Idaho far-right figures cast doubt on reports of racial harassment in Coeur d’Alene
Published at | Updated at
Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman
COEUR D’ALENE (Idaho Statesman) — Far-right influencers in Idaho on Tuesday were quick to cast doubt on reports that the University of Utah women’s basketball team attending the NCAA Tournament left Coeur d’Alene after its members were repeatedly shouted at with racial slurs.
The incident prompted statements from Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke, both of whom condemned the actions of people in the North Idaho city who shouted racial slurs, including the N-word, at team members who were staying at the Coeur d’Alene Resort for the tournament in Spokane, Washington, according to accounts by city and county leaders. Law enforcement said they were investigating the case as a possible hate crime.
The driver of a truck displaying a Confederate flag revved its engine alongside the on-foot team members and shouted racial epithets at them as they walked to and from dinner at a restaurant, according to Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Secretary Tony Stewart. When they later left the restaurant, team members faced a larger group of people who revved their engines and continued to shout racial slurs, according to Stewart and previous Idaho Statesman reporting.
“I am disgusted and angry about the disturbing events in Coeur d’Alene that were directed against athletes, students, and visitors to our state,” Bedke said in a news release.
“There is no place for racism, hate or bigotry in the great state of Idaho,” Little said.
Other conservative figures instead questioned the timing of the incident and motivation of the reports.
IDAHO FAR-RIGHT ACTIVISTS CAST DOUBT ON TIMING
Dave Reilly, a far-right agitator who has faced repeated accusations of antisemitism and racism, heckled city leaders in Coeur d’Alene who held a news conference Tuesday, according to the Spokesman-Review, after which the news conference quickly concluded.
Reilly on radio station KBOI claimed he didn’t doubt the incident occurred but questioned the news conference “conveniently happening” one day after Little signed a new state law banning practices of diversity, equity and inclusion in state government and at state universities. But he also posted Tuesday that there was a Jussie Smollett ”incident going on,” in reference to a false hate crime reported by the celebrity, and called it “a big nothingburger” designed to take over the local Republican Party.
RELATED | Religious leaders, Republicans denounce Idaho Freedom Foundation ties to alt-right figure
The Idaho Tribune, a far-right blog, posted on social media that “the group promoting the alleged ‘hate crime’ in Coeur d’Alene has a long history of hate hoaxes in the past” and blamed the Human Rights Education Institute for “manipulating the situation for political gain.” The Tribune’s post referenced the Education Institute’s employment of Rachel Dolezal, a former NAACP leader and white woman who became known for claiming she was Black. (Jeanette Laster, executive director of the Education Institute, confirmed Dolezal previously worked at the institute, before Laster worked there, but told the Statesman there was no indication she brought forward “hoaxes” about hate crimes.)
The Tribune has been linked to Reilly, and the influential far-right lobbying group the Idaho Freedom Foundation hired him last year for communications work, according to InvestigateWest. Reilly did not respond to a request for comment.
“Is it possible this is being used to promote a national agenda of reporting hate crimes/incidents to the federal government per the DOJ program, United Against Hate, which was created after the passage of the No Hate Act in 2021?” conservative activist Casey Whalen wrote on social media, which was shared by other far-right activists. Whalen could not be reached for comment.
Dustin Hurst, a former staffer for the Idaho Freedom Foundation, posted on X that he condemns the events if they happened, but “let’s make sure this isn’t a hoax.” In an email, Hurst told the Statesman he has seen “previous incidents hit the headlines only to see the story fully and completely debunked later when the spotlight has vanished.”
“If it happened, then we ought to condemn racism,” he said. “But a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted in these matters, too.”
The events did not prompt a response from Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador or the state Republican Party. Labrador’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
“I am deeply disturbed and outraged that malicious, racist harassment cast a dark shadow on what should have been a joyous occasion for accomplished student-athletes,” Lauren Necochea, chair of the Idaho Democratic Party, said in a news release. “I likewise condemn David Reilly for interrupting a press conference by local leaders addressing the harassment.”
Democrats in the Legislature released a joint statement that included Republican leaders Tuesday night, expressing “sadness and outrage” about the incidents. “It is unacceptable that visitors to our state were greeted with hate and vitriol,” the statement said. “It is paramount that we work to create a culture where this type of behavior is unambiguously denounced.”
Rep. Heather Scott, a North Idaho Republican whose district includes parts of Kootenai County, posted on X while the news conference was ongoing and about 20 minutes after Little released his statement. Scott wrote that people are too “gullible” and that “we see obvious lies in the media on certain topics then rush back to believe the same liars.”
She did not respond to a request for comment.
“We are good, loving people that are constantly being smeared to advance a political agenda,” she wrote.
COEUR D’ALENE HAS HISTORY WITH RACISM
Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County have a history with racism dating back to the 1980s, when a white supremacist organization, the Aryan Nations, was based there. Stewart’s Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and the Human Rights Education Institute were founded to counter that group, according to the institute’s website.
Laster said she expects the investigation of the incident will take time, and that hate is an “ugly side” of the community that “needs to be called out and should not happen.”
“All people should feel welcome and safe in our community,” she said.
Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White told reporters Tuesday that the FBI is involved in investigating potential hate crimes, according to previous Statesman reporting. White said the police department is still working to identify victims and witnesses of the incidents. Idaho’s state law on malicious harassment also includes verbal harassment that targets a victim’s race.
“To the young women who endured racial slurs while visiting, I offer my most sincere apology,” Coeur d’Alene Mayor Jim Hammond said at the news conference Tuesday, according to previous Statesman reporting. “We, all of us, stand with you.”