Civil rights activists are calling on prosecutors to file felony hate-crime charges against four white students accused of harassing a black student at San Jose State University.
NAACP leaders are urging Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen to bring felony charges against the white students, who currently face misdemeanor hate-crime and battery charges.
"This is not simple hazing or bullying. This is obviously racially based terrorism targeted at their African American roommate," Reverend Jethroe Moore II, president of the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP said in a statement Saturday. "The community will not stand idly by and allow for any student of color to be terrorized simply due to the color of his skin."
According to a police report, the white students taunted their freshman dorm-mate with racial slurs, outfitted their dormitory suite with a Confederate flag, barricaded the victim in his room and placed a U-shaped bicycle lock around his neck.
In a statement Saturday, Rosen says he believes his office has filed the "appropriate charges in this case, based upon the evidence," according to the San Jose Mercury News.
"We have deep respect for the NAACP," Rosen added. "We share its abhorrence for hate crimes and share its desire for justice."
University officials have suspended the four white students, condemned their actions and promised a full investigation of the case, which prompted a campus protest last week.
The students charged are Logan Beaschler and Collin Warren, both 18; Joseph Bomgardner, 19; and an unidentified juvenile.
Since the accusations emerged Wednesday, efforts by the Mercury News and Associated Press to contact the students have been unsuccessful, and it's unclear if they have lawyers. They haven't released any public statements. The Santa Clara County district attorney's office and county jail administration office were closed Sunday.
Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, said in a statement that he and California State University Chancellor Timothy White will closely monitor the situation "so that every student knows that these unconscionable acts will not be tolerated anywhere, anytime."
NAACP officials are planning a campus news conference Monday to condemn the racially charged actions and call on the university to conduct a thorough investigation into how the university housing department handled the situation.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Comments
The Time is Now
If any real change is to take place something must be done about hate crimes. These crimes should be treated as felonies because of the degradation of the victim that takes place. For there to be any change in the current state this issues must be confronted head on with full force. The public needs to be made aware of the severity of these crimes because it is clear they keep popping up in one place after the next. We say this is wrong but when the chance arises we do nothing to but an absolute stop to it. These felony charges are appropriate. This harassment needs to end and this will clearly get the point across that it WILL end.
This needs to end
In order to bring about change and stop such an inhumane act in today's world, there needs to be more severe consequences. Hate crimes are extremely detrimental to the livelihood, safety, and security of any citizen - no matter their race, religion, or sexuality. Thus, our judicial system needs to be more stricter on any individual who commits hate crimes.
More harsh
There needs to be more harsh punishments for crimes as severe as this. this should be ended because no one should be treated like this just because of their race. the justice system needs to have a tighter grip on these crimes and enforce a much harsher penalty for committing them.
This needs to be taken care of
If this has already happened, the students that have been charged need to be charged to the fullest extent. It is clear there is intent to harm and if further measures aren't taken now the end result could be absolutely terrible. No matter what the race, crimes such as this cannot be taken lightly and need to be looked at as an extremely serious situation. Racism is still an ongoing struggle in our country and as much as we would like to push that people have freedom and can live a happy fulfilling life, acts such as this happen and set us back to our history and the terrible events that occurred then.
True
Yes the people to don't understand that the situation is greater then just "oh its just kids being kids" no its kids bullying another for the color of his skin making him feel as if he is a lesser being. Bulling should have no exception and even more authority should be taken when dealing with different ethnic groups.
Bigotry
This is the type of racism that is blatant and outlandish. It is very harmful and offensive and this is the type of racism that draws the most attention to the public eye. I agree that this is terrible and that these students need to be carved and punished, however we as a society need to look at our own role in perpetuating racism in a passive form, which is just as bad.
So what are we going to do about it?
I agree that this is the type of racism that draws the most attention. Therefore, as a society, we have the opportunity to do something about it or do the opposite by standing by and subliminally saying this racist act is acceptable. So the question is, what are we going to do about this? Are we going to use this opportunity to better our society or let it rack up more points on the racists' scoreboard?
Need To Act
People often prank each other with various acts of mental and sometimes physical destructiveness in the name of power. The concept of hazing is formed by a struggle of power of people who have through time been able to rank higher than people whom are just entering the community. The very concept of hazing is to limit the power a new member of the group has. So far hazing to combine a large amount of racial slurs into the equation, these people being victimized are truly being crushed by two very wrongful and powerful external forces. The oppression hitting these two students is extreme and both need to be terminated. Both hazing and racism have caged people, people deserve to be heard and respected, no matter what.
"racially based terrorism"
I think that the phrase "racially based terrorism" is an accurate description of what has happened. We tend to associate terrorism with large-scale foreign attacks, but I believe that it is causing us to fail to realize the smaller-scale hate crimes that are occurring in our midst. It is shocking that young students - people who are in an educational institutions - are the ones who were involved in this incident. It makes me wonder about all the others who have not been caught and all the undeserved privileges they are receiving, such as a college education.
Campus racist...?
Unbelievable...! Really??? At this time in our history we are still facing this type of humiliation on our college campuses??? I can't believe that these things happen and in California too. I think that these boys should be seriously dealt with and humbled in a public forum! I don't want to be harsh but, if we don't stat making an example of these forms of overt racism it will never stop! I would have never heard anything about this situation if I didn't get it hear which means that either the Media doesn't want this to go national or as a society we still don't believe that there really is a problem with racism. I think both! It's our job as future leaders of America to stand up to fight injustice in our country starting at the local level! Where were this students friends peer advisors or other caring students? If I would have seen this happen once I would've jumped in at that moment! Where are you people??? I hear all this talk about change but the minute change presents itself you all run and hide to join the status quo!!!!!!! San Jose where are you??? Are you serious about change? Are any of us serious??? I'm sure it will always be yes we are changing but, I'm sure the next time it happens we will hear the same thing! Lets really stand up to change and be an example! It only takes one person to buck the trend! Remember Rosa Parks...!!!
Shame
Its a shame that the students only had gotten suspended, there are people drinking and smoking on campuses and they will get expelled and even banned from their universities. These students committed a hate crime and bulled someone more then one time. They barricaded him inside his room, and all they get is just a couple days suspension. People do things that are way less serious and they get a much higher discipline says a lot about the University, which clearly doesn't do much about its image.
Racism Sucks
Why did they room with him in the first place? If they are that racist and cant live with someone different from them without chaining their views around his neck, then they shouldn't put themselves in that situation. Therefore, racist people should form a committee and live underground, away from all of us that accept and appreciate diversity.
Racism in US
This is a very common issue in this country. Since I arrived in this country was very strange and notorious the differences between races . It is pretty normal to find groups that only contains black people, or groups just with white boys. United States need to do something serious about this problem because this kind of troubles called bullying are probably very often. the punishments must be harder in order to avoid this kind of behaviors from people who are equal and actually share the same country.
No Tolerance
Hate crimes shouldn't be treated with a smack on the hand consequence. Those students should be expelled. For a college to keep them on their campus shows that they tolerate that behavior. Campuses should have a no warning-expulsion policy when it comes to being convicted of a hate crime.
hate crimes
this is awful!! i agree with "no tolerance" the students should be EXPELLED not a simple suspension. nobody should have to be harassed like that and have to know the the kids that participated in the harassment will be coming back to the school. This campus should definitely revise their expulsion policy.