In our very own town of Davis, Mikey Partida was a victim of a homophobic hate crime. Mikey was severely beaten on I and 3rd to the point to where he had to be taken to the hospital. As a Queer Jewish student of color, and as many students, the fact that I constantly find myself walking around this very area at night totally erases my sense of safety in our own town. This incident completely obliterates the notion that Davis is a safe open environment and in fact raises the issue that we encounter hate crimes in our town all too often. This CANNOT keep occurring. One of the reasons I chose to study in Davis was due to its small size and the erroneous belief that it would be welcoming and tolerant to the vast diversity of its students. Although this incident did not occur to one of our own students, it may very well have. Furthermore, the enormous amounts of hate crimes that have occurred in My short personal stay at Davis, the Graffiti drawn on the old LGBT Center, the Noose hung during the Students of Color Conference, the swastika drawn on the dorms to name a few, puts in highlight that Davis, in all the contrary, is unfortunately a haven of Hate and Intolerance. As a member of this student body and of ASUCD, I Will Not Passively Allow This to Continue and Neither Should the Press. The Enterprise’s dubious coverage of this incident in which they still question this act as a hate crime is incredibly hurtful and destructive. It is for this reason that I am making my voice heard. I plead with the Aggie to once and for all uncover the Hatred within Davis, as this is the only way to truly rid ourselves of this very unfortunate and horrendous vice. I refuse to leave this Institution with the same intolerance in which I have found it.
Luis Saïd Curiel
Fourth-year psychology major
ASUCD Gender and Sexuality Commissioner
