Racism at Purdue

Having picked up the Purdue newspaper this morning, I ran across an article concerning a Purdue football player, Uche Nwaneri. According to the account in the paper, he was approached and assaulted by a former colleague from the Purdue football teacm, Ryan Noblet at a summer work out camp. Nwaneri responded by hitting Noblet, fracturing his jaw. What followed reeks of the underlying racism that is present at this university and is something that totally needs to end. Nwaneri states that a day later the police came and took him down to the police station where he gave a statement. The university then charged Nwaneri with misconduct. At a hearing, Nwaneri was found guilty of battery and was suspended from the University for the fall semester.

At his appeal,which was closed to the public, his attorneys were allowed to be present, but were not allowed to speak, only to whisper advice in Nwaneri's ear. When he pursued a line of questioning concerning racism at Purdue, the appeals board chairman dissallowed his line of questioning. During the appeal, Ryan Noblett's history of assaulting classmates was produced by witnesses, a history covering three years at Purdue. During the appeal, Nwaneri states that Purdue Police placed him in an interrogation room for over an hour where, in his words they "threatened, bullied, and intimidated him." Lt. Fred Davis of the Purdue Police, the interrogator,accused Nwaneri of "lying, of being a criminal, and told him that he would have to stand trial and that he was going to jail." There is no police record of this interrogation. Davis could not be reached for comment by the Newspapers. Nwaneri is pursuing a lawsuit based on a negation of his right to due process.

I believe this is absolutely a violation of Civil and Human rights and that this is a case that should definitely be on the radar of the ACLU, the ICLU, and other Civil Rights Organizations. Everyone should be paying attention to this.