Delaware State University students received an education about potential racial profiling and questionable law enforcement practices, with a charter bus traveling through Georgia as their classroom.
It is certain to be a lesson they will remember, but its occurrence has raised eyebrows beyond the DSU campus.
The women's lacrosse team was traveling north on I-95 in Liberty County, Georgia, on April 20. The Hornets played their final game of the season on April 19 at Deland, Florida.
The bus driver was initially told he was traveling in the wrong lane when the bus was pulled over, according to The Hornet Newspaper and its website thehornetonline.com. The incident was detailed in a story written by a lacrosse player who was on the bus.
Video accompanying the story taken by DSU player Saniya Craft shows an officer saying if there is anything in luggage, we're probably going to find it. I'm not looking for a lot of marijuana, but I'm pretty sure you guys will be disappointed if we find any.
The Liberty County Sheriff's Office had begun removing players bags from the vehicle's cargo bay after asking Jones to open it. A drug sniffing dog was at the scene.
The people on the plane were on a lacrosse team.
If there is something questionable in there, please tell me now, because if we find it, it will be over. We are not going to be able to help you.
The law enforcement personnel on and outside the bus were white in photos and video. Most of the players and coaches on the bus were black.
Tony Allen wrote a letter to the community about the incident. Allen said that DSU informed Delaware Gov. John Carney, the state Attorney General's office, Delaware's congressional delegation and the Congressional Black Caucus about the incident.
Allen wrote that they had reached out to Georgia Law Enforcement and were exploring options for recourse.
The incident was very traumatizing and the team members stayed composed.
The team members were stunned when they saw their luggage being removed.
The assumption of guilt on their behalf made me upset.
One of my student-athletes asked them how they went from a routine traffic stop to narcotics sniffing dogs going through their belongings.
A Message from University President, Dr. Tony Allen regarding the DSU Lax Team Bus Incident pic.twitter.com/5J7Md1tTYr
— Delaware State University Alumni Association (@DelStateAA) May 9, 2022
The video was termed "upsetting, concerning and disappointing" by the governor.
"Moments like these should be demoted to part of our country's complicated history, but they continue to occur with sad regularity in communities across our country." It is especially hard when it affects our own community.
The Liberty County Sheriff's Office said it would have a statement by the end of the day, but nothing came of it.
Allen wrote in his email to the DSU community that they do not intend to let this or any other incident like it pass by. Wherever the evidence leads us, we are prepared to go. We have a video. We have friends. We have the courage of our convictions.
The Hornets played at Jacksonville University in Florida on April 18 and at Kennesaw State in Georgia on April 16.
The officer told the people on the bus that marijuana is still illegal in Georgia.
The bus was stopped for a while. At one point, a deputy stepped onto the bus holding a gift-wrapped box and summoned the person whose name was on it, senior Aniya Aiken, who happens to be from Decatur, Georgia.
She was asked where she received the package. It was from people who had seen the team play. She said she was told by her aunt not to open the gift until she got back to campus.
The deputy was told that it was a gift to be opened later, but he didn't know what it was.
The gift was opened when the deputy returned to the cargo bay.
After 10 minutes on the bus, they say you're free to leave and have a safe trip.
The driver did not receive a citation.
After retrieving her gift, she found a jewelry box that was a graduation present.
Nothing illegal was discovered in this search, and all of our coaches and student-athletes behaved themselves with dignity.
The situation was described in a joint statement by Delaware U.S. senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons.
No one should be made to feel unsafe or humiliated by law enforcement or any entity who has sworn to protect and serve them.
Delaware State's graduation exercises are on Saturday. The former Atlanta mayor is expected to address the incident.
Delaware State and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities have been the victims of bomb threats many times.
Allen wrote that it should not be lost on any of us. For communities of color and the institutions who serve them, that is true. The feelings of disempowerment are always the object.
Do you have an idea for a compelling local sports story? Kevin Tresolini can be reached at ktresolini@delawareonline.com. You can support local journalism by clicking here.
The article was originally published on Delaware News Journal. The Delaware State team bus was searched.
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