SIAP: Druskinis booted from Michigan hockey team after being caught on camera spraypainting swastikas and homophobic slurs onto the University Jewish Resource Center
https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1708125586093207692?s=20
Michigan lacrosse player Megan Minturn also participated in the vandalism, but is so far only suspended and not kicked off her team. I'm not sure how either is even still allowed to attend the school. Unless Michigan has to go through some formal process to officially expel them, it's a complete failure by the University to allow them to still attend.
October 3rd, 2023 at 4:34 PM ^
If people cannot be redeemed for homophobic vandalism how logical then is it to expect someone who commits a violent crime to be redeemable? Following your logic anyone who commits a violent crime should get life automatically because they can’t be redeemed.
October 3rd, 2023 at 4:43 PM ^
Is Michigan responsible for that redemption? Actual question. These are adults. Most people of character would know this is wrong by age 17 or 18. Or, they truly feel this way about gay people. If they do feel this way about gay people, they should know by now to keep it to themselves. It makes me really uncomfortable to think that someone who is accomplished enough to not only get into Michigan but to do it as an athlete doesn't know right from wrong here. I don't dispute that people can change, learn, and grow, but it's their responsibility to do that. That's part of the learning process.
October 3rd, 2023 at 5:12 PM ^
Now I'm not saying I approve of what they did and I'm not sure where I stand on the expel or not debate but I find it pretty amusing that so many people are saying, 'these adults cant be educated!' when they're literally students at a university...I'm pretty sure I learned lots of things at and even after college. You can almost guarantee that they have these thoughts due to being bombarded with the same sentiments from their parents for 18+ years. Force them to interact with lgbt people and realize theyre just normal people like themselves and there's a good chance they grow and change into decent humans. Have them transfer to the SEC and they'll just become hardened *censored political comment*.
October 3rd, 2023 at 5:12 PM ^
No. I should clarify that I am critiquing the logic and not this specific situation.
I believe that there are people who are beyond redemption.Serial killers/rapists for examples. So I don’t even necessarily disagree with his sentiment. I just wonder what sins are redeemable and what ones are not. And what can he do to redeem himself after this?
People tend to extend grace for crimes that don’t impact them while refusing grace to crimes that do. Hell, I probably do that. It’s difficult question to ponder.
October 3rd, 2023 at 5:51 PM ^
I have no personal experience with something this brazen and awful, but i absolutely believe people can change. Since I don't know these two people and what drove them to do this, it's hard to know whether this is deep-seated or just ignorance because they've never been exposed to gay people. I don't know if Michigan is in the position to be the educator here. This is morality and decency and that seems more family/spiritual/legal (if it's a hate crime) than academic. Also, actions have consequences and sometimes serious consequences teach the lesson.
October 3rd, 2023 at 11:24 PM ^
Well said. People aren’t the worst thing they have ever done and by branding them with a scarlet letter potentially for the rest of their lives over a non-violent though vile act it risks counterproductively reinforcing those prejudices by giving them a rationale to justify their bigotry. Proportionality should be the order of the day. It’s really hard to say though without corroborating more of the facts, circumstances, and motivations behind the incident. If it’s a case of inebriation-led lowering of inhibitions that leads to exceptionally poor judgment than this needs to be addressed accordingly.
October 3rd, 2023 at 6:45 PM ^
100% agree. If they can learn from this and find redemption, go find that redemption elsewhere.
I stopped being a Steelers fan (born there in the Burgh) when Roethlisberger was exposed as a sexual predator and the Steelers didn't send him packing. All my family who were Steelers fans we're saying, "Give him a second chance. He can change."
Nope. Find redemption playing for the Raiders. Same for the two miscreants who did the homophobic grafitti. Go find redemption in East Lansing, State College or some other place.
October 3rd, 2023 at 7:04 PM ^
I personally have never met an actual person that blatantly hates gay people or any group with that much passion. I mean openly hates them enough to be like, "Hey, let's go spray paint homophobic stuff on a public sidewalk because I hate gays so much and everyone needs to know how much I hate them". I have, however, met many morons who could care less about people one way or the other, but try to be provocative and will draw dicks, swastikas, or whatever to cause a stir and be a troll and get a dopamine rush from watching people clutch their pearls, be outraged, and hold candlelight vigils, etc. I'm sure there are people out there that are cartoonishly evil and specifically choosing a path of hate. I know there are hate groups and that does exist. I just think it's the latter scenario most of the time. Let me be clear . . . They should be punished all the same, regardless of motivation. A gay person that sees those words isn't gonna know the motivation. The hurt is the same. I just think there is also very often these days a maturity and cry for attention aspect to this that should be seriously addressed. I think looking down on them for being tragically pathetic losers and desperate could potentially be better than building it up as part of grand very serious hate promoting scheme. That might be giving them too much credit.
October 3rd, 2023 at 1:53 PM ^
Umm... what?
October 3rd, 2023 at 1:53 PM ^
don't mention Donovan Edwards tweets...
October 3rd, 2023 at 2:10 PM ^
He's 21. She's 17. They're both freshmen. They've been on campus for less than 2 months and have totally fucked their college careers.
Next admissions office: "So tell me why you left Michigan."
October 3rd, 2023 at 2:57 PM ^
The Daily refused to print the correct headline. MGoHockey refused to report the truth. Really? This deserves swifter and clearer action.
October 3rd, 2023 at 2:59 PM ^
Her virtue signaling bio say “Was a member of the Tobacco Use Prevention Education group and a peer resource”. What the actual fuck. Send her back to California now
October 3rd, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^
Two complete losers. I hear there's no hockey and no lacrosse in Bolivia. At least they have painting as a hobby.
October 3rd, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
https://oscr.umich.edu/statement
There are many ways the University can respond to this, as outlined by the “Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities.”
I suspect they will end up receiving more harsh sanctions because there are two offenses here, vandalism and bias.
Instances of bias motivated misconduct will be evaluated as two separate violations - One violation specific to the act of misconduct itself (Section IV, Items A-U), and one violation specific to the bias motivation (Section IV, Item V).
They very well may be expelled. If they cooperate, show remorse, provide restitution, do some public service, take some training, etc., they may avoid expulsion, but I won’t be surprised if they are expelled or at least suspended for the semester (during which time they complete the sanctions to demonstrate their remorse.)
October 3rd, 2023 at 4:24 PM ^
this, from the AAPD, suggests he drew a dick and a homophobic slur on a sidewalk, which is very dumb, but also a very far cry from drawing a swastika on the Jewish resource center.
https://x.com/a2police/status/1709244391330820097?s=46&t=e04elJdwH_Wl0i…
October 3rd, 2023 at 4:33 PM ^
This thread should be Nuked or minimum title corrected since it is false.Words matter especially in this case when there is a serious anti semitism aspect. Should be ...
SIAP: Druskinis booted from Michigan hockey team after being caught on camera spray painting homophobic slurs at the University Jewish Resource Center
Many are commenting based on misinformation.
October 3rd, 2023 at 6:10 PM ^
From what I hear Minturn was contrite. Druskinis apparently was not. I am at a complete loss to understand this. Minturn is a bay area kid from a good family. This happened in broad daylight.
October 3rd, 2023 at 7:35 PM ^
The question though is Minturn remorseful because of her actions, or because she got caught?
In the end I hope both of them accept the punishment they deserve, a punishment without emotion on either side that would make it either a slap on the wrist or a career death sentence.
Once that happens I also hope they both see the error of their ways, get help for the hate they feel towards another group, and rebound from this to become better people that they are both capable of.
October 3rd, 2023 at 7:18 PM ^
The fact that people can be arguing over the meaning of this is pretty sad stuff.
The Russians promoted the idea of equating Jews with gay rights only recently - it's part of their official anti-gay, anti-Semitic policy. Read the National Book Award Winner 'The Future is History' by Masha (Maria) Gessen, a Russian-born author for a description of how this happened and is continuing under Putin.
You don't need to paint swastikas to be a disgusting nazi asshole. Painting this stuff in front of a Jewish center is quite enough.
There should be no argument or discussion about this. These two students should obviously be expelled.
October 3rd, 2023 at 10:26 PM ^
Minturn literally just spray painted her initials on the sidewalk. That is not an offense deserving of an explusion, especially if she could easily argue she got carried away and had no idea that was the Jewish Resource Center.
October 3rd, 2023 at 11:31 PM ^
Thank you for that clarification on Minturn. This is why facts matter and not just hearsay that fuels the outrage. A miscarriage of justiciable so more harm than the initial offence.
October 3rd, 2023 at 9:25 PM ^
Good luck explaining yourself in every single job interview for the rest of your life.
October 5th, 2023 at 3:24 PM ^
On Oct 5th, we commemorate a significant moment in history – the anniversary of Raoul Wallenberg being posthumously conferred the honor of American citizenship by an act of Congress in 1981. This distinction is particularly notable as Wallenberg is only the second person in history to ever be made an honorary American citizen, underscoring the profound impact of his actions.
As a proud Michigan alum, it fills my hearts with immense pride to remember that Wallenberg was one of our own, having graduated in 1935. His deep connection to our beloved university is evident in a letter he once wrote to his grandfather, stating, “I feel so at home in my little Ann Arbor that I’m beginning to sink down roots here and have a hard time imagining my leaving it…"
Wallenberg's heroism during World War II is legendary. As a Swedish diplomat in Budapest, he is credited with saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. One of the many stories of his bravery recounts how he handed out fake Swedish protective passports (Schutz-Pass) to Jews, preventing their deportation. On one occasion, when a train carrying Jews to Auschwitz had already departed, Wallenberg chased it down, climbed onto the roof, and began handing out these passports to the people inside. Due to these protective documents, many were removed from the train and saved from certain death.
His actions, driven by sheer courage and an unwavering commitment to humanity, serve as a testament to the values we hold dear as Wolverines. Today, as we remember the honor bestowed upon him by our grateful nation, let us also reflect on the legacy of Raoul Wallenberg and strive to uphold the principles of justice, compassion, and bravery in our own lives.