Anti-Semitic words and symbols were drawn in the men’s restroom in Kerchhoff Hall sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.
By Julia Erlandson DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF jerlandson@media.ucla.edu
A Kerckhoff Hall restroom was vandalized sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning when someone drew swastikas and scrawled “fuck Jews” on a stall door.
As of Wednesday afternoon, police said they had received no reports of the incident, which will likely qualify as a hate crime.
According to the university police Web site, any incident involving violent acts, property damage, defacing of property, intimidation or threats prompted by a person’s personal characteristics is considered a hate crime.
“Usually the penalties are more severe if it’s hate-related,” said Nancy Greenstein, director of police community services at UCPD.
Greenstein said she had not heard anything about this specific incident of vandalism, and that such crimes often go unreported.
Shaun Doria, a third-year neuroscience and political science student and member of the Jewish community, said although he does not believe hate is a huge problem on campus in general, he is concerned about incidents such as the vandalism in Kerckhoff Hall.
“It’s really unacceptable,” he said. “Kerckhoff is one of the main representations of our campus…. It’s definitely a cause for concern.”
He said last year some students had anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on their doors, but were afraid to report the incidents to police.
Greenstein noted that overall, hate crimes are a fairly rare occurrence on campus. In 2005, seven hate crimes were reported to university police – three were race-related hate crimes, two concerned sexual orientation and two targeted certain ethnicities, Greenstein said.
But in recent years, some hate crimes on campus have drawn significant attention. In September 2004, a rock was thrown through the window of the UCLA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Resource Center, in what UCPD classified as a hate crime.
And in May 2005, a crossed-out swastika was graffitied on the front of the Bayit, the Jewish co-op on Landfair Avenue.
Lauryn Gold, a second-year English and philosophy student and member of the Jewish community, said although she was disturbed by the vandalism, she does not feel personally threatened by it.
“I’m kind of surprised because UCLA is pretty good about being accepting,” she said. “But there’s a big difference between writing or saying things, and any kind of action.”
To report information about hate crimes, call UCPD at 310-825-1491
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