Not "hate crimes," not even "hoaxes," but instead, "a way to bring racial issues on campus to the forefront of the university":
A recent police report issued by the SF State University Police provides new information in the alleged hate crimes on campus. According to the report, racial epithets written on the doors of two African-American students were not the product of racism, but rather a way to bring racial issues on campus to the forefront of the university.
The first incident occured when the words “Black Bitches” was scrawled across the door of a fifth floor Village at Centennial Hall apartment on Sept. 14 or 15. Student Allison Jackson filed a report with the University Police claiming that her neighbor was a possible suspect in the vandalism...
Due to an ongoing and escalating feud with her roommates, Jackson wrote the words in an attempt to get relocated to another room. According to the report, when told she was a suspect, she explained why she did it.
“I was requesting a roommate move, and I was given that advice that in order for the roommate move to be taken seriously, things needed to occur … issues needed to occur, and that if I really wanted, I could go ahead and pursue those issues, so the issue was basically that I wanted a roommate change.”
A similar seemingly unrelated incident occured in Mary Park Hall. After a supposed hate crime involving a watermelon in early September did not receive enough attention by campus authorities, freshman Leah Miller decided to write the word 'NIGG' on fellow resident Brandi Parr’s door on or around Sept. 20, according to a police report. Then she wrote a note bearing the same slur and claimed to her residential adviser that it was slipped under her door.
Miller said she was pressured into doing this by an older student, who claimed that she “had” to do it in order for the University to recognize racism in the community and that things like this had been done before.
“Granted I was wrong and it was stupid of me, there’s no excuse,” Miller told [X]press. “I’m mad at myself that I let someone coerce me into doing this, but it’s been a big learning experience.”
So this is how they help contribute to "awareness" of racism, by fanning the flames with fake hate crimes? By this logic, those of us women who want the police to take accusations of rape more seriously should all go to the police at once and file fake sexual assault charges against men we know, no matter the effect on the lives of the accused or the reaction of the general public. How appalling.
At least Miller acknowledges that she understands what she did wrong; Jackson has given no indication that she now knows racial threat hoaxes are not an acceptable response to disagreeing with one's roommates.
Posted by kswygert at November 14, 2003 03:48 PM