The Bwog
Noose, lies, and videotape

From The Guardian, Columbia University will not turn over surveillance video that could potentially aid the police with the case.

Currently, the police have no suspects, though they are looking into a Teacher's College professor who holds "ill will" against Madonna Constantine. Yet, with only one possible lead, the police is also investigating any students who may carry vendettas.

UPDATE: Local CBS reports Columbia has agreed to hand over the tapes.


Posted by Grammar people...: #1 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 4:27 PM
"Yet, being only one possible lead, polices are..."

I'm not sure if this is what's called a "dangling participle" or something else, but there should definitely be another word there: "THERE"

As in, "Yet, THERE being only one possible lead, police are..."

Otherwise, it sounds like the police ARE the one possible lead.
Posted by Perhaps l: #2 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 4:27 PM
Madonna Constantine v. Suniya Luthar
Posted by what a: #3 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 4:30 PM
unbelievably inappropriate title.

way to go, Bwog!
Posted by not to mention: #4 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 4:57 PM
"the police is" is not proper grammar...

wtf is up with them not releasing the security video?
Posted by breaking news: #5 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:00 PM
to

gnprem@cuvmc.ais.columbia.edu,

GS Students

date Oct 11, 2007 4:29 PM

subject **Vandalism in Lewisohn Hall

mailed-by cuvmc.ais.columbia.edu

To all GS students:

It is very distressing to report that anti-semitic graffiti was found in a bathroom stall in Lewisohn Hall. These kinds of hateful crimes directed against the Jewish community or any other individuals or groups will not be tolerated. I have been a member of the Columbia faculty for thirty years and know that we as a community stand for values that are completely antithetical to such vile and hate-filled images. Let us seize this occasion to renew our commitment to the values of inclusiveness, respect, and toleration that we all cherish. And let us make clear to one another that we will not allow such cowardly hate-mongering to divide our community. I can assure you that the Office of Public Safety and the New York Police Department are conducting a full investigation of this incident.

Peter J. Awn

Dean
Posted by General Studies: #6 (in reply to #5) · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:01 PM
General Studies - do they get everything wrong?
Posted by check out: #7 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:03 PM
the update, columbia says it IS releasing the videos and cooperating with the investigation (gothamist)
Posted by hahahah: #8 (in reply to #5) · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:11 PM
"These kinds of hateful crimes directed against the Jewish community or any other individuals or groups will not be tolerated. I have been a member of the Columbia faculty for thirty years and know that we as a community stand for values that are completely antithetical to such vile and hate-filled images."

Clearly, Dean Awn has never heard of the MEALAC Department.
Posted by ...: #9 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:14 PM
yeah. i just forwarded the gs blast to bwog, but it looks like it was posted here a few minutes ago.

does this mean that jts protests next?
Posted by ...: #10 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:16 PM
also, i'm not really sure why it came as a gs blast email. aside from the lounge and the gs administrative offices, there's a lot of other things that take place in that building, be it a language resource center, school of continuing ed offices, and a ton of classrooms.

shouldn't this have gone out as a university blast? or are try trying to keep the pr down?
Posted by hmm: #11 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:17 PM
Do we think there's a single source of all this "hate"?

Or just a coincidence?

Copy cat?

Posted by gser: #12 (in reply to #10) · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:24 PM
I'm sure it will go out as a community blast later on, but we got it first because, like you said, our admin offices are in the building, so our deans probably heard about it sooner, the same way the noose blast went out to TC students first, because their admins found out about it sooner.

And to 11, god, I seriously hope it is just one sick individual behind the SIPA graffiti, the noose, and now this. I'd much rather assume it's one sicko acting alone rather than an actual epidemic.
Posted by there has been: #13 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:30 PM
anti-semitic graffiti in the past--like in ruggles a few years ago. from what I recall, the university called an "emergency meeting" for the blacks, hispanics, and native americans, but NOT the jews!

my guess is that the jewish students will be mature about this, condemn it in a few statements and roll their eyes otherwise. i think they're hardened to this stuff here, given that we have professors at this school who say shit like this: "the way they [Jews] talk, walk, the way they greet each other, there is a vulgarity of character that is bone-deep and structural to the skeletal vertebrae of its culture." - Dumbass Hamid Dabashi
Posted by cc student: #14 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:33 PM
prez bo just sent out an email. his tone is almost amusing, because he sounds like a parent who has just had it up to here! with this.

Dear member of the Columbia community,

I am saddened to report that one of the bathrooms in Lewisohn Hall

was sullied with an anti-Semitic smear. It has been promptly

removed and is now being investigated.

I want to make two points. When words are the offender, as in this

incident, I am reluctant to draw attention to them and will

exercise restraint in doing so going forward. I do not want to

broadcast, in any way, the message they attempt to send or empower

those behind them. Despite the irrational, destructive hatred that

persists in our society and world, we do not accept this anywhere

at this University. No one among us should feel marginalized or

threatened by words of hatred. We are one community; and as one

community, we will overcome these hateful acts and hold each other

to the highest standards of respect for the dignity and diversity

of every individual.

In response to questions students have raised, I also want to

reassure you that we have utmost confidence in our Public Safety

officials and in the NYPD. Not only do they have well established

communications protocols in place when there is an immediate threat

of harm; they distinguish crimes that threaten our physical safety

from incidents like the one that occurred today.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger
Posted by ...: #15 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:36 PM
prezbo just sent that? i haven't gotten mine yet. needless to say, he's definitely slacking off. then again, this is like the third blast email from him a week on a similar topic, so i guess it's allowed.
Posted by Alum: #16 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:40 PM
Wouldn't the tape be TC's, not CU's? I can understand off-campus media missing the distinction, but Bwog should know better.
Posted by what the fuck: #17 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 5:41 PM
Why is it so hard for people to NOT write racist slurs and hang nooses on peoples doors? Seriously. Just don't do it. keep the hate inside and then in 10 years spend a lot of money on therapy. Fuckin a.
Posted by e-mail blasts: #18 (in reply to #15) · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 6:15 PM
e-mail blasts take time, so I believe they send it one group at a time. You try sending e-mail to thousands of peope at once and see if your system doesn't fall over.
Posted by dean awn: #19 (in reply to #8) · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 6:38 PM
yeah i suppose he probably knows nothing of MEALAC, especially considering he's a professor of islamic religion in the religious studies department.

Posted by Awn is a pawn: #20 (in reply to #19) · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 6:52 PM
Awn is a pawn.

Spawn of a faun

Wrong, wrong, wrong

Posted by Lester Freamon: #21 · reply · track
October 11, 2007 at 9:56 PM
No 4 is bad police
Posted by kts: #22 · reply · track
October 12, 2007 at 12:50 AM
Yes, I read the update about the tapes, but I still feel like it should be pointed out:

Isn't the point of security footage to help in a situation like this?
Posted by abundant press: #23 · reply · track
October 12, 2007 at 2:26 AM
equals abundant copy-cats...just a though
Posted by Huh?: #24 (in reply to #18) · reply · track
October 12, 2007 at 9:12 AM
Uh, no they don't. Email is cheap between internal servers. And even so, that wouldn't necessitate sending a bunch of different email bodies.
Posted by bunny colvin: #25 · reply · track
October 12, 2007 at 1:03 PM
is good police...despite hamsterdam.
Posted by bigbrotheriswatching: #26 · reply · track
October 12, 2007 at 9:13 PM
No word from the security department? Not word from the Police? Why haven't they plastered the campus with the face(s) of the individual(s) involved? Surely they've had a chance to look at the tapes by now!
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