FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Enough is enough for a group of Framingham State University students protesting after six incidents of threatening and racist graffiti in two dorms on campus.
The first was in October and the latest was just before Christmas.
“I think six incidents later, it’s a little bit ridiculous,” student Iyla Driggs told Boston 25 News. “And to have to live in discomfort when you don’t see yourself any different than the next person; it’s just not fair.”
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About 100 students and staff joined Driggs and members of the FSU Black Student Union at Tuesday’s march and protest, asking the university to tighten up security by installing cameras in dorm hallways and combat racist sentiment on campus by hiring more faculty of color.
“Our parents struggle to pay tuition. Some of the kids … they work to pay their tuition and for them to have to go through harassment, it’s ridiculous,” Jordan Privette-Jackson said.
FSU has denounced the acts as hate crimes and posted a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“We’ve done everything that we possibly can,” Millie Gonzalez said. She’s Chief Officer of Diversity and Inclusion and Community Engagement.
No suspects have been identified and Gonzalez told Boston 25 news students need to help solve this problem.
“Some students actually know who the perpetrators are,” she said. “So we want to reach out to those students and say, ‘if you know something, say something.’”
University police say they’ve also stepped up patrols and installed cameras on the outside of buildings on campus.
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