Kym McGowan, a freshman in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was arrested Wednesday on the charge of making graffiti and criminal mischief in the fourth degree. McGowan was released from both misdemeanors on an appearance ticket.

The graffiti was on the walkway between the Irving Avenue parking garage and the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, as well as around Falk and Bird Library. 

“We are not just $70,000,” one of the graffiti marks said. “Orange is the new white supremacy,” read another graffiti mark. They were both inspired by the notes left on the walls in the Barnes Center at The Arch, McGowan said. Another graffiti mark had the Black Lives Matter fist, which was also used by the #NotAgainSU movement.

McGowan said in the face of white supremacy, Syracuse University is treating their students like $70,000 — an estimated cost of attendance for undergraduate and graduate students at the university — opposed to treating students like humans.

They said they have a moral right to respond to the campus graffiti incidents by creating graffiti in support of the student movement. 

The Department of Public Safety contacted McGowan and told them they have them on video.  They came in peacefully and confessed to the graffiti, saying they are justified in their actions.

“I think that this racist graffiti keeps escalating and we have the right to say something in reverse,” McGowan said.

McGowan said the DPS statement about their graffiti made it seem like they were part of the bias-related incidents, but they said it is DPS’ responsibility to clarify that their graffiti was not hate-speech.

The DPS email Thursday morning detailed both the arrest of McGowan and an investigation into four bias-related incidents. The email did not specify whether or not McGowan was involved in these incidents.

Racist graffiti targeting black and Asian people was found on multiple floors in Day Hall. The Comstock Art facility was also vandalized with racist graffiti directed towards Asian people.  Derogatory language on a sticky note was left on the first floor of Flint Hall.

McGowan said they’re concerned that DPS published their name to the world while not being able to find the people responsible for the other acts of vandalism on campus.

“I feel like there are bigger concerns than what I did.  With all of these cases of racism and these escalating acts of violence — basically hate crimes — my acts of small vandalism, I feel, was a statement and not the statements they should be focusing on.”

Published on November 21, 2019 at 7:23 pm

Contact Richard: rjchang@syr.edu | @RichardJChang1