Racism, hatred, gruesome murders of one's kith and kin -- and the list can go on. The world has seen all in 2017. Tales of hate crimes have been doing the rounds and this year, these seem to have accelerated.
In a recent incident of an awful hate crime, a former Connecticut University student has been accused of smearing body fluids on her black roommate's belongings. The accused has, however, avoided hate crime charge and pleaded not guilty.
As per reports, 18-year-old Brianna Brochu of Harwinton, wrote on Instagram in October 2017 that she rubbed her used tampons on her "black" roommate's bag, kept her toothbrush in a place "where the sun doesn't shine" and termed Chennel "Jazzy" Rowe, her roommate, as "Jamaican Barbie".
What made the situation more awful was the fact that Brianna poured clam dip in her roommate's lotions and spit in her coconut oil. Rowe, in a Facebook live video, claimed that she was suffering from an unbearable throat pain and doctors don't know why.
In Hartford Superior Court, civil rights advocates asked the state to add a hate crime charge against Brianna but prosecutors didn't file any additional charges. NAACP Greater Hartford Branch President Imam Abdul-Shahid Muhammad Ansari and other NAACP members were not satisfied with the decision.
"She should be charged with a hate crime," Ansari told NBC News in a phone interview on Monday. "We made our feelings known and will continue to do so, letting the community know and elected officials know as well."
In November, Brianna told The Republican-American newspaper that she isn't a racist but was foolish enough to commit the act. What is more surprising is that her lawyer Tom Stevens stated that her actions were not racially motivated.
"There was nothing racist that motivated this," Stevens said. "These were two students who were placed together ... who didn't like each other ... and it escalated," he added. Prosecutors are still investigating Brianna's case and it will continue until January 29, 2018.
News related to bullying, animosity towards the colored ones and different races are on a surge. In a heart-wrenching video, a boy from Tennessee spoke up against those who bullied him and others by making fun of his nose and calling him ugly. He found huge support on Twitter from celebrities like Chris Evans, Katy Perry, Snoop Dog, Millie Bobby Brown and many more.
