The Texas Rangers are investigating an incident of harassment toward a Hispanic family that occurred during Saturday’s victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Jessica Romero wrote about the incident in a Facebook post that has since been viewed 138,000 times and has been shared another 78,000. According to Romero, the man sitting behind her family said: “let me see how I can f— up their pic” as the family was taking a traditional pre-game photo.
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Unfortunately for the Romero’s, the day only grew worse from that moment on. The man in question flashed an inappropriate gesture as the family was taking the photo, and then he began loudly complaining about the Hispanic families sitting in front of and behind him.
“During the 2nd inning, the little boy behind him, who looked to be about Nomar’s age, kicked the back of his chair. I had to hear him complain about all the illegal immigrants that were surrounding him at the game,” Romero wrote in the post. “That he should kick little Speedy Gonzalez all the way back to Mexico for kicking his seat. That Trump needs to hurry and build the wall and send all these illegals back so they won’t be kicking his seat.”
Unwilling to deal with any more harassment, the family left during the fifth inning. Ramon Romero, Jessica’s husband, told The Dallas Morning News that the couple has held 10-game mini-plans for the Rangers for roughly a decade.
However, they were not sitting in their regular section due to making last-minute plans to attend the game on Saturday. The Romero’s six-year-old son, Nomar, wanted a Rusty Greer bobblehead and to spend some time in the children’s play area.
The Rangers have reached out to the family. The team also released a statement about the situation. Such behavior is a violation of the club’s code of conduct for the fans.
“The Rangers are committed to providing all of our guests with a safe and enjoyable experience and we are truly sorry that this family was subjected to this offensive behavior at Saturday’s game,” the Rangers said in the statement. “There is no place at Globe Life Park in Arlington for this type of conduct to occur. After learning of this incident on Sunday, we have reached out to the Romero family and pledge to make their next trip to Globe Life Park a memorable and enjoyable experience.”
In the days following the game, the Romero’s have received considerable support from complete strangers. Ramon Romero said that people do care and that receiving support and apologies from those not involved has given him and his family hope that things will get better.
