Black, Latino Students Fight on School Campus

Fighting between hundreds of black and Latino students erupted at Leuzinger High School on Thursday afternoon after a group of girls reportedly uttered a racial slur on the Lawndale campus, students and authorities said.

The fighting, which left no one injured, took place on the quad during sixth period about 1:45 p.m. Lennox Sheriff Sgt. Jack Mayer said several hundred students streamed from the building to watch or join in scattered fistfights.

No arrests were made.

The disruption was halted by more than 30 police and sheriff’s deputies who separated the two groups of students. Access to the school was closed off; all gates to the campus were locked and surrounding streets, including Prairie, Larch and Avis avenues, were coned off.

The fighting forced teachers to detain students for nearly an hour after school. They were excused about 3:30 p.m. Authorities monitored the exodus, using only one exit.

“It’s just a handful of students who cause problems for the entire school,” said a special education teacher who declined to give his name. “It had been a pretty quiet school year up until now.”

Leuzinger has a history of fights between blacks and Latinos. In the spring more than 30 students were arrested after a racial melee broke out between the two groups. In 1995, about 30 students were arrested in two incidents of racially motivated fighting near the school.

Authorities said that Thursday’s brawl marked the first time this school year that they were called to the school to break up a racial fight. Students said tensions have been brewing for some time.

Authorities patrolled the area after school to keep the peace. Mayer said they wanted to prevent students from continuing the fight after school.