Professor Simmons Comments on Hate Crimes for Bee, Fox40
Professor Daniel L. Simmons commented for the Sacramento Bee and Fox40 television news on recent instances of vandalism on the UC Davis campus that police are investigating as hate crimes. On February 19, a swastika was found carved on a Jewish student's door in a campus residence hall, and on March 4, anti-gay graffiti was discovered sprayed on the campus building that houses the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center. The incidents occurred within days of a party organized by fraternities at UC San Diego that mocked Black History Month by promoting racial stereotypes, and shortly after a noose was found hanging from a light fixture in the UC San Diego library.
"I'm deeply frightened by the way all this is snowballing on our campuses," said Professor Simmons, who is vice chairman of the system-wide Academic Senate. He suggested that the problems may stem from anxiety regarding the economy, which has combined with frustration over the university's layoffs, furloughs and fee hikes. "People are acting out of frustration. They see this as an opportunity to strike out," he said. "But none of this does any of us any good. It certainly doesn't accomplish anybody's goals."
UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi has denounced the incidents as "reprehensible, inexcusable and an affront to our own campus's Principles of Community."
Daniel L. Simmons is a UC Davis Professor of Law and a national expert on tax law, with an emphasis on corporate and partnership taxation.