Racist graffiti sprayed on Marquette University campus reappears
KKK message draws condemnation
By Nick Bohr
On October 2, 2023
MILWAUKEE —
On a busy stretch of sidewalk on the Marquette University campus on Wells Street near 16th Street, silver spray paint masks an ugly message, that just won’t go away.
“I came to Milwaukee in 1970. And I’ve seen quite a bit of this,” said Clarence Nicholas, the president of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP. He was speaking Monday about the message sprayed onto a sidewalk square on campus last week. It read “KKK 4 L” which could be interpreted as “for life.”
A few days after it was cleaned off, the message reappeared. A university spokesperson told WISN 12 News that Marquette University police are investigating the type of substance used that was “reactivated in some way.” Whoever did it, remains a mystery.
Since the graffiti reappeared, Marquette added a temporary camera stand in the nearby parking lot with a number of cameras on it.
Marquette University police are also reviewing video footage from the area, including cameras right across the street from where the graffiti was written.
“The NAACP is fighting against racial hatred and discrimination. It’s racial hatred,” Nicholas said.
WISN 12 News reporter Nick Bohr asked Nicholas, “Some people would say you guys are giving it more visibility by doing a story on it or talking about it. Do you feel that’s true, that we should just ignore these things?”
Nicholas answered, “Oh, no, it should not be ignored by no means. We’re seeing it. And it’s occurring all over. So, it’s nothing that has really gone away. You have people that are constantly reminding us that these racial matters are of great concern.”
Students who WISN 12 News talked to on campus agreed.
“Not surprised. Racism is still alive. It’s happening. It never ended. And stuff like this happens all the time, said Kiara Omit, a Marquette senior. “Disappointing, not surprised.”
“It’s a little more hidden, but it’s still just as prevalent, I think. People are a lot less comfortable being outwardly racists, but that stuff starts to fester,” another student, Danny Nicpon, said,
And, as this message proved, it’s also difficult to erase.
Marquette University turned down an interview request, but a spokesperson issued a statement reading in part, “Racism has no place on our campus. If the perpetrator is found to be from our campus community, the University will swiftly activate its protocols for conduct and accountability.”
This piece was republished from ABC WISN.