The office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at the U of M refuses to answer these questions:
- How many of the 1000 rapes reported over the past six years were reviewed (their office does not review and investigate every rape allegation), and reviewed in the same aggressive manner as the case with the 10 Black Gopher players?
- What is the racial breakdown of the 1000 accused?
- How many of the 1000 were reviewed? Did the E.O.A.A. office recommend expulsion for the accused, and of these how many were Black? How many were White?
- How many of the 1000 were turned over to Hennepin County, as was the case with the football players; and if any were turned over, what is the racial breakdown of these?
The E.O.A.A. office decides whether to review a case and the level of punishment given, if any, based on “the probability of the accused reoffending.” How then is this determined?
If you have 1000 young male students accused of rape, and most of them have no criminal history, how do you assess if they have a “high probability of reoffending”? Does skin color and physical strength play into it? If not, why does the U go after only Black football players?
Title IX is a federal law, but for six years the U did not enforce it. They only enforced it when Blacks are accused of rape. In time there will be a federal investigation.
How can four Black male students — Seth Green, Kobe McCrary, Antoine Winfield, Jr., and Antione Shenault — be in more trouble for being in the vicinity of an alleged sexual assault, than their White peers who are actually accused of committing sexual assaults?
Frank Erickson lives in Minneapolis.
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