| Show I- I Hate crimes rise on on college campuses y s College officials urged to prevent more crimes Jeff CPS HATE crimes are drawing more attention at college college college col col- col- col lege campuses following a national trend of increasing racial radal and ethnic tension that often goes unnoticed until it erupts in violence verbal assaults or scrawled epithets Clarinda Raymond director co-director of the Campus Campus' Violence Prevention Center at Towson State University in Maryland said the center has received more reports of hate crimes from colleges and universities it monitors II Almost everybody we have talked to has felt feIt a recent rise Raymond said We perceive considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able rise in homophobic activity At Towson for example a female fema e student was punched this past spring by a self-proclaimed self Hitler su supporter She was just talking to a friend They were alone in ina a a room in the student union nion Raymond said She told her friend she had a professor who was gay who was a good professor The assailant just barged in He said if you defend him you must be a dyke Then he punched her Neither the victim or her friend knew the assailant assailant assailant as as- who then fled and remains at large Raymond added Gays are not the most common victims of hate crimes however Blacks are the biggest group to be picked on Raymond said Blacks women and gays are the top three groups Nationally two wa watchdog organizations report increased crimes in 1991 The Project in Montgomery Alabama reported a surge in hate violence for the fourth consecutive year and a 27 percent increase in hate groups They pointed out however that m most st hate crimes are not pot committed by organized white supremacists J j r i l o h 1 E EL L LWe We have seen that racial radal tensions are at an all- all time high said Angie Lowry a writer and researcher researcher researcher re re- re- re searcher with the Project A 1991 report by the Defamation Anti-Defamation League of Brith reported that Semitic anti-Semitic acts on American college campuses in 1991 remained at a high level with six more mor cases reported than in 1990 However the league said there had been a dramatic increase increase 72 72 percent percent during during the pervious pervious pervious per per- three years In 1991 Semitic anti-Semitic acts were reported at 60 college campuses generally directed at Hillel organizations organizations organizations or or- dorm rooms occupied by Jewish students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents and the offices of Jewish professors the league said Twenty-three Twenty of those campuses experienced experienced experienced ex ex- ex- ex more than one occurrence occurrence At the University ity of California Northridge a temporary ceremonial nia hut but to ce celebrate rat the holiday of was defaced with swastikas s and anti- anti Sem Semitic tlc slogans s At Ball State University in Indiana cast members in the Ghetto donned yellow stars to better understand the stigma Jews experienced under the Nazi regime The students reported they were assaulted verbally with Semitic anti oaths rec received ived neo-Nazi neo literature in the mail and were shunned by fellow students and strangers Ive never experienced racism that was so blatant as that said Debbie Thomas a student actress Verbal abuse and vandalism are the most common commo cornmon com corn mo mon forms of related bias-related crime on campus experts said Swastikas swastika scrawled on classroom walls anti- anti gay intimidation and other inspired hate acts are increasing While walking through a residence hall earlier this year a Stanford University law student stopped and screamed homophobic statements at an apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment occupied by a gay faculty member The incident incident inci ind- dent became public after the dean of students wrote a letter to the campus newspaper in February 19 1992 2 quoting the student as yelling Faggot Hope youdie you youdie youdie die of AIDS A AThe The law students student's actions were quickly condemned condemned con condemned by his fellow classmates faculty members and even conservative groups on campus Hate crimes also are motivated by Y international tension When the Persian Gulf War broke out last year Colorado reported so many instances ces of Arab- Arab bashing that the Civil Rights Division held hearings involving hate crimes A lot of the incidents were on campus Fest Fester r said But the war ended before the hearings were finished and the attacks dis disappeared No one was prosecuted Watchdog groups do not bel believe eve hate crimes on campuses will will disappear disappear and have urged college colleg of officials officials f to prevent further crimes |
