Allegedly taunting them with references to Trayvon Martin, a group of people on the roof of the Sigma Pi fraternity house reportedly threw bottles and other objects at black students who were walking by the house early Sunday morning, according to several accounts.
Sigma Pi President Zach Smith '13 said in an email Sunday afternoon that the fraternity has "figured out who the perpetrator was, and will turn his name over to police." The individual identified was not a brother of the fraternity, he said.
Cornell Chief of Police Kathy Zoner confirmed that people were "reportedly making racial references" and throwing bottles from the roof of Sigma Pi. She added that she could not disclose more information because the investigation, which is being led by Ithaca Police, is ongoing.
Beverly Fonkwo '14 said she was walking home with a friend when, unprovoked, the group on the fraternity roof began throwing objects that landed near a group walking behind them.
When the people walking behind Fonkwo asked them to stop, the people on top of the fraternity continued to throw objects -- including a Jack Daniels that landed near the group behind and an unopened beer can that landed near Fonkwo and her friend -- she said.
When they asked them to stop again, the group responded, "'Come up here, Trayvon,' and started making all these other racial comments," Fonkwo said. A black teenager from Florida, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in February -- a death that was widely perceived as unprovoked and galvanized African American activists across the country.
"I feel like it was targeted and racially motivated ... we felt very threatened," Fonkwo said of the incident Sunday. Meanwhile, the assailants "were just laughing at the whole situation until we called the police and then they ran inside," she said.
Smith, the Sigma Pi president, said the fraternity is "sorry the incident happened on our premises." He said that a large number of outsiders -- including alumni and friends of brothers -- were attending the event.
Smith added that he was "shocked" upon learning of the incident later Sunday morning.
"We pride ourselves on having a very diverse house," he said. "It's not the character of our house and not any way we'd like Sigma Pi to be represented."
That may be of little consolation to Sade Samakinwa '14, who said she saw her friends outside the house "pretty shook up" after the incident.
"I think the most shocking thing was not that bottles were being thrown but that they were shouting Trayvon," Samakinwa said. "To use that boy's name so disrespectfully while disrespecting someone is absolutely insane."
Check cornellsun.com for this breaking story.
Liquor, guns, and racism always leads to violence.
The triad of evil.
Maybe, just maybe, the reason white people on here commenting look like bigots is because of their refusal to recognize the humanity of black people and empathize with what took place before attempting to smear us with a broad, racist brush.
fanned.
In what regard is what I said about "a lot" of the "comments here" wrong?
I didn't say "most white people", nor did I speak to white people in the general public, what I was speaking to is specifically the comments posted in this particular thread and others like it.
And if you take the time to look, there are "a lot" of white people on here doing just what I said they were.
Good job HP of not reporting an actual attack were injuries occured.
This is so much more important and deserving of coverage.
http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/16yearold-charged-assault-two-pilot-reporters
If you agree that the reporting, or lack of reporting, on this incident is biased, then in keeping with traditional responses posted here, please start immediately calling yourselves "racists and bigots"
That way you will beat the responders to the punch and take some of the sting out of their replies.
And you're absolutely right.
They'd have been kicked off the yard.
Or fantasy scenarios?
Or the old tried and true "yea but if it would have been us, it would have been much worse".