14 DAY TRIAL // Several incident of racism have prompted the Oberlin liberal arts college to close down. Anti-Black and anti-gay vandalism acts were reported at the school throughout last month.
The Guardian writes that, on February 9, posters for Black History Month and Year of the Queer have been overwritten to fight gay rights and the acceptance of African Americans at the school.
This Monday, March 4, a person wearing an outfit reminiscent of those worn by Ku Klux Klan members was spotted on campus. Police were called in to investigate the sighting that occurred near the Afrikan Heritage House.
“This event, in addition to the series of other hate-related incidents on campus, has precipitated our decision to suspend formal classes and non-essential activities for today,” school officials said in a release.
Their decision to close down the campus starting Monday is meant “to make a strong statement about the values that we cherish here at Oberlin: inclusion, respect for others, and a strong and abiding faith in the worth of every individual.”
While someone reported “a person wearing a hood and robe resembling a KKK outfit,” according to college president Marvin Krislov and dean of students Eric Estes, campus police were not able to find any signs of the alleged Klansman.
Instead, they have come across a student with a blanket on, and there is a possibility that the sighting has been a misunderstanding.
“My understanding is that the individuals are college students and they have been identified. They are no longer on campus. The college is dealing with it internally, and we have been working in co-operation with the college,” says Oberlin police's Lt Mike McCloskey.
However, college newspaper The Oberlin Review details that a “Whites Only” sign was put up above the water fountain last month. In another racist vandalism incident, someone drew a swastika on a window.