TIMELINE: The history of recent antisemitism at Sac State
Antisemitic incidents occurred on and in the vicinity of campus since 2017, as shown in this timeline created by The State Hornet on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2022. The State Hornet reporters uncovered another piece of anti-Semitic antisemitic vandalism on a tunnel ceiling at Sac State’s Arboretum Sept. 29, 2022. (Photo of graffiti taken by Dominique Williams. Graphic created in Canva)
September 2022 at Sacramento State ended the same way it began: with antisemitic graffiti.
The four incidents in September are part of a continuing trend of antisemitic propaganda and vandalism that spans over the last half-decade on and around Sac State’s campus.
Antisemitic incidents have occurred on and in the vicinity of campus since 2017. They slowed during the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but picked up again in 2022, as shown in this timeline.
After the incidents in early September, President Robert Nelsen said the individuals responsible for the graffiti will be “held accountable.”
“We must remain committed to proactively creating a campus culture that is safe and welcoming and where everyone feels that they belong,” Nelsen wrote in a campus-wide email on Sept. 2.
To recount the recent history of antisemitism at Sac State, The State Hornet compiled reported incidents dating back to 2017.
October 2017
Propaganda was found outside The Well from therightstufff.biz, a Neo-Nazi and holocaust denial website, in 2017.
April 2019
A student found “possibly antisemitic graffiti" on campus in April 2019, according to past State Hornet reporting.
The word “Jew” was spray-painted on a light pole on campus.
In an email sent to students, Nelsen wrote that the university was not aware of how long the graffiti was up.
“We must learn from the past and refute hate and bigotry on our campus and in our community,” Nelsen said in a president’s update on April 18, 2019.
May 2019
Neo-Nazi leaflets were dropped via drone over the Guy West Bridge and Golden 1 Arena during an Ariana Grande concert. The pamphlets contained swastikas and the line: “Whose side are you on!”
Nelsen, who was at the event, said the university hopes to “stop whoever did this.”
“The anonymous act of spreading such vile material is offensive and runs counter to the principles of inclusion and diversity practiced at Sac State,” Nelsen said. “It did not stop the event, nor will it slow our march toward greater understanding and commitment to the rights and safety of our campus community.”
Sacramento resident Tracy Mapes admitted to drone-dropping the propaganda, and police arrested him in 2020.
May 2019
The American Identity Movement posted recruitment flyers on campus bulletin boards, according to a now-deleted tweet from AIM’s Twitter account.
AIM, previously known as Identity Evropa, was a white supremacist organization that tried recruiting across many college campuses nationwide.
AIM’s leader announced its disbandment in Nov. 2020.
Sac State spokeswoman Anita Fitzhugh said the administration was aware “a white supremacy group” had disseminated fliers in violation of university policy and encouraged people to report them, according to Sacramento News and Review.
September 2022
Two swastikas were found at and around Sac State during the first week of the fall 2022 semester.
The first swastika was in a classroom in Mendocino Hall on Sept. 1. The other was found on J Street, near the entrance of campus on Sept. 2.
Additional Coverage
In response to the two swastikas found on campus, Jewish leaders in Sacramento and at Sac State weighed in on the antisemitic incidents in the area.
“As a community, we can grow together from this, to learn how we can prevent it,” President and founder of the Israeli-Jewish Association Shelly Zalezniak said. “Not everything can be preventable, but as a community, we are better together and we’re stronger together. ”
Additional Coverage
Israeli-Jewish Association’s club President Shelly Zalezniak said IJA was tabling close to the swastika found in Mendocino Hall.
“No matter how much we tried to show and preach that we’re all-inclusive and there’s no place for hate…all that stuff can happen,” Zalezniak said. “But what matters is how we respond to this and what actions we take.”
September 2022
A campus-wide announcement stated another swastika was found along with the phrase, “white pride nationwide” in the Arboretum on the north side of campus on Sept. 29.
“I know that many in our community are feeling pain and anxiety by the appearance of these hateful symbols on our campus and in our community, and I ask that you continue to support one another,” Nelsen said in a campus wide email.
September 2022
Later that day, The State Hornet uncovered another piece of antisemitic vandalism on a tunnel ceiling in the Arboretum.
Both pieces of graffiti found in the Arboretum have been removed.
Additional Coverage
The State Hornet sat down with Nelsen and discussed recent incidents and how Sac State is responding.
When asked why Nelsen’s office did not meet with the Jewish student organization, Nelsen responded, “They haven’t reached out to us.”
“We’ve included [addressing antisemitism] in the anti-racism plan. I think it’s either the 27th or 28th goal for this year. So, we’re taking it very seriously–and it is part of what we’re doing with inclusive excellence,” Nelsen said. “We’re making certain that we’re inclusive to all individuals on campus. I don’t think we developed a plan beyond that. We just added it to the anti-racism plan and now we’ll start and start discussing about what we can do.”
A town hall meeting will be scheduled for Nov. 9. The town hall will “provide an opportunity for us to come together as a Hornet Family to listen, to learn and to support one another,” according to an email update from Nelsen on Sept. 29.
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