Hate crime angers students
By Kristen Force
On-line Forty-Niner
University
officials are investigating a racial epithet
with the words, “I hate niggers,”and a swastika
symbol drawn on a wall at Parkside Commons
Saturday.
 Robbie
Cardenas, an 18-year-old freshman resident
in the dorm and a President’s Scholar, was
cited by University Police for the race-related
vandalism.
Cardenas, a resident of Tulare in Central
California and political science major,
said he denies involvement in the incident
and hopes the people responsible are found.
“I did not write any racial slurs,” Cardenas
said. “I feel the person who wrote it deserves
the citation instead of me. I do not agree
or condone his or her actions.”
However, Jashad Tillmon and Ebony Johnson,
both black and Parkside resident advisers,
were on duty at the time and said Cardenas
and a friend are under suspicion for committing
the vandalism after a party Friday was broken
up by Johnson.
Tillmon said Cardenas said he was sorry
and seemed sincere after he was confronted.
“He was very apologetic,” Tillmon said.
“But there is no justification for what
he did.”
Johnson said Cardenas claimed the act was
just a joke. She, along with the African
Student Union, is working to get Cardenas
removed from the dorms as well as expelled
from the school.
“As a President’s Scholar, you have to represent
the school in a professional way, which
he did not do,” Johnson said. “He should
lose his privileges.”
Tillmon said that he would also like to
see Cardenas taken out of the dorms, but
that expulsion from the school might be
too harsh.
“I really want to see what the university
will do,” Tillmon said. “I want to see them
not condone this, but I don’t want to see
him taken out of the school.”
Although this appears to be an isolated
event, Tillmon said that he is now worried
about his safety. As an adviser, he is responsible
for making certain the concerns of other
students are addressed, as well as his own.
“I’m concerned about our safety because
he still lives here,” Tillmon said. I want
to make sure this is not taken lightly.
How can we make our building safe if we
don’t feel safe?”
Armando Contreras, executive assistant to
Cal State Long Beach President Robert Maxson,
said Cardenas will go through a formal process
with campus Judicial Affairs to investigate
the incident.
“This is an act that can’t be tolerated,”
Contreras said.
He went on to say that because this type
of situation has not occurred before, there
is not a set procedure.
“We will wait to see what evidence there
is before any action is taken,” Contreras
said.
Although the campus Judicial Affairs cannot
confirm or deny receiving the case, Director
Steven Katz said that sanctions can range
from no action to suspension to expulsion.
“Everyone is entitled to due process,” Katz
said.
Stan Olin, director of Housing and Residential
Life, declined to comment except to say
that the university is taking the appropriate
disciplinary measures.
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