There is a strange silence falling upon Washington state new outlets. It follows multiple racially-charged incidences, one at Washington State University involving a racist video posted on Facebook using edited footage from a campus Trump Rally, and several campus closures at Evergreen State College, due to death threats and protests regarding race. These stories on college campus racism rocked eastern Washington new outlets during May and June, but have seemingly disappeared from the collective conscience of those not involved.
At Washington State University, in response to the racist video posted by the now-deactivated page Ultra Meme Lord, the University issued a statement on May 4th, condemning the footage and hostile attitude towards fellow students.
While the video is edited, much of the footage contained was shot by Washington State University College Republicans President James Allsup. However, following the official statement issued on May 4th nothing much has been said by Washington State University President Kirk Schulz.
Reporting on Evergreen State College hasn’t been much better
Not much has been said about the college, following the incidents of May and June. The college has been shut down three times since June 1st, citing safety concerns. The first incident involved a death threat called in on June 1st, resulting in a two-day closure. It was closed again the following Monday due to concerns relating to additional external threats received over the weekend.
The School suspended operations again on June 15th, in light of anticipating school disruptions from a protest organized by the Patriot Prayer group, the same group that held a ‘free speech’ rally in Portland Oregon despite pleas by the mayor to call it off following the fatal stabbing of two men.
Despite initial reactions to these events, news outlets remain quiet
Reporting has slacked. Some of the most recent report regarding these incidents dates to June 30th, with most of those reports simply rehashing old news. While Washington State University does not comment on ongoing investigations, local outlets have also failed to bring any new information to light.
Although most students are out on summer break, these events are far from forgotten by those impacted and some feel less safe than they did at the beginning of the school year. The effect of these events remains to be seen as the investigations are ongoing and students are yet to return for fall classes.
