Columbia’s Bwog [one of the few entertaining college blogs I read] has just broken a story that is far more serious than their usual flippant commentary.
At 3.35pm this afternoon, Teachers College President Susan Fuhrman e-mailed the TC community to explain that a noose had been placed on a faculty member’s door:
To the TC Community:
The police were here this morning because a hangman’s noose was
discovered on the office door of one of our African American faculty
members. The incident has been reported to the New York City Police
Department (Detectives Bureau of Manhattan) and is under active
investigation by the Hate Crimes Task Force.The TC community and I deplore this hateful act, which violates every
Teachers College and societal norm.Anyone who has any information about this incident is urged to
immediately contact (anonymously or otherwise) any of the following:The 26th Precinct Detective Squad (212 678-1351);
Crime stoppers (1 800 577-TIPS);
John DeAngelis, Chief of Public Safety (212 678-4180);
Janice Robinson, TC General Counsel and Executive Director,
President’s Office of Diversity and Community (212 678-3732).Susan Fuhrman
I’ll also reprint the comment I left on The Bwog:
I find it disturbing that TC would say this act “violates every… norm.” That is one of the most intellectually irresponsible, mealy-mouthed education weakspeak statements that I’ve heard in some time. Fuhrman should be ashamed of herself for being so inappropriately gentle in response to hate and intimidation.
UPDATE at 10.09.07, 6.37pm:
The comments keep rolling in on the Bwog page. They’re worth a read - Columbia’s got its share of mean-spirited students.
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Shouldn’t we wait to see who the perps are before calling it a hate crime?
If this turns out to be another “raising awareness” project by some African American student we will look silly having called it a hate crime.
I’m not suggesting that we call it a “hate crime” or organize a massive civil rights protest.
Whether it’s meant to be intimidating or is a tasteless “awareness” stunt, denouncing it as simply violating norms in the community is ridiculous.
But do we need to see who did this to judge it properly? Is it more acceptable for one group or identity politics-driven organization to have done this than another?
I’m about to post on this as well, since it happened in my backyard, so to speak.
I agree the above message is disappointly inert; my feeling is that it bears the hallmarks of message-by-committee, and was left purposely vague for different reasons. Fuhrman’s usually a better writer than this, but still, it went out under her name and should have been worded more strongly.
Hate crime or not, it’s still awful that it happened. Semantic games put aside, it is shameful that anything like that happens anywhere.
~Michelle
beartwinsmom.wordpress.com
How likely is it that someone is going around Columbia hanging nooses on professors’ doors as a hate crime? I’m not buying. This is either someone’s idea of a stunt to “raise awareness” of Jena or it’s a hoax. Google “Kerri Dunn” to read about a professor in California who faked a hate crime against herself (& was prosecuted for it).
Tom,
I don’t know what the odds are here. I do know, however, that there are several possible explanations - bizarre as some may seem - all of which should be denounced and dealt with strongly.
No arguments there. If its a legit hate crime, the NYPD is already investigating it. That’s a terrorist threat. I don’t know about New York but it’s a felony in California. If not, then its filing a false police report, for one.
[…] Matthew wrote a fantastic post today on “Noose Placed in Columbia Teachers College”Here’s ONLY a quick extractThat is one of the most intellectually irresponsible, mealy-mouthed education weakspeak statements that I’ve heard in some time. Fuhrman should be ashamed of herself for being so inappropriately gentle in response to hate and … […]