hWe mentioned the walkout going down tomorrow on Low Steps at noon. The BSO, MSA, and USCC have issued a statement, reprinted after the jump, blaming PrezBo for “creating a problematic atmosphere” on campus within which the SIPA graffiti incident took place. The Dems’ statement on the event, not reprinted after the jump because we are tired of statements, omitted that part.

But if you’ve got a couple hours to spare, the motherprotest starting at noon at Washington Square Park is the place to be anyway, especially if you’ve got any love for Immortal Technique. Justice and solidarity, yeah, but mostly a damn good concert.

Finally, if you’re feeling a bit more international and/or have a lot of red in your closet, head down to the Burmese Mission at noon to hear about Burma. It’s a revolution over there!


Statement Regarding Racist Graffiti Found at School of International and Public Affairs

The events that took place in Jena came out of a larger climate of racism and intolerance, a climate that exists at this University as well.   We saw this on Wednesday night at the School of International and Public Affairs, with the discovery of graffiti at the School of International and Public Affairs that threatened to “nuke” the “savages” in the Middle East and Africa and claimed “America is for White Europeans.”

We do not stand for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, nor do we stand behind President Bollinger’s introduction on Monday, which only demonstrated his own willingness to be a part of the same problematic binary. What is more, President Bollinger’s speech also created a problematic atmosphere at Columbia and it was within this atmosphere that the hate crime in SIPA took place. Bollinger’s claim to stand for the “modern civilized world” against the “fanatical”, “petty”, “cruel”, “illiterate”, “ignorant”, and “astoundingly uneducated” “mind of evil” makes use of the same framework as the graffiti’s attack on “savages”.

That this graffiti is not an isolated incident is indicated by the extensive history of similar events at Columbia, met with utterly inadequate initiative on the part of the University and little willingness to make lasting systemic change. It brings to mind a litany of troubling issues at Columbia ranging from the lack of diversity in the Core Curriculum and the lack of resources for Ethnic Studies to Columbia’s displacement of people of color from West Harlem and its investments in military contractors.

As a community, it is our responsibility to work to ensure that the conditions that led to the unjust treatment of the Jena 6 are challenged and fought. 

  1. All charges against the Jena 6 be dropped;
  2. The United States Department of Justice to convene an immediate inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the arrests and prosecutions of the Jena 6;
  3. Judge Mauffray to be recused from presiding over Bell ‘s juvenile court hearings or other proceedings;
  4. The Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel to investigate Reed Walters for unethical and possibly illegal conduct;
  5. The Louisiana Judiciary Commission investigate Judge Mauffray for unethical conduct; and
  6. The Jena School District superintendent to be removed from office.

Additionally, we must, and will, make similar demands of our own institutions of power here at Columbia!

Whether it is nooses on a tree in Jena or graffiti on a bathroom stall at Columbia, the pillars of systemic oppression – Bigotry, Exploitation, and Complacency, -are not acceptable.