San Jose State (Univ.) students accused of tormenting black roommate charged with hate crimes

[Newsjock]

Source: San Jose Mercury News

First, his white roommates nicknamed him "Three-fifths," referring to the way the government once counted blacks as just a fraction of a person. When he protested, they dubbed him "Fraction."

Then they outfitted the four-bedroom dormitory suite they shared with a Confederate flag. They locked him in his room. They wrote the "N-word" on a dry-erase board in the living room. They fastened a bicycle lock around his neck and told him they lost the keys, then tried it again a few weeks later.

It may sound like something out of the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. But police reports indicate it happened last month in the Obama era to a black student at San Jose State University, a liberal campus boasting statues of Olympic athletes making a black power salute.

Late Wednesday, prosecutors filed misdemeanor hate-crime and battery charges against three of the student's roommates over the alleged hazing, which has sparked anger in the community and on the diverse campus.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_24566367/san-jose-state-students-charged-hate-crime

[Arcanetrance]

1. I hope not only do they lose their student housing rights they should be expelled and banned from

financial aid. That's on top of if they end up with probation of anything

[freshwest]

2. How old are these people? How could they not know this is criminal? Why didn't SJSU take action?

These outliers deserve jail time and revocation of all privileges. They are a danger to society. This probably isn't the first time they've abused someone, either!

[freshwest]

12. They have no business being at that university. They should be expelled and jailed.

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. I can only imagine the pains ...

of guilt that this kid's parent must be feeling ... knowing they completely failed to equip their son to deal with this obviously racist conduct.

[mike dub]

4. Racist bullies always assign "nicknames"

It's every insecure bully's M.O.
Call others names, because they themselves are such insecure POS's
And it's sad that a presumably good College Education is being wasted on these immature children.

eom and rant

[silverweb]

5. Inexcusable.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I don't care where these 3 came from -- "...everyone in the suite attended a two-day orientation session this past summer that included sensitivity training."

Even if they originally came from the heart of the KKK in Missibama, they knew better than to commit these hateful assaults. I hope they're on probation until they graduate, with the promise that they won't graduate if there's any repetition of this kind of behavior.

The unnamed freshman should also be reimbursed the cost of his housing in that hell dorm by his assaulters. I trust he's already been moved to a situation with decent roommates.

[BlueJazz]

6. I'd stick their sorry asses in jail for a year. I've seen people go to prison for far less than what

...these sons-a-bitches did. They have no feelings or caring for others.

[sakabatou]

7. Pranks, my ass

[Chakab]

8. This is the effect of the Right's promotion and justification of racism and resentment in the media

in recent years and the failure to push back properly. Even many so-called liberals will get uncomfortable when people rightfully label bigots as "bigots." Often, a person who attempts to confront racism will be attacked themselves.

These kids were born in the 90s. Shows how racism is back en vogue in the mainstream.

[lunasun]

11. +1 well said

[Scuba]

13. + another

[Locrian]

16. +1

I'm sure they think *their* rights (to bigotry) are being offended. The 'apology letter' they wrote smacks of it.

After the freshman's father talked to the roommates and reported the matter, the freshman received what police characterized as a "sarcastic apology note," signed only "The Residents." The note mentions "the Beloved Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr." and urges the freshman to let bygones be bygones. It also contains a warning of sorts in the postscript: "The Residents have welcomed you, it is not advised to ignore the call of The Residents."

[Blue_Tires]

23. I'd still say the bigger factor is most likely the home life those boys grew up in...

Almost all kids have to be taught how to hate those who are different....

[alp227]

10. Thanks for posting. I was about to post this on GD. I go here right now.

One of the perps is in the same major I am. Thankfully I (an Asian American) have never crossed paths with that thug. He can enjoy jail...a place not known for respect, to put it cleanly.

[YoungDemCA]

17. I go to SJSU too...

Very disturbing to think about-so close to home.

[Historic NY]

14. Whats even worse is other students were aware of this conduct...

two RA's

[Locrian]

15. The RA guys need to lose their postions - at the least

Inexcusable. They are at a minimum incapable of holding an RA position if not complicit in the attacks.

But at least two residential assistants were aware before then that one of the roommates had tacked a Confederate flag to a bedroom window. They asked the young men to take it down "so it could not be seen by the general public," but did not investigate any further, according to university police reports and campus-housing department memos.

[YoungDemCA]

18. As a student at SJSU this angers and saddens me...

Who do these people think they are, pissing away their educations-and their futures-for the sake of racist "pranks"?

How horrible for the student who was unfortunate enough to be the victim of these little shits' "practical jokes." Their parents should be ashamed of their kids.

[KamaAina]

25. Welcome to DU!

It's entirely possible that you're one of the hordes of Spartans I see on the light rail every morning.

[kiranon]

19. The "Residents"/roommates need to go to jail and be banned from the UC

system for the next 10 years. The deeds and names need to be made public so their "pranks"/bad behavior are known across this country. It should become part of who they are to employers and others for the rest of their lives. They are old enough to know what they did is completely unacceptable. IMHO

[KamaAina]

24. It's the CSU system

I'm surprised these dillweeds got into SJSU, one of the better CSUs, to begin with, never mind UC. Especially since all three are from outside the area.

[LeftishBrit]

20. Ugh. That is just loathesome behaviour.

[Starry Messenger]

21. Fucking assholes.

Sickening shit.

[Arugula Latte]

22. I hope these crimes follow these scumbags for the rest of their lives & that any potential employer

does a quick Google search of their names.

[DiverDave]

26. I thought hate crimes were felony's

If they aren't, they should be.
And When are the 'parents' of these idiots gonna come forward with the "My angel wouldn't do that, it really was a joke, you know, kids being kids"
Lock em up.