SAN DIEGO — Investigations are underway Monday after Lincoln High School students said they were targeted with racial slurs at a football game in Orange County. San Diego community leaders spoke outside San Clemente High School on Monday where the alleged incidents took place on Friday.
Those that spoke said vulgar comments – including use of racial slurs – made by students and parents on the San Clemente side forced Lincoln’s cheer squad and other fans to leave early.
Student Lily Mixon, who is a majorette for Lincoln, was at the football game and said San Clemente fans used racist language towards her. Mixon said this is the first season majorettes are attending away games and she said they felt unwelcome at San Clemente from the start.
“We felt awkward, like we didn't belong there,” she said.
While the first half was focused on the field, it was during halftime when Mixon says things took a turn when a young boy asked her a question.
“He asked me, ‘oh, do you do flag or twirl?’ and I was like ‘No, I’m a majorette, I dance’ and he responded with calling me the n-word,” Mixon said.
She said a second incident happened on her way back to the field when she walked past an adult.
"I heard her call me the n-word and I was like ‘did she really just say that?’ This is a grown woman saying this to me,” Mixon said.
She reported the alleged comments to her coach and security.
Both San Clemente and Lincoln high schools are investigating what happened along with more allegations from cheerleaders and other students at the game.
“This isn't right,” Mixon said. “You can't expect a group of people to come to school and accept you've been called a name and feel disrespected.”
Mixon posted about her experience on social media and received backlash from students and other adults but she says she's not backing down.
"It's a real situation that happens and people don't point it out as often as they should,” said Mixon. “They're afraid of the backlash and things that will happen due to speaking up especially to a big community like that.”