News of racism at a major California university that involves a hanging noose near students is certain to draw attention from the usual social justice ambulance chasers as well as the breathless mainstream media. Except… it didn’t. Reports from last week of a noose hanging from a dorm at the University of San Francisco has yielded zero attention from any of the usual suspects. We think we know why.
Up front, let me say that if my speculation turns out to be wrong, I will immediately correct this story and issue an apology. I take racism very seriously as a legal immigrant and I do not shy away from calling out hate crimes from any racial group. But I’ve also seen too many Jussie Smolletts and Bubba Wallaces to accept at face value that a supposed hate crime is not actually a hate hoax.
The thing that makes me so sure—I’d put the odds at 70% right now that it’s a hate hoax—is the fact that the school will not release any information about the person who did it despite the fact that they have a confession. It would be one thing if they had an open investigation and potential suspects, but they’ve already taken action and expelled the student from the dorms.
IF the perpetrator was white, here’s how it would have gone down by now. The school would have held a press conference revealing the student’s race at the very least, possible even his or her name. They would have addressed it as swift justice and that they’re now in the process of determining what criminal charges should be filed. They would be offering counseling to students of color as they consider whether to make race sensitivity programs mandatory for all, especially white students. Mainstream media would be swarming. The social justice ambulance chasers would be clamoring for cameras. There would likely be rioting of some sort.
IF, on the other hand, the perpetrator was a person of color, there would be radio silence, as there is right now, even after the person had issued a confession and been expelled from the dorms.
Like College Fix, we reached out to the school as well as local media outlets requesting information. Nothing has come in yet.
In many instances, nooses found on college campuses have later been determined to be innocent misunderstandings. In August 2019, a “noose” found on the campus of Stanford University was later determined to have been used to hang ornaments. In July 2019, a “noose” found on the campus of the University of Michigan was later deemed to be a fishing knot. In February 2019, a student mistook another student’s costume lasso as a noose.
Last year, an alleged noose found at a NASCAR race turned into national news when it prompted African-American auto racer Bubba Wallace to speak out about racism within the racing profession. It was later determined the “noose” was simply used to pull down a garage door and had been there for months before Wallace occupied the space.
Sometimes, hate crime symbols are deemed to be outright hoaxes, such as when a black Air Force Academy cadet admitted in 2017 to writing “Go home ni**er” on black students’ dorm room doors.
In December 2018, Drake University campus officials discovered four of five racist notes discovered in residence halls were hoaxes perpetrated by the same student.
A spokesperson for USF did not immediately respond to a question by The College Fix as to the student’s race in the most recent noose incident.
“A single act of intolerance or hate can erode our sense of community,” said Fitzgerald in his statement. “We must all take responsibility for speaking out against hatred and prejudice and for helping to prevent such occurrences,” he said, suggesting students file complaints with the campus Bias Education and Resource Team.
Fitzgerald’s statement is prefaced by a trigger warning for those who find mention of a noose “disturbing.”
If I’m wrong, I’ll say I’m wrong. But the way the school and mainstream media are handling this crime certainly smells like a coverup to avoid the embarrassment of yet another hate hoax.
