Nov 07 2008
NCSU Graffiti Students Will Not Face Criminal Charges
RALEIGH - Campus police say they will not bring charges against four students who admitted spray-painting racist graffiti aimed at President-elect Barack Obama in the Free Expression Tunnel at N.C. State University.
Citing privacy laws, university officials declined to name the four. Even without criminal charges, they could face action by the university, including expulsion.
The U.S. Secret Service assisted in the investigation, said Jon Barnwell, spokesman for the NCSU police. The federal agency was involved because of the threatening nature of the graffiti, which said “Shoot Obama” and “Kill that n—–.”
Secret Service agents searched the residences of the four responsible and determined there was no actual threat to Obama, Barnwell said.
Campus investigators consulted with the Wake County District Attorney’s office before dropping the investigation of a potential hat crime, Barnwell said. “They said that while offensive, it was a free-speech issue,” he said.
Bottom line, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a free speech issue. There was no crime here. It’s ignorant and immature and hateful, but this is the “Free Expression Tunnel” and they freely expressed what they evidently felt. If the university is going to have something like that then they shouldn’t be shocked when someone expresses a view that most people would abhor.
I’m a huge supporter of the First Amendment, but even I realize that there are some common sense limits to that. These students should get some kind of reprimand, but I don’t think they should be expelled from the university. I think a fitting punishment would be to go before the student body at some kind of assembly and explain why they did what they did. The ultimate humiliation they’ll feel will certainly be more effective than kicking them out.
“Free Speech” now defined as property damage and attempting to incite racial hatred.
The university failing to do what its commissioned by the Taxpayers to do which is teach these young people a lesson, that is almost as disturbing as the hate speech.
Spray painting in the tunnel of “Free Speech” was not property damage. Someone else spray painted in the tunnel after it was painted over that he was “Ashamed to be white”. The tunnel is there to allow students to spray paint their messages.
Some people need actually know the facts before they type at a keyboard.
I think people need to put this in perspective.
There has been plenty of hate speech against Bush since his last election, including people expressing desires to “destroy” Bush in some way, - physically, socially, politically, etc. No one complained. In fact, the hate speech was encouraged. This is because hate speech against conservatives is “ok.” I heard plenty of “kill him” from people I knew.
This incident occurred immediately after the Obama win. It would be normal to have an emotional reaction right after such a moment, if one’s candidate lost, and one worked hard to help him. The students obviously have no capability to carry out such an empty threat.
Many people have a right to express loss, especially since Obama represents a death to many rights, and a security threat to this country, due to his own racial and political preferences.
What the students were subconsciously expressing was a fear that Obama represented the “killing” of them, not the other way around. I personally, feel less safe in this country, now that Obama has been elected. I expect terrorists and other violent groups to escalate in activity, and my own life may be in danger.