St. Cloud seeks clues in racial graffiti cases

Stymied over six anti-Semitic drawings and racial graffiti that have appeared on the St. Cloud State University campus in recent weeks, St. Cloud police are putting more time and resources into finding who is to blame.

The case is moving from the patrol division to the criminal division.

"They will be able to dig deeper," St. Cloud Police Sgt. Jerry Edblad said Thursday. "But in these cases, it's very hard to track. We really are hoping for a tip."

During the fall semester, swastikas were found etched on bathroom doors, on the wall of the multicultural center, and in one case a drawing was slipped under a faculty member's office door. On Tuesday, a Ku Klux Klan hood and a drawing of a burning cross were found in the Student Center bathroom.

Students are frightened, University President Earl Potter said Thursday.

"You have to listen to folks who are targeted; they are deeply hurt," Potter said. "We know that when people feel a lack of safety, learning is impaired. This hurts the ability to focus and learn, and that strikes at the purpose of what we are about."

Angie Witte, St. Cloud State graduate student, said she was angry when she learned about the swastika that was carved in the computer lab at the Cultural Center earlier this fall. "This is a place where a lot of people of color hang out. We took it very personally. It's a hate symbol and we all know it."

Other colleges in Minnesota have experienced similar incidents this school year. In October, three black women at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul received hate messages.

Those cases have not been solved.

Linda Kohl, associate vice chancellor of public affairs for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, said racist incidents at campuses around the state and country are generally isolated events. In recent months, nooses were found at the University of Maryland, California State University at Fullerton, Purdue University and Columbia University.

"Every now and then you get a rash of [racist incidents],'' she said. "We don't like to see it anytime it happens. ... It's unfortunate."

In recent weeks, St. Cloud State has increased security, created a team to evaluate each case, held training for faculty members to help them find ways to process the incidents in their classes, and reached out to the city's mayor in efforts to talk about how to deal with hatred and bigotry.

In 2006, St. Cloud had more reported hate crimes than any other Minnesota city, according to the FBI. But city officials disputed the finding, saying that not all cities reported their hate crimes and that methods to determine what constitutes a hate crime are not uniformly applied.

About 13 percent of St. Cloud State's 16,882 students are minority group members, and 20 percent of faculty members are people of color, Potter said.

Copycat incidents?

Potter said he doesn't know whether more than one person is behind the incidents, but he believes that most of them fall into the copycat category.

"The first one was premeditated and intended to hurt," he said. "The others seem to be comments from sympathizers and less premeditated."

Momo Toure, a native of Guinea and a St. Cloud State business computer major, is matter-of-fact about the slurs.

"It's a thing that I experience all the time,'' he said. "I just live with it. ... Racism is frustrating, and I try to fight it and not be a victim of it. But I'm just living with it.''

"That's a sad commentary, if that's the case," said Steve Hunegs, executive director for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

"No one should have to live in an atmosphere where race, religion and other characteristics are attacked,'' Hunegs said. "The university is working hard to respond to these acts of vandalism,'' he said.

Edblad said initial investigations were hampered because in two early cases school officials took photographs but cleaned up the graffiti before police were called.

As students and faculty go on holiday break next week, Edblad said that police will be watching closely to see whether any more racial graffiti appears. If it does, "that would eliminate a whole lot of suspects," he said.

Ty Reta, parent of a SCSU student, said he fears for the safety of his daughter and hopes police catch those responsible soon.

"They could start making bombs at home, who knows," he said. "Anything could happen."

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