PSUSU Statement on White Supremacist Terror in the US

By Portland State University Student Union

28 November 15

In light of increasing unsubstantiated assertions by U.S. Corporate Media outlets that #BlackLivesMatter supporters are somehow responsible for acts of violence we are presenting this statement by The Portland State University Student Union, (PSUSU) in rebuttal and for perspective.

ince students mobilized against racism at the University of Missouri, there has been a white supremacist backlash on campuses across the country. Black Students Unions are receiving threats nationally, while white supremacists mobilized online to form White Student Union pages for universities and colleges.

In our own city, a Black student was targeted in a racist attack at Lewis and Clark College after threats against Black students were made on Yik Yak. A white supremacist has organized a PSU White Student Union on Facebook and begun to build support and target PSUSU organizers. Anti-Muslim posters stating that “Islam is Terrorism” have been put up on the PSU campus.

Since the 2007-2008 economic crisis and the fight-back of first the Occupy movement and then the Black Lives Matter movement, there has been growing racist reaction. Police have killed unarmed Black people at an increasing rate since Michael Brown was murdered. Donald Trump is campaigning for president on a platform that labels all Latinos dangerous criminals and would force Muslims to wear ID badges. The KKK is actively recruiting in Portland and the surrounding regions, in addition to many other places across the country.

The PSU Student Union stands in solidarity with all those who are being targeted by white supremacist violence and terror.

The PSU Student Union unequivocally denounces the White Student Union campaign and the Islamophobic postering. Whether online or on campus, there is no place for white supremacist organizing.

The PSU Student Union also calls on the PSU administration and board of trustees to publicly denounce the existence of a Portland State University White Student Union online as racist (and not just “phoney”), and to take whatever action they can to have these sites removed (even if they no longer use the PSU name or logo). We also call on the administration and board of trustees to condemn the use of Islamophobic posters and to take concrete measures to prevent their dissemination.

It is essential that the PSU administration and board of trustees condemn white supremacy by name and take a real stand.

PSU President Wim Wiewel promised students in a recent email that he and the administration would be “vigilant” in the struggle against “racism or any form of discrimination”. However, they have continually failed to address real student concerns about violence on campus, especially around police.

Will President Wiewel, the PSU administration and board of trustees take the recent acts of white supremacist violence as a wake-up call, or will they continue to ignore the very real threats to student safety?

However the capitalist bureaucrats act, the PSU Student Union will do all in its power to mobilize against racist organizing, to stand in solidarity with Black student unions, Muslim students, and all fighting white supremacy on campus, and to fight for a democratic and equitable university.