Black Ohio University students were reportedly called racial slurs and threatened by a group of men on campus last weekend.
The incident happened near East Union Street and University Terrace just after 1:40 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, according to a news release from the Ohio University Police Department. The three women came across two groups of men who they heard arguing and using the N-word.
This prompted one of the women to call them out for using the derogatory term. While one group decided to leave the area, the other allegedly started to follow the women and “yelled racial epithets at them.” The group consisted of three white men and one who apparently was Black or biracial.
Before fleeing the scene, two of the men threatened the women with guns with laser sights on them, the news release said. Campus police attempted to track them down but couldn’t find them, and the incident is under investigation.
Students at the predominantly white institution located in Athens, about 74 miles from Columbus, expressed their disappointment and shock that an incident of that nature even occurred in the first place.
“Stuff like that doesn’t happen here very often,” one student, Brice Telany, told WCMH-TV.
Another student, Caleb Miller, added: “Seeing that it was kind of racially charged is kind of disheartening. I mean, it’s 2023; you would think those things don’t really happen on a campus as diverse as this.”
“Brandishing firearms against young women and people just trying to have a good time, we don’t stand for that kind of stuff here,” Miller continued.
The university released photos of three alleged suspects, but their faces are blurry. It’s unclear if they are students at the school. Campus police are seeking more information about the men involved in the incident.
Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Russell Morrow and Dean of Students Kathy Fahl released a statement decrying the incident.
“We can be immediately and unequivocally clear on this: the bigotry and threats of violence displayed by the perpetrators in this incident are abhorrent and unacceptable,” the statement said. “Certainly, we take threats of physical harm against any student seriously, and we work every day to ensure the safety of our campus community. We are thankful that no physical harm resulted from this incident.”
