Players ‘Outraged’ After Classical-Central Game Postponed

Players ‘Outraged’ After Classical-Central Game Postponed

Players for opposing sides expressed outrage and disappointment after a varsity boys basketball game between rivals Classical and Central high schools in Providence was postponed last night over fears of violence.

“I am outraged because we practice so hard to play ball, and for them to cancel our game doesn’t seem fair,” Steven Ajao, a sophomore who plays basketball at Central High School, told GoLocalProv. “Our school officials told us that, there (were) threats made, but did not clarify on who or what was said. There are no fear of violence and retribution on campus because it’s only a basketball game.”

A player for the rival school said his teammates were disappointed as well. “We were told by are coach that the game was canceled due to some threats toward the players,” Shelot Lafortune, a senior basketball player at Classical, told GoLocalProv in a Facebook message. “It affects me and my teammates because we were looking forward to playing them, we were all pumped up for the game. Also (their) classmates were looking forward to going to the game and seeing the game, so when it got canceled a lot of us were disappointed.”

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Principal made ‘snap judgment’

Administrators at Classical and Central high schools declined to discuss the postponement, referring all requests for comment to Christina Spaight O’Reilly, a spokeswoman for the school district. She told GoLocalProv that the Police Department had uncovered “rumblings of threats” on social media sites in retaliation over the fatal shooting of a high school student one year ago.

Ultimately, those threats proved to be unsubstantiated. But word of that did not reach Classical High School Principal Scott Barr, who made a “snap judgment” and postponed the game, according to O’Reilly. She said the high schools had not been in lockdown on Friday, describing it as “business as usual.”

O’Reilly said the school district is working on rescheduling the game for the holiday week.

‘Sends the wrong message’

News that the postponement was unnecessary only further outraged Ajao.

“Knowing that the principal canceled the game because of bogus threats, and did not get the full story upsets me, because now we have to take time out of a practice day or a day to relax, to play a team that we should have played today,” Ajao said. “The fact that the game could’ve went on today makes me highly upset because they wasted not only my time but my team’s time and my coaches.”

Teny Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, also criticized the principal’s decision. “Cancellation is a very drastic step and I don’t think it was merited,” Gross said, adding that it sends the “wrong message” and gives credibility to idle comments students might make.

His institute employs about 15 Streetworkers who work directly with students—including victims and gang members. He said his organization believes in communication as the solution to the problems of violence both inside and outside of the city’s schools.

Others defend the decision

But not everyone thought the postponement was a bad idea. One Classical High School student interviewed by GoLocalProv said “any precautionary measures” are necessary to avoid violence in the school (see above video).

A local business owner who is a donor to the Classical High School athletics program also rushed to the defense of the principal. “If there was talk about guns, bullets, whatever it was—if a principal heard about it and postponed the game, there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Michael Salvatore, owner of State Towing and Auto Sales on Valley Street.