November 15, 2007

Nooses found at Cal State Fullerton
Students hold rally for tolerance

By MARLA JO FISHER

FULLERTON Cal State Fullerton police want to know who hung rope nooses in the campus quad, upsetting students who were organizing an annual tolerance rally and display against hate speech.

"We are hoping people will talk, as they usually do, and we will find out who did it," campus police Lt. Fred Molina said Wednesday. "It wasn't criminal, but they may have violated campus rules."

The nooses – police counted three, but witnesses say there were as many as five – were found Nov. 7. attached to a campus display against hate called the "Clothesline Project," which had been erected the day before.

CSUF junior Sumanah Mithani was among the event organizers who discovered the nooses, spray painted orange and blue, in the morning, as she prepared for the annual "Rally Against Hate" scheduled that day.

"There was a shockwave of emotion through all of us," Mithani said. "Nooses are a very hateful symbol of getting rid of people, especially for African Americans because of lynchings. We wondered how this could happen on our campus."

In response, CSUF Vice President Bob Palmer sent out an email to the campus saying it was "unclear whether the intended message was one of hate or if the intended outcome was to create awareness as to the goal of the program. In either case, the nooses are a powerful symbol and caused student organizers and university administrators concern over intended or unintended messages of fear, hate, prejudice and discrimination."

Students with the Association for Intercultural Awareness, which sponsored the initial event, held a second rally on Wednesday attended by about 150 students to protest the symbolism of the nooses.

Black armbands were handed out, a silent protest took place and people were able to write comments on a mock wall.

"I hope this campus won't tolerate acts of hate and violence," said Mithani, who is chair of the intercultural association. "We want to continue holding events to create understanding between different cultures and races."

To see a video by the campus Daily Titan of the event: http://www.ocregister.com/video/uservideo/index.php?bcpid=1127703988&bclid=1133451546&bctid=1278044619

Contact the writer: 714-796-7994 or mfisher@ocregister.com