The Syracuse Police Department will lead the investigation into a white supremacist manifesto shared in an online forum and allegedly sent to students’ cellphones in Bird Library, Chief Kenton Buckner announced at a Tuesday press conference. 

SPD is also investigating a swastika discovered Thursday in a snowbank across from the 505 on Walnut, a luxury apartment complex where many students live. Buckner said there is no “direct threat” to the Syracuse University campus. Campus, city and state police have increased patrols at and near SU out of caution, he said. 

Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado, a New York State Police major and an FBI agent also spoke at the press conference, which was held to address the white supremacist manifesto. A link to the manifesto was also posted in a Greekrank.com forum Monday night. The 74-page manifesto was written by the perpetrator of the New Zealand Christchurch mosque shootings and contains Neo-Nazi symbols and anti-immigrant sentiments.

SPD has no updates on the identity of either perpetrator. The only recent incident where university has publicly announced those responsible was the yelling of the N-word at a black woman near College Place on Saturday night. The Alpha Chi Rho fraternity, “Crow,” has been suspended from campus for its members’ involved in the racist incident. 

Buckner and Maldonado said they said don’t believe classes should be cancelled. The university remains open while some professors and departments have cancelled classes. 

“The community is safe. We don’t think that there’s a direct threat,” Maldonado said. “Even in the last weeks as things have transpired, we’ve had no issues with physical violence taking place.” 

Officials from the Syracuse Police Department, Department of Public Safety, New York State Police and FBI spoke at the press conference at the Public Safety Building downtown. Elizabeth Billman | Asst. Photo Editor

Buckner addressed frustrations from students regarding the time taken to notify the campus of hate crimes or bias-related incidents. SU’s delayed response to racist graffiti against black and Asian people in Day Hall led to the formation of #NotAgainSU — a movement led by black students that has occupied the Barnes Center at The Arch since Nov. 13. 

“I can tell you that under these circumstances, we’re walking a very delicate tightrope,” Buckner said. “We want to ensure that our information is both accurate entirely but we also want to protect the integrity of our investigations.”

SPD’s two main goals in relating to the manifesto are to find the person responsible for sharing the document and to determine there are no “credible threats” to the university or the city, Buckner said. 

Maldonado said the only two incidents DPS and SPD sees as connected are the writing of racist graffiti in Day Hall’s fourth and sixth floors on Nov. 7. When asked for a specific number of incidents reported to DPS, the chief said he can “confidently say” there are between eight and 10. 

The Daily Orange has counted at least 11 hate crimes or bias-related incidents on or near campus since Nov. 7. The D.O. counted incidents reported in Day Hall between Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 as two separate events because the graffiti was on two floors. The incidents in Haven Hall were also counted as two separate incidents because the graffiti was found on different stairwells.

DPS is leading investigations into all reported incidents except for the posting of the manifesto. It is currently unclear who sent the document to students’ cellphones and what the intent was, Buckner said. 

SPD has not launched a criminal investigation into the racist College Place incident involving members and guests of Crow. Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a Sunday email to the campus that individuals responsible for that incident would be “held appropriately accountable to the Code of Student Conduct and to the full extent of the law.”

Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

DPS has canvassed every floor of Day and spoken to residents about the incidents, Maldonado said. Racist graffiti has also been found on the third and fifth floors of the dorm. 

Buckner said it’s important to “give students a voice” and allow them to come forward and speak about what they have experienced. He sympathizes with students of color who don’t see people who look like them on campus because he attended Eastern Kentucky University, a predominantly white institution.  

“Gives us time to look into these things. There’s some trust that needs to be established,” Buckner said. “The students are feeling some type of way about how we as a community have responded to their terms. We can continue to be transparent as we have been.”

Published on November 19, 2019 at 4:10 pm

Contact Casey: [email protected] | @caseydarnell_