On Mar.12, hundreds of University of Massachusetts students and workers rallied in support of Jason Vassell, an African American student at the university. Vassel had been arrested on Feb. 3 and charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Vassell was defending himself from a racist attack. Two white men smashed his dormitory window, yelled racial epithets at him and broke his nose.
Vassell was the person arrested and charged that day—the other men were left alone. One of the men who threatened him has since been charged with disorderly conduct and a hate crime—charges completely incomparable to those leveled against Vassell. The other assailant has not been charged with anything.
One of the student organizers noted: “This is not isolated or out of the blue. There are similar incidents that happen all over the country.”
