Air Force Academy Student Allegedly Staged Racist Slurs That Prompted Viral Video
DENVER — The Air Force Academy said Wednesday it would not discuss what led a student to allegedly stage a hate crime.
The academy said this week that an African-American student acknowledged writing anti-black slurs in a dormitory in September and that an investigation confirmed the student was responsible.
The epithets prompted academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria to sternly warn students that racists were not welcome at the school , and he invoked some of the racial tensions that have been gripping the country. A video of the speech has been widely viewed online.
Silveria stood by his comments Tuesday after the slurs were revealed to be a hoax, saying the need for a culture of respect can never be overemphasized.
Academy spokesman Meade Warthen said he could not discuss what may have motivated the student, citing privacy laws.
Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, said hate-crime hoaxes are often meant to attract or divert attention or they can be a political statement.
The slurs were found at a prep school on the Air Force Academy grounds outside Colorado Springs. The prep school helps potential academy cadets meet the academy's entrance requirements.
The student, whose name was not released, has left the school, but officials will not say whether the student was expelled or withdrew.
Many hate-crime hoaxes occur in school settings, Levin said.
"I think that schools and universities are perceived as places that are more embracing to victims of such a tragedy (as a hate crime)," he said. "A place where the culture is to rally around victims of prejudice, such as universities, would be a reason."
Hate-crime hoaxes seem to be on the rise, but the number is tiny compared with actual hate crimes, he said.
Related: Air Force Academy Head Tells Racists to ‘Get Out’ in Impassioned Speech
The FBI said 5,850 hate crimes were reported to law enforcement in 2015, an average of 16 a day. Levin estimated that no more than three hoaxes a month occur nationwide.
He worries that hoaxes will discourage real victims from coming forward for fear of being attacked or doubted.
"Most hate crimes are not reported to begin with, so that's why this is a worrisome development," Levin said.
The Air Force Academy announcement was the second time this week that a hate crime was exposed as a hoax. Police in Manhattan, Kansas, said Monday that a black man acknowledged putting racist graffiti on his own car as a Halloween prank.
That followed a string of incidents at Kansas State University in Manhattan since May. A noose was left in a tree, white supremacist fliers were found on campus and an anti-gay slur was written outside the student union.
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or they can be a political statement. Making false claims of racism/racial slurs .. accusing the establishment of institutional 'systemic' racism is a political statement???
. "A place where the culture is to rally around victims of prejudice, such as universities, would be a reason." I do not understand the need for attention that badly .. the young man down the road (a 7th grader now) slipped notes into his own locker ... on a grade school level, I have a bit more understanding, but very lil. Students were suspended before it was realized that it was the young mans own hand writing.
I would love to see something as evil as racism wiped out like the disease that it is, it is disheartening to see that false reporting is possibly on the rise!
So when they hit social media with how offended and traumatized they are they get their 15 minutes of fame from the out pouring of sorrow?
Just like the Mother did? Hmmm maybe she knew it was her kid before hand?
Hmmmmm
I'm not quite sure what to make of the actions of this student. Several things come to mind. Is this an example of how the younger generation craves drama and attention? Is this an act of frustration? Whatever the motivation it will leave a shadow of doubt on future racially charged acts.
On a positive note. This showed the character of the commanding officer and we can all be proud in how he handled this situation.
A Good Man!