Photo by Lori Van Buren
Atlanta Blackstar reported Saturday that three University of Albany students, who were all Black women, were harassed and assaulted while riding the #11 CDTA bus on Western Ave in Albany Saturday morning. The students said racial slurs were used by the perpetrators, whom they described as a group of 10 to 12 white males and females. The victims were left with minor scars and said no one came to help them. They said they were completely ignored and had to go to the Albany Medical Center to be evaluated.
Yesterday, protesters at the university brought awareness to the event. The #DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany hashtag appeared on Twitter to show solidarity nationwide. The victims took the stage to let it be known that justice will be sought and no amount of violence towards them will deter them.
The three victims from the mornings assault speak on stage #defendblackgirlsualbany pic.twitter.com/XhC2PDUgmj
— Erica Miller (@EricaPhotog) February 1, 2016
"Ain't no power like the power of people coz the power of people don't stop" #defendblackgirlsualbany @uup #GSA pic.twitter.com/WURXgHY1lf
— UAlbany GSA (@UAlbanyGSA) February 1, 2016
Student and supporters chant #unitedasone at #defendblackgirlsualbany pic.twitter.com/2g7E14ct3x
— Erica Miller (@EricaPhotog) February 1, 2016
The hate crimes and blatant discrimination at #UAlbany have to stop. I'm ashamed to call myself a UAlbany student #DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany
— Katie (@kwowwz) January 31, 2016
"It's amazing how we're always asked to forgive before we've even healed" speaker at #DefendblackgirlsUAlbany
— Sami Schalk (@DrSamiSchalk) February 1, 2016
Rosa Clemente: "We need white people to no longer be allies but accomplices to justice" #DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany pic.twitter.com/RGePLdPiGU
— Jessica Layton (@JessicaLayton13) February 1, 2016
According to new reports from the Times Union, 34 “persons of interest” from CDTA and other video had been identified. University Police Department Chief J. Frank Wiley said in a statement Monday that 29 people were identified and 16 have been interviewed so far.
“I’m an [University of Albany] alum, [former] Black Student Union president, community member and recently moved back to Albany, so I don’t feel like this is exceptional,” Rosa Clemente, a longtime activist and former Green Party vice presidential candidate, told Mic.
When Clemente was a student in the 1990s, she said she also dealt with racial incidents on and around the campus. Racial epithets and violence was common place.
“The thing now is the young folks who are attacked on college campuses no longer have to wait to go through a judicial process of a college administrator. They’re controlling their own narrative,” she said.
