The day after a man was arrested for allegedly stabbing people on the University of Texas campus, a racist flyer picturing a caricature of an African American man surfaced on an emergency call machine by Little Field Fountain.
Kim Nguyen, 21, a senior at UT, was in disbelief when she found the flyer that shows a black man wielding what appears to be a knife, with bolded words that read, "Around blacks, never relax!"
"I didn't believe it at first, but then I doubled back and ripped it off," she said.
Nguyen posted the flyer on her Facebook page writing:
"I know what happened yesterday was a tragedy and that people are scared, upset, hurt and/ or looking for someone to blame.
But this? This is not okay. I don't know who you are, but by doing this, you're only spreading more fear and hate and deepening the racism that already exists in our society. We need to show love, now more than ever, not hate. Please, if anyone sees these stickers floating around, tear them down, crumble them up, and throw them away. I crossed out the website on the bottom because I don't want to give them the satisfaction gaining the publicity they don't deserve. Don't let the actions of a select few define our school. We can do better than this. #TakeBackTheFortyAcres."
Some users on Nguyen's post speculated that the caricature isn't new and has been used for years by the website, the Daily Stormer, known for its alt-right and nazi rhetoric, according to the Washington Post.
A google reverse image search revealed the image has been circulating the internet as a meme since the beginning of this decade.
It's not known whether or not the flyer was posted in retaliation to the violent incident Monday that killed freshman Harrison Brown and landed Kendrex White, a 21-year-old African-American man, in jail. White has been charged with murder.
University of Texas President Greg Fenves said officials took the fliers down after receiving complaints from students.
He released the following statement:
Today, UT’s Campus Climate Response Team received complaints about a series of racist and hateful fliers and university officials began taking them down as soon as they were reported. The words and ideas on these fliers are deeply offensive and we are working to completely remove them.
I spent this afternoon speaking with students and listening to their ideas, frustrations and fears. Hateful fliers continue to inflame these fears and keep many from feeling safe on the 40 Acres.
We recently adopted a new Hate and Bias Policy to directly address this issue and once again, we’ve put it to use. In accordance with the policy, the fliers have been reported to the Office of the Dean of Students for investigation.
I also ask anyone who sees a hateful poster to immediately report it to the CCRT along with its specific location. In these difficult times, it is even more important for the campus community to come together. We will not tolerate the actions of those who seek to divide us.
Over the past several months, fliers and vandalism targeting different groups have appeared on the University of Texas campus. At the beginning of April, the Asian community was attacked in a flier for allegedly stealing intellectual property and padding resumes. Two weeks later, fraternity homes around campus were spray-painted with the words "rapist" and "racist".
