Orange Coast College is rapidly becoming known throughout the nation this year for their failure to support conservative students. This is the same school where a student was suspended for recording his professor’s anti-Trump tirade. Then, after receiving publicity, they posted reminders to students that they weren’t allowed to record professors instead of reconsidering their decision.
Now, a conservative student is alleging that the school is trying to hide a hate crime against him:
[A] conservative student at Orange Coast College has filed a civil rights violation report after a knife was found lying near hateful graffiti messages targeting him by name.
Joshua Recalde-Martinez, the chairman emeritus of the OCC College Republicans, became a somewhat polarizing figure on campus as a vocal defender of Caleb O’Neil, the conservative student who was briefly suspended for recording one of his professors calling Donald Trump’s election an “act of terrorism.”
Recalde-Martinez told Campus Reform that he received a phone call from an OCC administrator on March 13 informing him that “graffiti and stickers were discovered on multiple buildings on campus,” some of which specifically singled him out, saying “doxx Joshua Martinez” and “f*** Joshua Martinez.”
[…]
Orange Coast College Public Safety conducted an investigation after being alerted to one of the graffiti messages by an administrator, who also found the knife in close proximity to the scene, according to a police report obtained by Campus Reform.
After discovering several more instances of the vandalism, officers reviewed surveillance footage showing the damage being caused by a “thin” individual carrying a skateboard and wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and a hat, but were unable to identify the perpetrator.
The investigation has since been closed.
The same school was able to make a prompt arrest after swastikas were spray-painted on two vehicles, despite the crime supposedly taking place at 1:30 AM. Recalde-Martinez also notes that a knife was found near one of the messages, which he interprets as a threat. Whether it truly is one or not remains to be seen, but caution suggests his interpretation is the safe course of action.
The situation was not classified formally as a hate crime, which is part of what has Recalde-Martinez speaking out:
Recalde-Martinez said he has received no such support from the administration, despite the fact that according to state law, “an intimidation by threat of violence…because of political affiliation” is defined as a civil rights violation.
“I am personally appalled by the fact my case was never reported as a hate crime, even though in the state of California it is one by law,” Recalde-Martinez continued. “I wasn’t notified that the incident occurred until the case was already closed, and am also shocked [that] all evidence of the incident was destroyed by campus employees before the incident was reported to the Costa Mesa Police Department.”
Can’t say I blame him. While I personally find hate crime laws ridiculously close to the idea of “thought crime,” it is still the law in California — and people have a right to equal protection under the law. OCC doesn’t get to pick who enjoys those rights and who doesn’t.
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