior to the start of school today to ensure no one else had to witness this deeply troubling hate speech.”
Additionally, he said students using the field at the time the incident was
reported were not directly associated with an inseason Ridgefield High School sports team.
“Ridgefield Public School will not tolerate hate of any type, and we will do everything in our power to respond appropriately to any incident involving racism, bias, or prejudice,” Greenwood wrote. “To that end, I have pressed charges against the individual responsible. We value all our individual community members and work to make them feel included in the RHS community.”
He provided resources to families about how to talk to their children about bias, prejudice and racism.
“Again, we apologize for the incident and stand united with you in the fight against racism, bias, and prejudice in any form,” Greenwood wrote.
Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi said the individual responsible should “definitely have to deal with consequences. We need to let people know this behavior will not be tolerated. I’m tired of it. I’m disgusted. If people can’t behave better than that, we don’t want them in this community.”
Marconi said there has been a “loss of civility” in both the country and the state in “how people treat one another.”
Marconi added, “We see it locally as well. People need to realize that kind of behavior only influences more people to behave that way.”