The College Fix

Black students allegedly found the graffiti after a dance class

The Eastern Washington University Police Department has closed, pending further leads, its investigation into a racial slur left on the mirror in the university dance studio.

Sierra Alexander, the president of the Black Student Union, reportedly discovered the graffiti on the mirrors of the dance studio after the group’s time in the room had ended.

The police report, obtained by The College Fix via a public records request, stated that written in black permanent marker on the edge of the mirrors was “F*** ***” and a few inches below that was the n-word.

The police report did not indicate if there were any suspects.

Alexander told a recreation center employee that the group “had just concluded their dance class when [the group] discovered the graffiti on the mirror,” according to notes in the police report.

“Alexander stated she did not have any suspect information and know of any person(s) who may have written this,” the report stated. She “did mention that they did have some issues with the EWU Cheer team last year, but nothing lately.”

The Fix reached out to Alexander and inquired multiple times via email in the past couple weeks about suspects, the university’s response and questions regarding the dance team. She has yet to respond.

The Fix also reached out to the president’s office for comment on the situation but no response was received.

MORE: Racist letter investigation closed after professor goes silent

A post on the Black Student Union’s Instagram stated that the group “feel[s] that it was a targeted message meant to threaten and intimidate our group.”

“We as Black students feel that this is unacceptable and will not tolerate messages like this for us or any Black student,” Alexander wrote.

University President Shari McMahan condemned the graffiti in a campus message.

“Incidents meant to denigrate students, faculty or staff go against our very mission of providing opportunities for personal transformation,” the president stated, according to The Spokesman-Review. “This week is a reminder to us all, we celebrate diversity and work daily toward creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff to succeed and thrive. Hate is not welcome here.”

This is not the only time an investigation into a racial incident has been closed. The College Fix has frequently reported on potential hate crime incidents that end with no leads and closed investigations.

For example, a black student at the University of Oklahoma found racist graffiti at her home, but the police closed its inquiry without even telling her. She only found out after The Fix asked her for comment.

“I’m guessing they never found out who did it, if I’m honest I don’t believe Norman police truly tried,” Kiley Ellis told The Fix. “I had spoken to officers maybe twice about the situation, the day of the incident and [the] following day after.”

Harvard University also quietly closed an investigation into emails allegedly sent to LGBT individuals which claimed Cambridge, Massachusetts was “MAGA country,” using similar language to what actor Jussie Smollett’s hoax attackers allegedly yelled at him.

MORE: Hoax? Racial slur victim stops talking, cops shut investigation

IMAGE: Eastern Washington University Police Department

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