Dear Editor,

I know you’ve received numerous e-mails and calls about the recent discovery of the noose, and also word on future noose hangings. I know the racial tensions at UCSD are running very high right now, but I refuse to believe that this overt racism exists at UCSD, and I’m challenging the existing thought paradigm that the Black Student Union is being marginalized. Its voice is being heard — and excuse me if I’m wrong — but the noose found in Geisel Library on Thursday night “validates” BSU feelings of being threatened and gives it a bigger voice. So I wouldn’t rule out the intentional planting of the noose to provoke and escalate the issue in BSU’s favor.

This is more than a case of playing devil’s advocate; I heard (in passing) members of BSU talking about a noose in the library after last nights A.S. open forum meeting, which ended at 10 p.m. According to news reports, the noose was found midnight of the same night. How did they know about it before it happened, and why didn’t BSU mention this at the meeting if they knew about the noose in advance? I’m not making an unsubstantiated claim here — I even saw the same person in the original noose photo who was talking about it at the meeting.

—Mindy Kim

UCSD alumna, 2008