Photo: U. of Oregon Gay Group Targeted by Swastika Vandal
A custodian at the University of Oregon discovered a four-by-four foot swastika spray painted on carpet in an office belonging to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer Alliance early Monday morning. Computers were also damaged with the paint.
University President Richard W. Lariviere sent a letter to students following the discovery, which said, in part: "We must do all that we can to come together as a community to fight such acts of intolerance and to provide support to those affected as we deal with the aftermath of this event. This act of vandalism is not about exercising free speech or having challenging, difficult conversations; this is about hate and vandalism. We will vigorously pursue all avenues available to us to hold the perpetrators accountable for this cowardly act. We will continue to work with the Department of Public Safety and student leaders to ensure that we are doing all that we can to preserve the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff. "
The custodian reportedly found the door unlocked with no signs of forced entry.
Suspicions have arisen about a connection of the incident with the Pacifica Forum, an outside group which meets on campus which has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The group recently had a discussion about the meaning of the swastika.
Students will hold a candlelight vigil this evening, with a march and rally scheduled for tomorrow in response to the vandalism.
Much more on the incident here.
Posted Feb. 2,2010 at 9:42 AM EST by Andy Towle in Crime, News, Oregon, Vandalism | Permalink
This is just sick... no matter how much I try I can never seem to understand what motivates someone to do something like this.
Posted by: Terry | Feb 2, 2010 12:25:41 PM
I'm not saying it wouldn't have happened otherwise, but when LGBT organizations slap the word "queer" on their titles, they invite wingnuttery. By "reclaiming" the language of ignorance and hate, they affirm the twisted perceptions of the bigots. Audre Lorde said it best: "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."
Posted by: Stuffed Animal | Feb 2, 2010 1:15:42 PM
As boorishly ignorant such an act of vandalism like spraying a swastika on a carpet might be, I think there is more to be said about giving status to whoever did this by holding a candle light vigil... If anything, they should be holding that vigil for the stupidity of that the perpetrator must suffer from. I wouldn't be hurt, just very angry that my property was damaged and confused as all hell.
Posted by: jesus | Feb 2, 2010 2:47:01 PM
The rally tonight was a wonderful event - several hundred students, faculty, and community members marched from the student union around the campus to the central amphitheater. Members of the LGBTQA, the president of the ASUO (student senate), Eugene's mayor, and representatives of the Lane County commissioners all spoke, followed by an open mic session. No word yet on who might have vandalized the office in such a manner, but it comes at a time of heightened tension due to the controversy over the white-supremacist Pacifica Forum. There will continue to be rallies throughout the week.
Posted by: DuckGrad | Feb 2, 2010 10:22:01 PM
Gay, lesbian & bisexual photo can be also reviewed at _-BiMingle . com-. It's what they love here.
Posted by: Lorna | Feb 3, 2010 9:46:40 PM
"My name is Lt. Aldo Raine, and I’m putting together a special team. And I need me eight soldiers. Eight Jewish – American – Soldiers. Now y’all might have heard rumors about the armada happening soon. Well, we’ll be leavin a little earlier. We’re gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we’re in enemy territory, as a bushwackin’ guerilla army, we’re gonna be doin one thing, and one thing only: Killin Natsees. The members of the Nationalist Socialist Party have conquered Europe through murder, torture, intimidation, and terror. And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do to them. Now I don’t know about y’all, but I sure as hell didn’t come down from the goddamn smoky mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half Sicily, and then jump out of a fuckin air-o-plane to teach the Natsees lessons in humanity. Natsee ain’t got no humanity. They're the foot soldiers of a Jew hatin', mass murderin' maniac, and they need to be destroyed. That’s why any and every son-of-a-bitch we find wearin a Nazi uniform-- they're gonna die. We will be cruel to the Germans, and through our cruelty, they will know who we are. They will find the evidence of our cruelty, in the disemboweled, dismembered, and disfigured bodies of their brothers we leave behind us. And the Germans will not be able to help themselves from imagining the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands and our boot heals, and the edge of our knives. And the German will be sickened by us. And the German will talk about us. And the German will fear us. And when the Germans close their eyes at night, and their subconscious tortures them for the evil they’ve done, it will be with thoughts of us that it tortures them with. But I got a word of warning to all would be warriors. When you join my command, you take on debit. A debit you owe me, personally. Every man under my command, owes me, one hundred Natsee scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y’all will git me one hundred Natsee scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred Natsees or you will die trying."
Posted by: TANK | Feb 3, 2010 10:18:22 PM