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I am writing to bring to everyone's attention an incident which is emblematic of the new wave of intolerance sweeping Binghamton University
On the night of Monday, April 27, 2009, following a dispute at a Student Assembly meeting, Alice Liou, the Vice President of Finance, attempted to break up an altercation. This near-brawl occurred when a few SA representatives, who are also members of the conservative publication "Binghamton Review", attempted to leave the meeting early. They reasoned that, since they had elected of their own as chair of the assembly for 2009-10, they could then depart, though their absence would leave the Assembly under the minimum number of people required to conduct business, thus crippling the Assembly. As she attempted to separate those involved in the incident, Liou, (who is of Asian-American descent) was told by Representative Mike Lombardi to "shut up and go eat a fucking dog" and took a swing at her. At this point, the police were called, and Pipe Dream, our school newspaper, took testimony from Alice--which they choose not to print; instead the editor of Pipe Dream moved to clear the Binghamton Review of all involvement, choosing to take a statement from the editor-in-chief of Binghamton Review over any statement from Liou. Further, this occurred in spite of the fact that all the antagonists have written for and have been involved in the Binghamton Review. Still, we realize that these individuals were not speaking on behalf of the Review but as individuals and should be punished as such.
Additionally, the day before this incident, following an argument in the SA office, another of these individuals choose to insult Alice by expressing his amazement that she could "see anything with those squinty eyes". It is believed that a current SA executive board member egged on this individual to make these comments. Further, both individuals invovled in both racist attacks are representatives for the Student Assembly; the one who made the "squinty eyes" comments, Elahd Bar-Shai, was recently elected chair of the Assembly.
We will not continue to allow intolerance on our campus. For the majority of this academic year, this publication has inserted its members into the Student Assembly and have agitated against student cultural groups. They have created an environment of hostility and intolerance, leading some minorities, be they of the religious, ethnic, or sexual sort, feel unwelcome on campus. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the incident, there is no reason why anyone should be demeaned and attacked in the way that Alice Liou was attacked.
We will be holding a protest during Spring Fling, Binghamton University's annual spring carnival, this Saturday at 2pm in front of the Cooper Administrative Building. We demand that these individuals be suspended for a semester, stripped of their SA positions and write and sign apologies to Alice. I feel that the time is now to oppose this culture of intolerance and indifference that has taken root on this campus. The administration has been pedestrian on this issue and we feel that this protest is our only option.
The facebook event for this protest is here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=82947872190
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UPDATE
Mike Lombardi has resigned from the Student Association effective 4/29/09. Tonight, May 4th 2009, exactly one week after the "dog eating" incident incident occured, a revote for the Assembly Chair of the Student Assembly was held in light of new allegations brought to light against Elahd Bar-Shai. Most were previously unaware of his "squinty eyes" racial slur. In the revote, he only received 4 votes (many of his allies in the assembly ran out of the room in an attempt to break quorum and prevent the vote from being held) and he is no longer the Assembly Chair.
I wish to my heartfelt thanks to our supporters over this past week and thank the members of the Student Assembly for doing the right thing.
Once again, Mike Lombardi has resigned and Elahd Bar Shai has lost the revote to become Assembly Chair. Justice has prevailed but the campaign to rid the SA of bigots and intolerance will continue.
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| User | Points |
|---|---|
| curtis | 1953 |
| ebeh | 1161 |
| Madhuri | 1145 |
| erinjerri | 1074 |
| oliveoil | 578 |
| spamfriedrice | 551 |
| Calvin Prashad | 358 |
| JennyG | 281 |
| jenn | 219 |
| chriswong | 190 |
Calvin, as an asian and a supporter of your work at the APA, it saddens me to see this post. I'm an asian-american student at Binghamton university, and I must let you (and everyone who reads this) know that this was not a racist event.
These are people who already hated each other and who BOTH resorted to low blows by evoking each others race as insults. There is a difference between harassment and actual racism. While I love Alice to death, the guys at the BR don't hate Alice because she's asian, they hate her because of her strong personality and her differing opinions. Alice and these guys have been going at it for months now. They both harass each other constantly.
What everyone said was wrong and they should all be chastised equally.
I appreciate you wanting to rally to Alice's side (I know I'm defending her), but I think it's unfortunate that you're calling a rally for something so minor as a personal disagreement. I hope to see more of your work on real issues in the future.
Calvin, as an asian and a supporter of your work at the APAP, it saddens me to see this post. I'm an asian-american student at Binghamton university, and I must let you (and everyone who reads this) know that this was not a racist event.
These are people who already hated each other and who BOTH resorted to low blows by evoking each others race as insults. There is a difference between harassment and actual racism. While I love Alice to death, the guys at the BR don't hate Alice because she's asian, they hate her because of her strong personality and her differing opinions. Alice and these guys have been going at it for months now. They both harass each other constantly.
What everyone said was wrong and they should all be chastised equally.
I appreciate you wanting to rally to Alice's side (I know I'm defending her), but I think it's unfortunate that you're calling a rally for something so minor as a personal disagreement. I hope to see more of your work on real issues in the future.
whoops! sorry for the double post!
I must respectfully disagree, this is a very important issue. We do not think calling a rally is a matter to be taken lightly
I am aware of the enimity between the Review and Alice, but it has never escalated to a racial thing until now. Furthermore, this is not a rally against Binghamton Review but rather a rally to protest that these statements were made by our SA representatives (and demading that they be removed). When these individuals brought race insults against Alice this was no longer a personal disagreement. Racial insults demean the entire race and demeans everyone to racial sterotypes and misconceptions. Lastly, Alice's insult were very clearly provoked. She understands that it was wrong but we still maintain that it would not have happened if Lombardi had not chosen to inject race into this.
Regardless of wheather you believe this was a racist event or not, we presented the complete (and verfied by multiple witnesses) sequence of events, and our fellow students will be able to judge for themselves
I agree that this is not an altercation fueled by racism but rather just simple hatred. In addition, what is so offensive about being called a dog-eater? Many Asian Americans neglect the fact in some areas they do in fact eat dogs. Chinese people are also known to eat monkeys, cats, pigeons and even water roaches. Additionally, blowing up incidents like this only exacerbates the already ridiculous race tension and pressure to be politically correct in this country. Honestly, what are you guys trying to prove? That Lombardi is a racist bigot? Moreover, Liou's "white bastard" remark is equally offensive and unprofessional. I guess what I'm trying to say is you guys are being way too sensitive.
Jeez..Blowing up sh*t like Al Sharpton, fo sho. K its late, peace
sorry, I just like to type like that :)
Anon, there's no need for that kind of talk. Al Sharpton has nothing to do with this...
Calvin, I'm not sure if you're a member of the SA, but talking with some of the people who were there it seemed pretty divided as to who made the first racist remark. The SA is known for being a bunch of drama queens and gossip girls, and I feel like this whole incident boils down to "he said/she said." While I do believe Alice's telling of the events, I must admit my own bias when I anaylze this situation. It was, after all, Lombardi who went to the police for Alice trying to hit him. I was really dissapointed when I heard that. Because violence trumps any kind of wrong doing a person can do with words.
But I digress. I guess my point is that while I agree with your interpretation of events, I feel like there's too many unanswered questions for us to rally the campus together against a few individuals for a personal conflict. We must acknolwedge out own biases and understand that we dont' know what really happened. And since we can't be 100% sure I don't want to accuse anyone of something that might have occurred differently.
Also, have you considered what would happened if we allowed the BU administration to get involved in the SA? It would be a disaster. Sure, I wouldn't have a problem removing racists from the SA, but how much power do we allow them to have? The SA already has rules for removing their own members. If you really want to get rid of the "racist" members, you should pressure the other SA reps, NOT the administration.
I should probably point out the reason I am posting anonymously is not to give you a hard time or be decieving. I'm a member of a few multi-cultural groups on campus and I don't want my comments to be taken the wrong way. Again, I like the work you do and we've met a few times and I know you're a very good person, but I think this anger is being misdirected.
I've always thought of Binghamton as a very anti-Asian place, ever since the late 90s/early 2000s when there was a HUGE hate crime against Asian Americans. So when Calvin posted this, it just reaffirmed my already pretty wary image of the campus.
What I find really interesting about these comments is that ya'll are self-identified Asian Americans who think it's ok for someone to perpetuate all these anti-Asian acts, because Asians have also said some (I presume) anti-Whitie stuff against conservative folks? Given the racial power structure that continues to privilege Whiteness, in the words of one of my professors and the brilliant Ice Cube, "you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself."
The fact is that it sounds like these conservatives are definitely creating a very hostile campus environment for students of color as the administration stands by complacently, which is as I remember the same old same old at Binghamton.
So, I appreciate Calvin and other students for fighting back, even if it means some rough campus conflict. It's not easy to do what you're all doing. Keep it up!
spamfriedrice,
1. I'm sorry that that has been your view of Binghamton in the past. What occurred at the university? We've moved forward a lot in the past ten years. Asians now make up a significant portion of the student body, and have a higher graduation rate than any other minority group. In fact (correct me if I'm wrong Calvin) the Asian Student Union is one of the biggest funded groups on campus. I'm proud to be Asian and go to Binghamton. I urge you to keep an open mind about Binghamton. It's a great place! Don't let a few jerks dismay you.
2.I'm not defending what they said. They should be scrutinized for the racial slurs they used. My argument was that this was a personal disagreement and not an attack on the entire asian community. I've met these kids before. They are idiots, but they are certainly not racist.
3. The fact that they are conservative has nothing to do with it. I understand this is a progressive blog, and I hate conservative ideology as much as anyone here, but it really has nothing to do with what they said. The link between their political affiliations and what they did has been something that our campus has been connecting for a long time. It's an ad-hominem attack and doesn't have anything to do with the matter at hand.
Racism is not necessarily about intentions. Most people understand that saying things openly against people of color isn't right, but that doesn't mean they're not racist. So when crap comes out the mouths of whites... yes, they are RACIST, regardless of the context... period, whether they are politically on the right or the left. Whites benefit from the white supremacist society we live in, and they have power to change or maintain it. I have a hard time buying the argument that these people who said those things to Alice are not racist. That just perpetuates a view that racism = KKK. I highly recommend reading E. Bonilla-Silva's Racism without Racists. It's one of my favorite books.
And here's a news article about some of what happened in 2000 - http://www.asianweek.com/2000/06/08/suny-binghamton-wrestler-pleads-guilty-to-attempted-assault/
Are these just random acts by 2 idiots? I don't think it was. Their actions cannot be understood as isolated incidents. Campus/societal culture and climate creates a space and environment that leads to incidents like this. Btw, all the things you said about the large Asian American community at Binghamton was already in effect ten years ago. Back then the admin didn't do a whole lot, and it seems that attitude is still happening. If this is really about personal conflicts... the university has a responsibility to AT LEAST mediate some dialogue. So far, it seems like the school is taking a laissez-faire attitude on the negative climate for students of color. Like I said... same old Binghamton. But don't worry, it's not like this kind of hostile institutional/campus climate is unique to your school. It's pretty common at most schools in the US, yes even in Cali.
Feb. 2006 - Racist Graffitti in University Plaza
Sept. 2006 - Racist Graffitti in Cleveland Hall
found these with simple google search. i'm sure there are more incidents... but again, racist campus climate dosn't need to be just about horrifying skull crushing crimes. Words are extremely powerful.
spam,
Your post honestly has me thinking different about the whole thing. I will definitely pick up that book you recomended. Race is a tricky issue and there are definitely forces out there trying to bring us down. My problem with race is that while I take pride in my heritage, I don't try to take my physical appearance so seriously. Perhaps others aren't as calloused as me, but if someone were to make a hateful racial remark towards me, I would just laugh and brush it off. If someone were to call me "squinty eyes" I wouldn't take any more offense to it than if I was called "midget" (I am a very short person). They're both just my physical characteristics and don't define who I am as an individual. I suppose it's just a personal opinion, and I think that these students should be punished, but that a rally is a bit over-kill.
Also, while the other articles you posted about those racist acts were deplorable, the article you put up about the racist graffiti on campus was actually done by a Jewish student, haha. He did it to "raise awareness." The whole thing was quite ridiculous.
racism is common everywhere. And I don't understand what do you mean by
"So when crap comes out of the mouths of whites...yes, they are RACIST", because only caucasians can be racist amirite?
Because you didn't just generalize an entire population on the actions of few, amirite?
racist. lol
You obviously did not understand the Al Sharpton reference.
Organizing a protest over a small incident that might have or might have not involved race issues is completely ridiculous.
Glad we could have this nice dialogue. SEe how much better the world would be if we could all listen to each other and talk stuff out?
I see your point about just brushing it off when people say jacked up stuff like calling an Asian "squinty eyes," but there's significant research in public health that shows that experiences with discriminations and racial microaggressions targeting Asian Americans can lead to significant health risks like heart disease, diabetes, depression, mental health issues, drinking, smoking, etc.
You can let messed up attitudes go, if that's your survival tactic, but just remember, if you don't confront these manifestations of racism... who will?
As for the Jewish student and the graffitti... I'd ask why did this student feel compelled to go to such drastic measures? I would argue that students like this do things like this, because they are calling for help because they have been so impacted by negative climate.
nope, i didn't generalize all whites on the acts of a few. i say that whites benefit from a white supremacist society that privileges whiteness. can some whites not be racist? sure, but that would require their *active* relinquishing and rejection of their white privileges. it's not an easy thing to do. so yea... when crap comes out of the mouths of whites, yes... they are racist. not a hard concept to grasp.
on a related point, yes, I do think that people of color cannot be racist, because in the social systems that govern our world, whites are privileged and thus they have power. Racism = power + prejudice.
Because the interests of people of color do not have the weight of the interests of whites in this racist system that produces great inequalites, people of color do not have power. [don't try to come at me with Obama is president... that's a weak ass argument.] Because of this lack of power in the system in the constant, people of color can be prejudice, but not racist. Am I prejudice against white folk? YUP, I'll admit it, and I think I'm justified in being careful around white people, after all the violent racism I've experienced all my life. Am I racist? Nope, I can't be as a woman of color.
On another related point, I'll admit that I'm heterosexist, as a straight woman in a homophobic society that privileges straight people. I'll also admit that I'm classist as a middle-class person who has a hard time rejecting my class privileges. I think rather than calling people racist with a weak argument, try crafting some real arguments with supporting evidence.
Do some learning... Check out Beverly Tatum's essay "Defining Racism: Can we talk?" It's chapter 12 in Race, Class and Gender in the United States.
I stress that we are doing this because there is a climate of racism in the SA office. These comments were made because these students thought they could get away with it. Since this protest started, numerous indivdiduals hav approached me with horror stories
1. The Vice President of Multicultural Affairs, who is African American has suffered personal attacks all semester was refered to as a "n***** that doesnt know her place"
2. The Muslim Students association and Binghamton Bhangra team presents budget proposals back to back, causing one coouncil member to remark "what did you do? bring all of india with you?"
3. Following Asian Outlook magazine printing a harsh editorial about the actions of the editor of Binghamton Review, that individual stormed into Alice's office and informed her of his hatred for "her people". He proceeded to tell everyone in the office about his hatred for asians. (honestly, he's a coward for picking on alice rather than talking to us about it)
4. Early last semster, an individual (now the newly elected Vice President of Academic Affairs) outed a member of the Rainbow Pride Union and called him a f****t on campus tv
there are more of these, i promise you
In having this protest we hope to set an example that these sort of comments will not be tolerated anymore
i understand what you were trying to say and think you are an idiot for trying to link this with what he does
I see that our anonymity has branded us as "cowards". Despite there being more than one anonymous user and that our identity has no relevance to what we are trying to convey. Renaming us "cowards" just proves how close-minded you are to opposing point of views, similar to the people you are trying to demonize.
I am not going to disclose my name, race, year or any other information because they are not relevant. However, you've become dogmatic and it is evident by your poor reaction to these comments.
I dont know who changed it, I apologize for that
spamfriedrice and I made an editorial decision to change the username for everyone who is anonymous to "Anonymous Coward". You'll see that this editorial practice is pretty widespread. I don't have a problem if people sign up and use a pseudonym. The problem with anonymity is that you can hide behind everyone else who is anonymous. We decided to allow the practice to continue but with a bit of disapproval attached to it.
Uh... I don't follow his career, so I don't know if he's recanted or not, but Ice Cube is a racist fucking prick too, so it's ironic that you bring up his name, especially in this issue which is about anti-Asian racism.
Fuck Ice Cube. Mother fucker.
Thank you Calvin for this! You're doing great work!
Calvin, thanks for posting these. I honestly didn't know of these incidents (I'm the orginal anonymous poster). You should really highlight these incidents as well. Because my information was based on the one incident from the facebook event, I didn't agree with the rally. With this new information, I can totally understand. I'm sorry if I cam e off as a jerk. I think we can disagree without being disagreeable.
If the above facts are true, then you have definitely changed my mind.
-P
spam,
thanks for that. i really didn't mean to stir up a big storm on your blog. i just felt that the rally wasn't justified because of this one incident. calvin has informed me of other incidents though, which i believe to be more clear cut of actual racism in my mind. i didn't mean to play semantics, i'm sorry.
also, i saw you changed all the names to "Anonymous Coward" and i hope you don't think i'm actually a coward hiding behind my computer. i do believe what i have typed, and i mentioned it in another comment, but the reason i'm posting anonymously is because i am a member of a few multicultural groups on campus and i'm afraid that people would take my comments as defending racism (Which i certainly would never do). i think we can have differing opinions on the same incident while still have the same ultimate goal.
-P
Hi P... no worries. Some people know how to be civil in dialogue, and others do not. It's not your fault. I just hope people will read and think and not just react.
I hope you understood Allan and my decision to change the anonymous markers. We're still working out the kinks of this new site. That said, I do hope that you'll sign up on the site with a username and password, and start your own blog. I'm certain you have important perspectives, so I do hope you'll share them with the world.
be well!
As Allan mentioned, this is pretty common practice. You'll notice that even people who support things on the blog, and post anonymously, are "anonymous coward" too. As Allan said, use a pseudonym. I do, but at least I'm not anonymous.
Speaking of kinks, the comments are really hard to follow chronologically, could we do something about the ordering...?
Thanks for bringing that up Calvin. I've reset the order of everything so it just goes one post after another with no thread from the first post to the last. I also got rid of the "title" field for each comment. I think this is just a heckuva lot more clean. Tell me if it works for you.
First of all, I am glad to hear that the Mike Lombardi has stepped down. However, I am saddened to know that in the last 10 years, SUNY-Binghamton is still a hotbed of racism. In addition, I am curious to hear if the administration has taken any action in addressing the hate speech that was conducted in this SA meeting. Any case, I am a former President of the Asian Student Union '99-'00. During my term the ASU addressed the anti-Asian hate incident that occurred on the SUNY-Binghamton CIW campus. In the same way, the administration took no action in addressing the incident until students demanded action from them. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to hear that the administration is not taking any action this time around again. My suggestion, I believe that all the POC organizations, and their allies, should demand the adminstration to make an official statement in support for a tolerant campus climate. In addition, the school should really look into developing a protocol in addressing hate incidents, or at least, improve the one that is already in place!!
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