Another racist incident connected to UCSD

Parents Forum
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<p>" Keep letting stupid little things prevent you from moving forward and then sit around wondering why nobody is getting better."</p>

<p>This is what you’re calling “stupid little things”:</p>

<p>"I cannot comment with specificity on the events this book documents. The details are that vile. This book describes ritualistic murder that was routinely carried out from the latter part of the 19th century to the second half of the 20th. This in no way limits the genocide inflicted on blacks for centuries in this country, rather this focuses on particularly barbaric events that on many occasions took place with thousands or even 20,000 or 30,000 spectators. The spectators to these planned, public atrocities would learn of the events from newspapers, and would travel to the scene via free passage provided by railroads. Governors publicly endorsed these murders routinely together with other elected officials, and were largely ignored by the federal government. The 1965 murder of 3 persons working for Civil Rights finally got the attention of Washington, and actually lead to a real trial and convictions. It may sound cynical, but the fact remains that two of the victims were white, and Civil Rights Legislation was popular for the first time following the death of President Kennedy. The early laws that were passed followed on the heals of his assassination when a vote against what the murdered president had started was too risky for even the most committed racists in congress that had repeatedly blocked any form of federal law, including any law outlawing the lynching of citizens. Congress had company, as the legislation had no Presidential support whether it was FDR, or Eisenhower.</p>

<p>Men, women, children, pregnant women, and entire families were lynched. Now that word brings to mind a rope and a victim. If those who inhabited the vacuity that Mr. Mencken described stopped at that, their hands would be fairly clean when compared to what repeatedly took place. The rituals that were carried out were limited in their cruelty only by the imaginations of those inflicting the torment. These acts could last for hours prior to ending in a holocaust. When the site had cooled, souvenirs were collected, sold, and displayed in shop windows on Main Street for weeks, or even months."
[Amazon.com:</a> At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America (9780375503245): Philip Dray: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/At-Hands-Persons-Lynching-America/dp/0375503242]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/At-Hands-Persons-Lynching-America/dp/0375503242)</p>

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<p>No Northstar, I’m referring to the drawing of the noose, not the act of lynching!! I don’t think the AA students at this school are suddenly afraid that they are now about to be lynched. Please. I don’t need a history lesson on lynching, thanks.</p>

<p>As far as it being a woman, who just shot all those people in Alabama? Women are capable as any of doing things wrong.</p>

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<p>

The one refers to the other. That’s its purpose. </p>

<p>I have no idea if the AA students at UCSD are “suddenly afraid that they are now about to be lynched.” But I am sure they have been forcibly reminded that there are people around them who hate them, and who think that the community-sanctioned torture and murder of their compadres just a few decades ago in this country is appropriate fodder for campus mind-game-playing. How would that make you feel?</p>

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<p>You’re gonna tell me that a girl student drawing a noose is a calculated “mind-game”? Oh my, things are worse then I thought. Come on, this is silly. No body has that fear and you know it. Look at that the violence coming out of the neighborhoods that many of these kids come from. You’re gonna tell me that they are going to suddenly be afraid of some girl drawing a noose. </p>

<p>I can assure you that nobody will ever get better if we can’t find a way to ignore small minded people that are not representitive of what America feels. We have a black president and nobody is lynching anybody. AA students know this and you know this.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>I’m not a parent, but this comment in particular struck me. As a Jew, if I were to see a Nazi swastika displayed on a bumper sticker or armband somewhere, no, I would honestly not be afraid that someone was about to cart me off to the gas chambers. But yes, I would be offended, upset, terrified, and most importantly ANGRY that someone had rationalized or condoned the intense anti-Semitism that the Nazi swastika represents, which of course includes the events of the Shoah.</p>

<p>If someone truly thinks they are going to be lynched because of this incident, however, that fear is entirely justified, and its unfair to delegitimize a perfectly valid response to such a blatant manifestation of racism. The noose is a powerful symbol of racial hatred and brutality that makes many people–regardless of their race–profoundly uncomfortable.</p>

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<p>*As far as it being a woman, who just shot all those people in Alabama? Women are capable as any of doing things wrong. *</p>

<p>Actually, women are not just as capable of doing such things. It is VERY rare for women to kill non-relatives. Very rare. Amy Bishop is a rarity. </p>

<p>And, I have no facts to back me up, but I imagine less women participated in lynchings then men did. I imagine the percentages aren’t even close. Women are different. So, although I am shocked that anyone would do this in San Diego, I am more shocked that a woman would do this.</p>

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<p>^agreed with u, there. & there’s nothing <em>sexist</em> about finding it hard to believe that a young girl would do such a thing.</p>

<p>i think if i saw a noose/noose drawing/whatever, i would cry. & this is coming from a 17-year-old white girl.</p>

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<p>^We don’t yet know the identity or the intention of the perpetrator of this noose incident.</p>

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<p>I’m actually a student at UCSD, Thurgood Marshall college. </p>

<p>As a student in Marshall college, I have learned what this all means. A lot of people on campus, surprisingly, don’t know what a noose means. Some have never even heard of the word before. I was talking to people on Library Walk and they described it as…“the rope that’s used to hang people.” I learned about the history of lynching in Marshall’s DOC classes, where we focused on Gender, Race, and Class, and the various depictions in media and history. If I hadn’t taken these classes, I probably wouldn’t have known the significance of the noose until recently. </p>

<p>I walked back from class to see the first protest (Wednesday), and I stopped by just to see how everyone felt about it. I ended up staying for the whole protest, about 4-5 hours I think? I listened to speeches by faculty, staff, and students, from our campus and from several others (UCLA, USC, UCR, CSUSB, SDSU…) and it was really moving. People were really hurt by this “Compton Cookout,” because it reminded them of how people still mock race, background, hometowns, and gender without even realizing how it could hurt others. </p>

<p>I went to the protest on Friday as well, after the noose was found hanging on the 7th floor of Geisel. I usually study in the library late at night, or at Price Center, and just walk back by myself. This noose is a symbol of lynching of African Americans in history, a symbol of terror and oppression just like the Nazi Swastika. And although I’m Indian, after this, I feel that I am not safe anymore either. How do I know if she really meant to commit a hate crime, or if she put it up jokingly? </p>

<p>The Guardian was sent a letter saying “there will be more to come.” After living on campus, walking back at night by myself, and considered a racial minority in the United States and a woman, why should I not consider this as a threat? UCSD is my second home, and people have been hurt and scared from these past couple of weeks. Even high school students who have been on the campus tours during these weeks don’t want to come anymore either. </p>

<p>For me, it’s neither about the demands of the BSU, nor about why it was a girl who hung the noose in Geisel. It’s about my friends and I wanting to be able to walk on campus from studying, from eating late at night, and being able to feel safe and not threatened. Because while some people think of it as a joke, there -are- some people who strongly dislike minorities.</p>

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<p>Sasmita has highlighted one of the many problems associated with this incident: it seems that there was never an actual letter to the Guardian saying there would be more attacks. That was never confirmed, much like another rumor that there had been more nooses found–this was eventually debunked before the next news cycle came around. Too many rumors and half-truths have been flying around and over time they’re becoming embedded in the folk wisdom of the protesters. </p>

<p>I’ll agree that the noose incident was unacceptable, no matter what the reason, and look forward to seeing more details released about the investigation. But there is a huge difference from one person placing a symbol of racial violence and people credibly committing to and capable of carrying out that kind of violence (for what it’s worth, the last lynching in America was in 1946 in Walton County, GA). To put it more specifically, I think a proportional response would’ve been what the BSU did in the morning, which was hold a rally in front of the library and bring attention to the incident, but invading the administration’s offices, even after the administration clearly indicated the investigation was well under way and sent out emails to the student body informing them of the incident, and demanding the immediate closure of the university was going beyond what the circumstances warranted. </p>

<p>To respond to an earlier post about what the BSU should do, it is not the job of the BSU to get outraged at, insult, and curse at the UCSD administration, which has been more than supportive of their cause. They can get angry, certainly, but instead of offering actual history and facts to educate students (as I appreciate Sasmita offering above), they’ve offered angry rants and vague claims of “institutional racism.” Watch the teach-in and the videos of the protests if you want proof. Their list of demands show that they’re engaged in an opportunistic attention/resource-grab on issues tangential to the actual ones in question (i.e. how much funding they should get, special tutoring for black students, etc.) and have lost out on an opportunity to actually reach out to ignorant students. Most of the protests/teach-ins have been little more than outlets for people to complain about how they “feel” that there’s racism everywhere and to harangue strawmen like the UCSD administration. </p>

<p>Finally, you have BSU and allied leaders saying things like: “The bill of rights in which the free speech document came from was never meant to include my people, our people, so how do you expect me to respect free speech when I was never supposed to have free speech?” Do they really expect to be taken seriously with that kind of logic?</p>

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<p><a href=“for%20what%20it’s%20worth,%20the%20last%20lynching%20in%20America%20was%20in%201946%20in%20Walton%20County,%20GA”>quote</a>.

[/quote]

Really?
[Digital</a> History](<a href=“http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/lynching/lynching_menu.cfm]Digital”>http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/lynching/lynching_menu.cfm)

</p>

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<p>“Not revealing the race of the alleged perpetrator is also interesting; what if this student was black?”</p>

<p>Then she’s expressing hate toward her own people. That’s not all that unusual.</p>

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<p>I think it’s really risky to extrapolate too much from the actions of one person, especially since we don’t know much at all about the person. This person could be a rabid racist, a bone-headed moron, a mentally ill person, or a provocateur. But whichever of these things she may be, what does that say about the other people at UCSD, if anything?</p>

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<p>

Absolutely nothing, of course. Another person’s act says nothing about me. But my response to that act may say quite a bit.</p>

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<p>I went and read a couple of articles about the “Compton Cookout.” It’s a real problem. This was a private party, held off-campus, and apparently not sponsored by any campus group (some members of a frat were involved, but the frat itself denies organizing it). It was grossly offensive. But can a state school punish people for doing this? I don’t think so. Indeed, a state school couldn’t punish students for joining the KKK and parading down Main Street. The noose hanging is a different matter, of course.</p>

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<p>Update: according to an anonymous (but apparently identity-verified letter) in the UCSD Guardian today, the perpetrator of the noose incident was an minority student who happened to hang up a rope in the shape of a noose next to her study space in the library, then forgot about it. She claims she never meant any harm by it. See the text of the letter: [UCSD</a> Student Paper Runs “Verified” Apology from Student Who Hung Noose Student Activism](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/ahakcB]UCSD”>http://■■■■■■/ahakcB)</p>

<p>Kind of changes things, eh?</p>

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<p>vig180, thank you for posting the update.</p>

<p>When I was in college, the guy in the room across the hall from me (Physics major) used to hang a noose outside his door whenever he studied for midterms and finals. It was his way of telling people “leave me alone, my classes are killing me”. When the noose came down, his friends knew it was again safe to knock on his door.</p>

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<p>Is this where Gilda Radner would say “never mind?”</p>

<p>I can totally see being outraged/horrified about a noose hung in direct relation to some aspect of the black community or involving a threatening note, but I don’t think the noose, by itself, always connotes racism. It could also refer to execution or suicide (having an immediate family member who committed suicide, that’s the personal experience I bring to the issue, and it’s the first thing I’d think.)</p>

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<p>Regarding the noose - that makes sense which explains why the student came forward so quickly to state that she left it there (if it had been done to purposely offend, I doubt she would have come forward). The importance of a noose left somewhere is in the intent behind it - i.e. whether it’s meant as a symbol of hatred towards a particular racial group, or whether it was something completely benign - like UCLA Band Mom’s fellow classmate or this girl. I hope those people who were concerned about the possible meaning behind the noose will be open enough to understand that this wasn’t meant as a statement against them and will feel relieved about that and will calm down about it.</p>

<p>Regarding the ‘Compton Cookoff’ party - apparently a person, who is black and who describes himself as a ‘comedian’, is stating that he was the organizer of the event, that it wasn’t held with any racial hatred at all, and was meant to be just a good time for the racially mixed (don’t know what mix) attendees. I listened to his interview on a local radio talk show and he seemed to be convincing that he was the organizer and he gives a different angle for the party. I don’t know whether he’s the legit organizer of the party or not but there you have it.</p>

<p>Apparently the person who used the ‘n word’ on the campus student-run TV station is known for his highly cynical and strong expressions and he does so for almost any topic. He sounds as if he’s quite proud of taking these extreme, cynical, and attention-grabbing statements.
[Stoker</a> of UCSD ire can?t justify hurt caused - SignOnSanDiego.com](<a href=“http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/28/stoker-of-ucsd-ire-cant-justify-hurt-caused/]Stoker”>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/28/stoker-of-ucsd-ire-cant-justify-hurt-caused/)</p>

<p>The bottom line - things aren’t always as they’re initially perceived and it’s best to get the full story before reacting, especially when strongly reacting, as some of those students on campus did. It’s best to not rush into judgment and make situations worse. The good news is that it doesn’t seem that any of this was ‘race-hate’ based and was exacerbated by quick strong reactions and one incident that had nothing to do with the other (i.e. the noose).</p>

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<p>I note in passing that the girl who confessed to leaving the noose is a “minority” student–but that doesn’t mean she is a black student.</p>