An Asian American teenage boy was the victim of racial slurs and a brutal punch resulting in a concussion during a weekend basketball tournament against a San Francisco-based team, the victim’s parents said.
Authorities identified the boy only by his first name, Evan, who was playing for the South Bay Snipers on Saturday at the Battle of the Bay tournament. The event was organized by Grassroots 365 at Oakland’s Soldertown gym.
Racial Slur
“Not one single parent stood up to go protect my son. I ran across the gym to get him. They did use the ‘C’ word,” the victim’s mother, Lennie, said. The boy’s father said the majority of the members of the Snipers were Asian.
“We are sickened by the senseless and deplorable actions of individual players on the court this past weekend in Oakland. We have taken swift action to address the individuals involved and will continue to diligently and comprehensively investigate the incident,” Grassroots 365 said in an Instagram post.
Video footage of the incident was captured and shared online. The recording showed Evan diving for a loose ball which later resulted in an altercation against a San Francisco Generals player. A second member then pushed Evan over the first General who was still on the ground.
After the victim stood up, he confronted the player who pushed him, who then punched Evan in the face. Authorities banned the player who threw the punch from Sunday’s tournament games.
The victim’s parents said they planned on filing a report to the Oakland Police Department after the incident. The attack comes amid a surge of violence targeting Asian American communities across the United States, Mercury News reported.
The Snipers’ Instagram account uploaded a statement that read in part, “We strongly condemn any and all forms of violence or acts of hate against all racial backgrounds. Any form of violence will not be tolerated.”
The team also said they contacted the Generals and tournament organizers to “provide a fun, safe, and competitive league while embracing the diversity and culture that the sport of basketball is meant to encompass,”
