Swastika Denounced By Bowie State Students, Staff

Graffiti depicting a swastika was found this week on a building at Bowie State University and is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Campus officials said the vandalism was painted on one of the columns on the patio of the Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Arts Center. Campus police photographed the symbol and it was immediately removed by facilities staff, according to Damita Chambers, assistant director of public relations.

The quick response by university officials reassured students that they are safe at Bowie State, senior TeAna Brown told Fox5.

“If we had swept it under the rug, I would be concerned,” Brown said.

The university sent this statement to Patch:

“This imagery symbolizes deep racial hatred and discrimination that go against the core values of Bowie State University. The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime by our campus police in collaboration with Prince George’s County Police.

We live in a community at Bowie State that values diversity, civility, vigorous debate and scholarly discussions. The imagery that was left seemed to be hateful and such will not be tolerated. We do not tolerate hate speech among students, faculty or staff. We support those students who have decided to rally in opposition to hate speech.”

»Screenshot of student rally from Fox5