Description
Deplorable Incident at Platte City Game. - - Last Friday night after the conclusion of the Plattsburg – Platte City football game the Negro boys on the Plattsburg team were denied access to the showers in the school building by a group of self appointed persons, said to be well under the influence of John Barleycorn.
Other members of the Plattsburg team replied that if the Negro boys could not use the Platte City showers, none of them would.
The sheriff (John W. Lowmiller) was supposed to be on hand and had been through the game but had left at that time to take someone home. He was notified and returned promptly. He dispersed the mob by telling them that he would see that none of the Negro boys took showers. The Plattsburg team was escorted home by officers of the State Patrol.
Superintendent of all of the schools met at Smithville Tuesday afternoon to learn the full truth of the incident as many diverse and false stories rapidly spread about what had occurred. The following resolutions were unanimously adopted.
“At a meeting of the Northwest Missouri ”8” Conference held on September 21 at Smithville, Missouri, with all members present, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:
We, as members of the Northwest Missouri “8” Conference, do hereby resolve that the incident which took place on Friday, September 17, at Platte City after a Plattsburg-Platte City football game was highly unethical, undemocratic, un-Christian, and such action that displays race-prejudice is hereby condemned.
Be It Further Resolved, that Platte City shall be automatically suspended as a member of the Northwest Missouri “8” Conference should any such similar incident arise at any time in the future on school premises and suspension is immediate unless the board of education and school authorities can guarantee protection in all future contests.
It is Further Resolved, that the same rule of suspension shall apply to all other member schools should such similar incident occur on their school premises. Such member schools are: North Platte, Gower, Plattsburg, Lathrop, Faucett, West Platte, Smithville, and Platte City.
It is also understood that any such future incident be referred to the Missouri State Activities Association for immediate action.
Be It Further Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to all member schools, the Missouri State Activities Association, and all newspapers in the Conference.
After due investigation we do hereby find no fault with the Platte City school authorities to provide normal protection since arrangements had been made for the sheriff and deputies to be present and reports to the effect that the Platte City school officials had been notified at half-time of pending trouble is in error, since those dispatched to notify the school authorities did not reach the proper officials.”
The facts seemed to put no blame whatever upon Platte City school officials. The incident might have occurred in any other town in the conference where there were no Negroes on the team and where the school authorities trusted people in the community to be good law abiding citizens.
(Researcher's Note: John W. Lowmiller was Sheriff of Platte County, Missouri, between January 1, 1949 to December 31, 1966.)Date(s) of Creation
9/23/1954
