Posted on 10/15/2003 5:05:34 PM PDT by formerlytempaussie
Riot column in college newspaper prompts racist respone
The Associated Press MANKATO, Minn. — When Myron Medcalf wrote a column in his college newspaper questioning whether white students somehow felt entitled to riot during homecoming, he expected a response. He said he didn't expect the racial insults left on his answering machine.
"I wasn't stunned by the feedback. I'm used to feedback," said Medcalf, editor of Minnesota State University's student newspaper, The Reporter. "I didn't think it would get to the point of using racial slurs."
Medcalf, who is black, wrote in the Oct. 9 edition of the newspaper that some of the more destructive students in the overnight riot that started Oct. 4 near campus felt entitled to do it because of "white male privilege."
"I watched hundreds of white males destroy property, damage cars and set multiple trash bins on fire just because they could Saturday night.
"Those same white males believed that Monks Avenue and CampusView parking lots were theirs and no one could tell them otherwise. Columbus and many European explorers and settlers after him, believed the world was theirs and for that reason, minorities experienced injustices due to their race for hundreds of years," he wrote.
Medcalf's column runs under the title B.A.M.M., which stands for Black Angry Myron Medcalf.
Police have blamed excessive alcohol consumption for the riot and said 45 people, 21 of them students, were arrested during the turmoil. Sixteen people were injured, including four police officers.
Two messages left for Medcalf came in at about 11:20 p.m. Thursday, the day his column was published. The messages, played for the Mankato Free Press, are filled with profanity and racial insults.
"I haven't been called a nigger since fourth grade," Medcalf said.
University President Richard Davenport denounced the incident. "I was angered and extremely disappointed," he said.
But he wasn't necessarily surprised. "People have shared with me stories that the community is not as welcoming as it could be of people of color."
Medcalf, in his third year, said he's heard racist statements on campus before but never been the target of such a direct attack.
Medcalf contacted police and filed a report.
For now, Medcalf said he hopes the issue gets people talking about race issues.
"Racism doesn't come up in this area unless something like this happens," he said. "I have no problem with people disagreeing with me. If I write something and everyone agrees with it, I'm doing something wrong. This guy wasn't mad at B.A.M.M. He was mad at black people in general."
Separately on Wednesday, city police announced they had posted pictures of several riot suspects on the city's Web page. They asked for the public's help in identifying the suspects.
But with a hearty thank you!
Mayhem erupts on hilltop (Students riot in Mankato Minnesota)
Lighting fires and throwing bricks at the cops in Texas will get you killed in a hurry.
Bingo. Looks to me like the guy was just trying to stir up a little controversy and get himself some attention. He sounds like a major jerk.
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