Mountlake Terrace Racial Fight Shakes Students, Educators

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE - Like many districts throughout the state, the Edmonds School District has been grappling with a student body that each year grows more diverse.

But Thursday's melee between about 20 Asian-American and white students at Mountlake Terrace High School made it clear the challenges may be more daunting, and more immediate, than educators thought.

"I think we have a bigger problem than we thought we did," said Principal Elaine Klein.

Educators spent yesterday making sure Thursday's violence wasn't repeated. Five police officers walked the halls, and two others patrolled the schools' parking lots.

Police and school staff members also started what they said will be a long process of figuring out why a fight between two students - one white and one Asian American - erupted into something much bigger.

Student versions of the fracas vary, with members of both groups saying the other started the fight.

Thursday's incident occurred just after school in the parking lot. The Asian-American and white student - who exchanged racial comments during a confrontation earlier inside the school that teachers broke up - started throwing blows first.

A number of other fights broke out, while a group of about 150 students looked on. Several police officers were called in to disperse the crowd.

"We were surprised we had a big, huge fight so clearly delineated along racial lines," Klein said.

The confrontation reportedly followed a fight Monday between the same white student and two other Asian-American students. All three students were suspended for a day after that fight, Klein said.

The white student suffered a broken hand in Thursday's fight, Klein said, and the Asian-American student was treated for burns from pepper spray used by a campus police officer to break up the fight.

Some students in the crowd yelled at police Officer Kim Nesel, accusing her of spraying only the Asian-American student.

Some students had a hard time believing such a fight could have occurred.

"I just thought we were cushioned in this school, that things like this didn't happen," said Starr Farris, 17.

"It seemed like a movie or something," added Erica Goddard, 14.

"It didn't feel like people at our school would do that."

Others volunteered yesterday to serve on a new task force aimed at addressing racial issues. Students Karen Zeledon and Amy Jones also circulated a petition protesting the use of pepper spray.

The Asian-American youth involved in the first fight - and his mother - also objected to the officer's actions. They say he was the only one sprayed.

"The problem is the way the officer handled it. It's not really fair," she said.

Mountlake Terrace Police, however, said Nesel used the spray appropriately and sprayed both students.

Police weren't classifying the event as a gang incident, although they said some gang members were involved. No weapons were used in the fight, but police were investigating reports that one student took a pistol out of his car. He reportedly didn't threaten anyone with it.

Klein said no decisions had been made on discipline, although she said it wouldn't be limited to the two who started fighting first.

Despite the problem, school officials decided to let last night's dance at the school go forward, albeit with increased security.

"I'm very sad," said Klein, whose school has an enrollment of 22 percent minority students. "This wasn't the picture we have of ourselves. I'm also angry . . . that violence is controlling us.

"I'm angry that this is where we are."