Editor’s Note: We have decided to run in our post the exact wording of the slurs in this incident. Several editors debated whether or not it was appropriate for the student newspaper to repeat these slurs and potentially perpetuate their use. However, we ultimately decided that it was our responsibility to report accurately and thoroughly on the incident.
Police are investigating a hate crime that occurred Monday morning when an apartment door was vandalized with anti-Mexican and sexist slurs.
Kristine Phan was leaving the apartment for class when she saw her red door marred by black marker with phrases such as “You rude ignorant spic cunts” and “dirty Meximelt bitches.” The stairs leading to the door and a fence directly facing the apartment have similar writing, said Phan, a third-year psychology student.
“I thought we were here attaining a higher education, and with that, learning to be tolerant of other cultures,” Phan said. “I’m very sad and disappointed.”
Phan said she believes the vandalism was targeted toward her roommates, who are Latino.
The slurs are directed toward a Mexican female, but the two students Phan lives with are a Guatemalan-Salvadoran woman and a Mexican man.
The Undergraduate Students Association Council released a statement Tuesday afternoon to condemn the graffiti. The council will hold campus climate events and meet with administrators to address the incident, according to the release.
All reported hate crimes undergo a full investigation, said UCPD spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein.
Hate crimes often aren’t reported to police, and it is likely there are more hate crimes that go unreported by students, Greenstein said.
“If hate crimes aren’t reported, we’re doing a disservice to people on campus who potentially could be victims,” Greenstein said.
Compiled by Sonali Kohli, Bruin senior staff.