Fourth San Jose State student suspended in hate-crime case
A fourth San Jose State University student has been suspended in connection with an incident in which three others have been charged with a hate crime for allegedly bullying a black roommate, locking a bicycle chain around his neck and using racial slurs to demean him.
The 18-year-old male student from Los Angeles has not been identified because at the time of the alleged incidents he was a minor, according to university spokesman Pat Harris and Bay Area media reports. The student is also expected to be charged in the case.
The other students — identified as Logan Beaschler, 18, of Bakersfield, Joseph Bomgardner, 19, of Clovis and Colin Warren, 18, of Woodacre — are also accused of locking their roommate in his room, writing a derogatory slur on the living room board and hanging a Confederate flag and pictures of Adolf Hitler in their shared dormitory suite between August and mid-October, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
In addition to a misdemeanor hate crime, the students were also charged with misdemeanor battery. They face a maximum one-year jail sentence if convicted as charged.
The black student has only been identified as 18 years old at the behest of his parents, who said in a statement this week that they were “deeply disturbed by the horrific behaviors that have taken place against our son. Our immediate focus is his protection.â€
“This is outrageous,†the Rev. Jethroe Moore II, president of the San Jose/Silicon Valley chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People said, according to the Mercury News. “This form of bullying cannot be tolerated.â€
University President Mohammed Qayoumi will appear on campus alongside Moore on Monday to discuss pending criminal charges against the students.
The campus plans to host a public forum during the first two weeks in December about racial tolerance at SJSU.
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