College Student Files $5 Million Lawsuit Against Racist Roommates

Black San Jose Student Files $5 Million Lawsuit Following Abuse By Racist Roommates

An African-American San Jose University student who suffered abuse at the hands of his white roommates towards the end of last year is about to have the last laugh all the way to the bank.

via Mercury News

The victim in a racially charged bullying case at San Jose State has filed a claim seeking $5 million from the university, alleging that a dormitory adviser ignored a “clear” warning sign that “a potentially explosive and dangerous situation was developing in Room 704.”

The young black man, identified for the first time as Donald Williams Jr., plans to follow up with a lawsuit if the university rejects his claim, his attorney, Carl E. Douglas, said Thursday.

In addition to being hit Thursday with the claim, San Jose State also came under criticism from a task force on racial discrimination that President Mo Qayoumi created earlier this year to critique the way it handled the bullying incident.

Williams, a 17-year-old freshman this past fall, says he was subjected to a litany of abuse by four of his white suite mates.

Among the allegations outlined in court documents, police reports and emails between members of the campus housing staff:

Williams was called “three-fifths,” referring to the way the government once counted blacks as just a fraction of a person, and when he protested, they dubbed him “fraction.”

The roommates outfitted the four-bedroom dormitory suite with a Confederate flag.

They locked Williams in his room.They wrote the “N-word” on a dry-erase board in the living room.  They wrestled Williams to the ground and fastened a bicycle lock around his neck and told him they lost the keys.

Sounds like this young man deserves every penny he’s asking for. Kudos to him for following through to make an example out of this incident.