Ministers in Danville postpone boycott, pickets at high school

DANVILLE – No one boycotted classes at Danville High School or picketed in front of the school district's administration building on Monday, despite a call to do so from a few black ministers.

Last week, the small group – led by Jerry Wilson and Frank McCullough – suggested staging the boycott and picket to protest what they called school officials' unwillingness to further investigate their claims that boys' basketball head Coach Gary Tidwell engaged in racial profiling and unfairly cut at least eight black students, including five seniors, from the all-black team.

"At this time, we decided to forgo the demonstration, pending some further investigation," said Wilson, pastor of the Freedom Missionary Baptist Church.

"We have some other things we're looking at," he continued, though he declined to elaborate.

McCullough, pastor of Mt. Olive Christian Church, did not return phone calls.

Wilson, McCullough and at least two other ministers got involved when parents complained to them that their sons weren't allowed to participate in summer basketball camps and a pre-season tournament, and they were cut from the team in November. While they don't think Tidwell engaged in racism, the ministers said, they said he engaged in racial profiling by making comments about two of the students' braids and people they associated with.

Principal Mark Neil and other administrators stand by the coach and his decision.

The ministers said they were upset that officials won't require Tidwell to hold another tryout or reinstate the students who were cut, and that officials aren't going to investigate the matter any further.

School officials said that if any student participated in a boycott, their absence would be counted as unexcused and they would get zeros for the day.

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