We, the staff of the ASUO Women’s Center, wish to write a letter in solidarity with the LGBTQA in light of the recent hate crime committed in the space.
Over the weekend, its office was broken into and vandalized with large, spray-painted Swastika symbols. We acknowledge that this crime affects the student body and the larger Eugene community. In addition to violating the physical space of the LGBTQA, this is also a violation of mental and emotional well-being and sense of safety. The EMU is a student-funded space where students gather, organize, and celebrate diversity at the University. When hate crimes like this occur, these critically important spaces become unsafe for everyone.
What will it take for our community to recognize a hate crime when we see one? When will we start responding from a place of healing and solidarity in ways that will have lasting and palpable effects? We implore the administration to take action to restore and ensure the future safety of this space and the students who inhabit it. We also demand that this issue not be ignored and that an appropriate educational campaign continues and that students pay attention and take action.
We hope that this event is recognized not as an isolated incident, but rather as a part of a system of oppression and bias that continues to affect the students on campus, as well as people in our community.
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