University of Albany Racial Incident Touted by Black Lives Matter May Be Hoax

Albany
albany.edu
Lee Stranahan

Questions are being raised about the latest cause célèbre for the Black Lives Matter movement; an alleged assault on three black women that are students at the University of Albany by a gang of white racists.

That incident has sparked protests and garnered national attention from activists, rappers, and an NFL football player but Albany’s NEWS10 ABC is reporting that police officials say reviewing the evidence shows that the supposed victims instigated the assault and that no racially charged language was used.

The incident began on January 30 when three black UAlbany students claim they were attacked by a dozen white men and women while on a campus bus. One of the accusers, Asha Burwell, went on Twitter immediately and said “I just got jumped on a bus while people hit us and called us the ‘n’ word.”

https://twitter.com/AshaBurwell/status/693320667308113921

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Burwell’s brother is Tyreek Burwell, a tackle with the San Diego Chargers who almost immediately tweeted a threat at someone he claimed was one of the assailants. Tyreek Burwell deleted that tweet quickly, but it was captured by other Twitter users.

News10 reported that the student who was threatened has left the University.

A hashtag #DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany was started on Twitter. Popular rap artist Waka Flocka (who has more than 1.5 million followers) and Black Lives Matter activist commented on the incident, as did Baltimore Mayoral candidate DeRay Mckesson.

https://twitter.com/WakaFlocka/status/694368479701549058

By this past Monday night, a rally was held at the University of Albany in support of the accusers. It became a platform for not just the Black Lives Matter agenda of “black liberation” before a broad array of leftist causes. The protest, which was also attended by the University of Albany chapter of the Muslim Students Association, included call-and-response chants, a poetry reading as well as demands for sensitivity training for University police and more campus diversity.

At that rally, which was officially sponsored by the National Congress of Black Women, a tearful Asha Burwell spoke and told the crowd “We are shocked, upset, but we will remain unbroken.”

Another speaker at the rally was Rosa Clemente, a former Green Party Presidential Candidate and UAlbany Alumni. Clemente used the occasion to announce the inaugural meeting of the Upstate New York chapter of Black Lives Matter. Clemente is a vocal supporter of convicted cop-killer and Black Lives Matter hero Assata Shakur, and was also involved in an incident last year in Cleveland where a reporter trying to cover a Black Lives Matter meeting was threatened.

UAlbany President Robert J. Jones released a statement on Wednesday urging students to avoid a “rush to judgment” and to “recommit to our principles of inclusivity and diversity – and to stand united with each other as we hold these critical conversations.” Jones also made it clear that the police and district attorney were involved, saying:

I have asked our University Police Department to conduct a thorough investigation. They are doing just that.

Our police have interviewed 29 people who were witnesses or participants. And they have analyzed video and audio evidence as well. But our police still have more work to do.

We really need and want to get this right, for the students involved, for our campus and for the future of our University.

In addition to interviewing witnesses, the police investigation has included looking at 12 cameras that were installed on the bus, including a number of which have audio.

NEWS10 reports  that sources close to the investigation say that those videos do not support the accusers story. First, the sources say that no racial epithets were used. That source also told the NEWS10 reporter that it was one of the accusers who threw the first punch. Cell phone video obtained by NEW10 shows a fight but with no indication who started it.

Officials, including the Albany County DA, are looking at security video from inside the bus. The bus had at least 12 cameras on it, which include audio. Sources tell NEWS10 ABC the video is damaging the young women’s accusations.

Police are also reviewing cellphone video from witnesses on the bus. On one video from a cell phone, it is hard to make out two female figures fighting. Surrounding them are young passengers said to be fellow UAlbany students on their way back to campus from a fun Saturday night in downtown Albany.

One witness even said how “awesome” it is.

Accuser Asha Burwell refused to speak to the reporter, as did the other two accusers and Burwell’s football player brother.

A deeper look at Asha Burwell’s Twitter account shows that she has a keen interest in sports, food, complaining about her professors and Black Lives Matter activism. Burwell, who is preparing to go to law school, has one a tweet that mentions cop-killer Assata Shakur as well as a tweet that compares GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler.

https://twitter.com/AshaBurwell/status/681573014199209985

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News10 reports that police may have an official report on Monday. However, the Black Lives Matter movement has proven impervious to facts and the movement’s political allies such as presidential nominees Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and even Republican Marco Rubio do nothing to correct the record or point out the group’s radical leftist affiliations. The mainstream media has also done nothing to vet the group.

The rush to judgment by Black Lives Matter activist as consequences, as amply demonstrated by the rioting in Ferguson over the now debunked “hands up, don’t shoot” stories in the shooting death of Mike Brown after he assaulted a police officer.

Breitbart News will keep you updated on facts in Albany as the story unfolds.

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