Letter to the Editor

I wanted to share some thoughts I had in response to Tyler Fredericks’ Nov. 12 column, “Safe words and violent spaces.” His column makes it clear that the “safe space” movement on campus ironically has made campus unsafe for the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority to conduct its philanthropy, unsafe for Brian Grasso (who refused to read “Fun Home”) to maintain his religious principles and unsafe for the Chronicle’s Editorial Page Editor Jonathan Zhao to express his political beliefs. Tyler’s well-written column overlooks the most conspicuous victim of injustice and hate dealt by the “safe space” movement.

I am referring to the unfortunate sophomore who tied a noose outside the Bryan Center. I personally know this student. He is from India. He is the type of kid who will spend hours talking about ridiculous start-up business ideas, but if you asked him a question about the history of racial conflict in America, he’d look at you like you were speaking Hebrew.

Was the noose he tied racially motivated? I say no. But don’t take my word for it; take the word of federal, state and local investigations, all of which ruled the noose was not racially motivated. Take the word of the student himself, who bravely stepped forward and, in an open letter, admitted that “through my lack of cultural awareness and joking personality” he tied the noose, as a joke, and sent a picture to a friend with the caption “let’s hang” (without appreciating “the historical sensitivity of a noose hanging in a tree”). What kind of a racial terrorist ties a noose and then politely apologizes for doing it?

After the incident, we saw a massive organized reaction on campus: protests, chants and rallies. My “History of Hip Hop” class turned into a “town hall” meeting—there was no escaping the issue. Although the administration tried to hide his identity, the student had to hide away in a friend’s apartment, afraid of what the protesters would do to him if they got a hold of him or his identity. For an Indian student with a poor sense of humor, campus was no longer a “safe space.” The administration had no choice but to suspend the student, even though he was legally ruled to be innocent.

In your Monday article concerning last Friday’s open forum, you noted that senior Katrina Miller still believes the noose was racially motivated. Katrina’s sentiment is widespread. If the student returns and his identity emerges, he will experience alienation and hate. He will be the second most notorious student on campus (the first being the student who is an adult actress). Duke will never be a “safe space” for the student who tied a noose.

Noah Kane

T ’17