When news first broke of an alleged LGBT-based hate crime at Harvard University, Harvard and the usual suspects on the Left were quick to cry bias, or hate crime. However, new facts and some curious unanswered questions are raising troubling questions around the incident.
HUPD spokesman Steven G. Catalano wrote in an e-mail that the vandalized books’ subject matters included lesbian and gay issues and same-sex marriage. Due to the nature of books, HUPD is currently investigating the incident as a bias crime.
“The HUPD has zero tolerance for any bias-related incidents or crimes,” Catalano said.
“Harvard College will not tolerate acts of vandalism, especially those that appear to be motivated by hate or bias,” Harvard College Dean Evelynn M. Hammonds wrote in an e-mail to The Crimson. “[As] a community, we will continue to affirm our shared values of dignity and respect for everyone in our community.”
The Huffington Post, along with several other Leftist websites were quick to highlight, releasing their own brand of hate in the comments area.
From comments: “Hate crime. Fingerprin t. Arrest. Expell. Terminate. Jail,” said JDaddy1951. Other commenters were quick to assign the blame to Christians and insist it was part of a larger trend currently on the rise.
But now in a bizarre twist, it seems the incident wasn’t even reported for two whole weeks and is now claimed to have been an “accident” by a Harvard employee.
CAMBRIDGE – Harvard says that vandalism to about 40 books about lesbian and gay issues at a university library appears to be an accident. Security staff at Lamont Library said in a report filed with campus police on Friday that it appeared someone poured urine on the books on Nov. 24. An empty bottle was found nearby. The incident was initially investigated as a hate crime.
However, a statement from the university raises more questions than it answers. How did a bottle of alleged urine end up on a library bookshelf, before being “spilled” on 40 LGBT-related books? And why was the incident not reportedly accurately from the beginning? Some may recall what conservative columnist Ann Coulter came to call ANOTHER LIBERAL NOOSE-ANCE back in 2007, when nooses suddenly started appearing on campuses, thanks to the Left. One can almost imagine packs of unhinged Leftists storing their urine and heading off to the nearest library, soon. Harvard University owes the American people a clear and more detailed explanation as to how this non-hate crime first came to be reported as one.
Harvard released the following statement on Monday: The Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) and the College were notified this past Friday by Harvard College Library personnel that 36 books related to gay and lesbian studies were damaged in Lamont Library on November 24, 2010. This incident was initially reported as vandalism and characterized as a hate-crime because of the focused nature and related topics of the damaged books. HUPD has continued to investigate this incident since the initial report and we have learned this morning that the books, while indeed damaged, were damaged by our own library personnel spilling a bottle of what was reported to be urine that had been left on the shelf. I believe this is an important new fact in the investigation and warrants my sharing it with you immediately. While we should not minimize the seriousness of this incident, HUPD is no longer classifying this incident as a hate crime. This nuance in the facts in the case also explains why library personnel did not immediately report the incident and treated it instead as a prank. I am also pleased to report that the Harvard College Library intends to replace all 36 books as soon as possible.