Students speak out against ‘malicious comments’ made at Western Washington University

The Western Washington University Police Department is being called out for not doing enough in the wake of threats made against minority students.

Belina Seare, the associated student body president, said in a new conference on Wednesday that after sharing her concerns about safety on campus, police haven’t done enough.

On Tuesday, classes were canceled after “hate speech” reportedly targeted black students. The threats followed a discussion over the school’s Viking mascot. Some students were asking for it to be changed.

Seare said she was made aware of “malicious comments” made about her on social media. There were racially-charged death threats and threats of sexual violence, she said.

“These attacks have threatened my sense of safety.”

At least some of the threats were made on the anonymous social-messaging mobile app Yik Yak, popular on college campuses.

The posts mentioned almost every ethnic group, including blacks, Muslims, Jews and American Indians, blaming them for an effort on campus to debate changing the university’s Viking mascot. The threats came days after some student leaders suggested that the mascot is racist. The posts did not mention a specific action against the students, the Association Press reports.

Most of the online comments contained racist language and profanity and made fun of the mascot debate and the students who proposed it. One post called black students crying babies and another complimented the school for having an “overtly Aryan” mascot.

The university boasts that nearly a quarter of those enrolled are from minority groups.

Law enforcement officials do not believe there is a threat to general campus security, but university President Bruce Shepard said a threat to any Western student is an attack on the college community. The decision to cancel classes was precautionary and to make sure students were safe, he said. The school’s Thanksgiving break officially begins Wednesday.

Seare believes the threats made against students is not isolated. It reflects the campus climate and the “continuous violence” made against black people across the country.

“My growing fear is that these systemic issues will continue to go unaddressed at the experience of people of color and black people,” Seare said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.