Video has emerged of brawl following the Santa Monica High School boys varsity basketball game against Beverly Hills High School on Friday, Jan. 23.
According to CBS2 who obtained the video, the fight broke out in the Civic Center parking lot across from Santa Monica High’s campus after the Beverly Hills Normans swept JV and varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball games against the Vikings.
CBS2’s Greg Mills reported that “there are lots of punches thrown, angry words.”
Santa Monica High Principal Eva Mayoral wrote a letter to parents on Saturday, Feb. 7:
“I’m asking that every parent have a conversation with their student, especially those who will be attending games at Beverly, about how they will behave should Beverly students engage in taunting,” Mayoral wrote.
“My expectation is that kids will cheer with intensity, but when the game ends, we embrace the symbolism of the players’ hand shakes, and end the competition.
“I’d like all our students to take the lead of our players (boys and girls), and win or lose, disappointed or elated, we walk (and drive) away with honor and pride in a game well played.
“I need each of you to take the temperature of your child; If you don’t believe that your student can ignore, or refrain from, taunting, please keep him or her home.
“If your child believes that violence is acceptable if it is provoked by vulgar, disrespectful, taunting, then please keep him or her home.
“While the interaction after the last game was a small number of students, social media chatter has a way of amplifying everything. Therefore, in an abundance of caution, I ask that you also encourage your student to disengage from any such postings.
“If I do not believe that we can participate at Beverly safely, I will cancel all games. This is not my goal, nor is it my hope. I believe in spirited competition and rivalry as a means of drawing us tightly together, but not at the sacrifice of safety, or honor, or sportsmanship.”
The two schools are slated to meet again this Tuesday night at Beverly Hills High.
