Appreciating the time of year, I considered not posting… but then someone will say “I wish I had known about that”.
Lehigh University student assaulted in hate crime on campus, cops say
The Black student was walking with a group of friends and fellow Lehigh students on campus, when a group of four white people driving by yelled racist comments, university police said.
While I appreciate you posting, I’m not sure why this is news.
This is, unfortunately, our society and I don’t see why Lehigh needs to be demeaned for it. You could put in any school and send the same article and it would not surprise me.
Except it didn’t happen anywhere else, and if you were deciding whether to attend Lehigh or someplace else, would you want to know?
But it can and does - is my point. Unfortunately.
If you want to take a positive spin on this, Lehigh (and other schools) will likely look to enhance safety as a result.
Thanks for alerting us to this incident.
Based on the words of LU president Helble in the quote below, it seems that this may not be a one-off and is definitely a matter of concern for African-American students, professors and staff at the university.
Hopefully, LU and local law enforcement work hard to identify the degenerate criminals who did this and make the campus safe for all.
Just to be clear - I’m not trying to minimize this disgusting act. I’m just saying at this point it’s like:
Act of hate. Shrug. Kids shot at party. Shrug. Workplace shooting. Shrug. Cops shot. Shrug.
It’s all disgusting and it’s all the time. And no one legislatively or at home is willing to do anything about it.
I’m not insensitive to it and I suppose, as was mentioned to me, if it was a Jewish student I’d be up there with the protest signs.
I was simply trying to say - the location could be anywhere. And the occurrence anything.
I’d be more surprised if I didn’t read these kind of stories.
And that’s the sadness I have, that we all have.
I’m not sure the cure but I already expect to read about another act of disgust tonight or tomorrow. And unfortunately my same legislators get re elected.
Thank goodness there wasn’t a gun used this time although I’m sure the emotional scars will last a lifetime.
Right or wrong I just thought with the title that maybe it was unfair to the school.
But I do understand the disgust and share in it about all these issues.
Exactly what you are saying you are not doing; you are going, which is minimizing the incident.
Your first response was not wondering how the student is doing emotionally and mentally because, let me tell you, it rips you apart.
But instead, you are coming at the other student to alert others about the issue.
I want to know, I need to know the colleges to avoid and believe it or not, not ever college is racist.
The discussion wasn’t about how the student is. Of course I hope no one is ever hurt - anywhere. So that’s a bit silly to throw me like that.
My point again is - I’m sick and tired of reading about all this but I’m not surprised to be reading about it.
I’ve read stuff about Tufts, UCLA, and Michigan recently. Also, UTK and anti semitism.
I was simply noting i"m not sure it’s fair to stain the university.
I don’t mean to offend anyone.
I wish all this would stop - but until we as a society take actions, until we at home teach our kids right from wrong (that’s where I believe all this emanates) - I just can’t be like - omg I can’t believe this happened. I’d be more shocked if it didn’t happen at this point.
It’s all I’m sayinig.
Probably not best way to present it - but just how I feel.
Every day I want to tear up at this stuff but it’s so regular how can I?
If this puts someone in a position that perhaps Lehigh isn’t the best environment for their student, I understand and can appreciate that perspective.
I don’t think this is about - I hope the student is ok. That’s just understood as human beings.
I don’t have a child at Lehigh. We visited.
And I did note that I’m sure the child will be scarred for life and I know it sucks.
I can remember each and every single joke someone said to me about being Jewish and cheap, etc.
I get it.
Anyway, moving on - not meaning to offend and I’m sorry if you felt that way.
My purpose was just to say - it happens so much at this point it’s with a shrug (and no that is not a good thing).
Edit - I just read about a 6 year old shot for going in the neighbors yard to collect a ball.
It’s disgusting. All of it. The Lehigh incident and every incident. And this moron who shot the kid who knocked on the wrong door is out on bail.
It’s all sickening. But not surprising. Was my point.
“The people in the car are not affiliated with Lehigh and are not from the Bethlehem area, police said.”
Glad it wasn’t other Lehigh students or someone from Bethlehem.
From Lehigh’s President…
“While I am deeply relieved that he was not physically harmed as a result of the assault, that does not mean that this was somehow insignificant. We must all work together to do the hard work to eradicate hate and violence. Calling this out when it happens is a first and necessary step, and I am committed to our doing so. This must stop,”
In my opinion we should never dismiss or accept racist behaviors simply based on the frequency of which they occur. I agree entirely with the schools President. Dismissiveness of acts of hate is tantamount to acceptance which is implicitly supportive.
Thankfully looks like those involved will be brought to justice (from the article)…
“The suspects fled before the incident was reported to campus police, but the department said it has identified the people involved”
I wonder why the victim ran after the car.
From the article linked, “The Black student ran after the car before stopping and rejoining his group of friends. The group in the car then got out, followed the students and assaulted the Black student, according to police.”
If it were men in a car yelling insults at a woman, i don’t think a woman would have run after the car.
I’ve thought of that too.
Maybe not the right example - but if you are being carjacked, you give the car keys, etc.
But there’s pride, there’s self respect, and a lot of reasons. And I imagine after it’s happened to you multiple times, how much is too much? (yes, the answer is one time is too much).
Thankfully, these losers didn’t have a gun and thankfully they were caught.
I wish we punished parents - and kids - because this type of behavior can only become acceptable if it’s created at home (that’s my belief - yes, I know the parents didn’t do this).
I wonder if they could have gotten the license plate from afar and maybe, if they couldn’t, that’s what they were after.
There’s no way to know what was going through his mind - fear, anger, the and much more. And what if he had hurt them in reprisal - would he be charged too?
I’m certainly glad he was physically ok and I hope someone posts the aftermath of these idiots getting caught.
Unfortunately and I don’t know - but I’m guessing from a penalty POV, it’s probably light, if anything.
And that sucks.
Until we read the next item.
I hope families start raising their kids better, that human beings treat each other as human beings, and that the hate that permeates our society will leave us.
I also wish for less guns (many less) and a lot of other things.
Unfortunately, I know - I’m going to read another issue of violence or anti name your group today.
And that’s why I’m sad, but numb because of the frequency without action. Not based on color, race, age, religion or anything else - they all are disgusting and horrible and frankly, sometimes not believable (like the elderly folks being thrown down out west).
I do breathe a sigh of relief when they actually catch these people but I wonder, why did it take so long? Often times you read of warning signs - even the poor kid in KC who was shot because he mistakenly went to the wrong house - the guy’s own grandkid said - not surprised. Can these things be avoided? In some cases, yes.
Ask Allen Iverson about that. Something similar happened to him as a high school student. He was arrested, tried as an adult while not being legally an adult, lost every college scholarship that had been previously offered to him as a two-sport star athlete, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison - the teenage Iverson was imprisoned for 4 months before Governor Wilder freed him. John Thompson insisted (reportedly via a threat to resign) Georgetown offer Iverson an athletic scholarship and to not allow the racist prosecution of a teenager (over a racist incident led to a fight) to ruin that teenager’s life.
Remember the young Black student last year who had the police called on her because she was sitting in a common room on her campus? There was a long thread about that.
So my personal opinion is that yes, there is a high likelihood that Lehigh student would have been arrested.
The one thing I know for sure given common sense is that the black Lehigh student didn’t start the entire confrontation by chasing a random car of non Lehigh students and shout that they were racists.
Once the kids in the car lit that fuse I have a hard time questioning the response of a young black male being tormented about his race. I am not forgiving everything but I am empathetic and unquestioning of most any response short of extreme violence.
I am just glad no one was shot. These days it seems wise to avoid any confrontation with strangers given the risk level.
I was a student at Lehigh when Jeannie Clery was raped and murdered by a fellow student in a dorm within walking distance of mine. Everyone was terrified. It happened because as college students we didn’t have great security and routinely propped open doors so if we forgot keys, you could get in. And worst case happened.
The parents and university acted to get an act through Congress that requires all crime reporting on campus. Indirectly, there were benefits that all students now have. You can’t enter a dorm without a swipe, you can’t access a hall without a swipe, you can’t get into your room without a swipe.
While it is horrible and criminal that someone was a victim of a hateful action, it wasn’t done on campus, or by students. So I don’t think it should reflect on the university, especially after the school has done all they can to condemn it
That was at either Smith or Vasser, not Lehigh
Sorry, I need to clarify. Jeannie Clery was murdered at Lehigh. I was a student there when it happened.
The Black girl being kicked out of a common room was at Yale not Lehigh