An Albemarle County man, Shane Dennis, has been charged with intimidation for placing a noose on the statue of Homer at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville news media are reporting. Dennis, who appeared for a bond hearing Tuesday in Albemarle County District Court, also has been charged with contempt of court for misbehaving in the courtroom by refusing to communicate with court officials.
The discovery last month of the noose, which many associate with the lynching of African-Americans, reverberated through the university. The UVa Police Department and President James Ryan promptly declared the act a hate crime. In one of many denunciations emanating from the university community, the Young Democratic Socialists of America @ UVA described the episode as an “act of hate [and] part of a larger, highly coordinated effort by white supremacists to threaten and intimidate the multiracial working-class out of higher education.”
According to The Cavalier Daily, however, the motive was not motivated by race. Police believe Dennis, who is not affiliated with the university, also left a pile of items at the base of the statue over the weekend, including two masks, a “civil peace flag,” a Christian cross, and a sealed envelope. Inside the envelope, a letter contended that the statue, in which Homer is shown sitting by a nude boy, “glorifies pedophilia.”
“[We] are all so blinded by hatred and racial division [that we] refused to see the truth that is hidden in plain sight,” the letter said. ““If you live in reality you will see an old man with a nude adolescent boy in between his legs.”
The letter did not contain any racial or religious references.
“We remain committed to ensuring the University of Virginia is a place where all can feel safe in the spaces where they live, learn and work,” said Ryan in reaction to the arrest. “Although we are relieved that this suspect was apprehended, we will never stop working to ensure that this community is as safe and welcoming as it can be.”
Update: In a press release, the University of Virginia Police Department downplayed the “hate crime” angle, emphasizing that Dennis had been charged with violating a law prohibiting the display of a noose “with intent to intimidate.”
It is not clear from the statement whom Dennis might have been seeking to intimidate other than pedophiles.
This is how the PD statement described the investigation:
“After this incident on the Lawn was first reported, University of Police opened an investigation immediately, working with our local partners and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to identify a suspect and bring charges,” said Tim Longo, the University’s Assistant Vice President for Safety and Security and Chief of Police. “We are grateful to so many people who assisted with this investigation, including members of the community who contacted police and offered helpful information in this case.”
— JAB
Horrible to think of the hit to the local economy as the Bubba Wallace task force moves out.
Ryan is the least welcoming … He rushed to judgement, creates a culture of exclusion and stated publicly unvaxed students are not welcome at the University. He’s a Trudeau kind of politician, elitist, not for the people. Do as I say not as I do.
President Ryan just validated his bona fides as a knee jerk leftwing ideologue by rushing to judgment. It’s embarrassing.
Both the police report and Ryan’s statement omit any reference to the letter and the motive it appears to reveal.
And this is why all the statue cr@p is just that – I graduated with 3 degrees from UVA over a 9 year period. I NEVER noticed the pedo aspect. I walked by the statue all the time. My current student child had never noticed it either. The whole statue thing is merely a cudgel for the Marxists to destroy. No one cares, except them, for political power. Put up a statue of Marx or Lenin or Che and they will be silent. Because they were on their team. And the ultimate goal is not Jefferson, Madison and Washington. They are merely the next steps. (And Jim Ryan is lying (sorry to be blunt) to say TJ will always stand while he is Pres. That is in reality a veiled threat. Meanwhile, he appoints people to Boards and positions who want to destroy TJ. They do the dirty work and he solicits alumni cash while appearing so benevolent. The ultimate in duplicity.
AFTER they get rid of TJ, GW and JM, they go after the US because they formed the country with slavery in it. If you don’t see that, you are willfully blind.
What stupid, exaggerated concern. My class of 1968/9 had the Vietnam war to get aroused about.