Racial conflict at Madison's Memorial High School

Madison's Memorial High School was on edge the day after a racially tinged fight and amid rumors of a possible gun at school. Students were sent home just before 1 p.m. Police set up a command post and five detectives were brought in to help more than 10 officers determine if a safety threat existed. The police intervention — which also included officers who followed school buses and monitored West Towne Mall and Metro Transit transfer points — came after a fight between black and Latino students at the school. Several students were arrested, and the fight sparked rumors of retaliation, including reports that a gun might have been brought to school the next day, police and school district officials said. No gun was found, said Luis Yudice, the district's security coordinator, but officials decided that closing the school "was simply the safest thing to do." One student was arrested for possessing a sharp, pointed homemade object. Officer Shannon Blackamore, Memorial's educational resource officer, said the student, who is Latino, had not been involved in the previous racial incident.