BAMN’s credibility in question

Was Sherman Boyson falsely accused of racism?

By Robert Nathan Eberhart
From the March 2006 Print Edition

Sherman Boyson, the now-infamous Social Welfare adviser who has been charged with racially assaulting a UC Berkeley student, may not have committed the crimes he was publicly charged with after all.

In an ASUC-sponsored forum on UC Berkeley’s racial climate, undergraduate Erika Williams charged Boyson with using “unprovoked and vulgar language” to attack her. Her various claims included that Boyson called her a “bitch,” threatened to “kick the shit out of her,” dismissed her by saying, “You’re just a nigger,” and deliberately tripped her onboard a bus.

These accusations have spawned an emotionally charged saga complete with protests, petitions to have Boyson summarily removed from his position, an internal investigation conducted by the university, a restraining order, and criminal charges.

BAMN, a left-wing civil rights organization that advocates the reinstitution of affirmative action at California public schools, and activist Yvette Falarca have received considerable press attention resulting from the accusations. A televised press conference with Felarca and numerous news pieces have served to increase BAMN’s visibility and aggravate an already racially divided campus.

Recently however, new details have emerged that, if true, would deliver a devastating blow to the credibility of Williams and BAMN, which has taken up Williams’ crusade to see Boyson removed from UC Berkeley. According to sources close to the investigation, at the hearings the judge presiding over the case posed pointed questions to the prosecution and made it clear that he did not think the accusations were credible in a court of law.

When Williams was given a chance to testify under oath during the second hearing, she did not show up, and her lawyer simply stated that they were dropping the case and revoking all charges against Boyson.

The accusations against Boyson and the racial saber-rattling surrounding this issue demonstrate a massive breach of the public trust by both Williams and BAMN. Williams’ willingness to publicly declare Boyson a violent racist in public and then to not pursue the charges poses more questions than answers. Williams’ online profile at facebook.com still contains the detailed accusations made against Boyson, suggesting continued public, if not legal, confidence in her story.

A recent spate of hate-crime hoaxes and exaggerations, which the left-wing campus press have been loathe to investigate, have resulted in increasing public skepticism of these charges. Recently, Kerri Dunn, a professor at Claremont McKenna College, received prison time for staging an anti-Semitic hate crime against herself, and Jaime Alexander Saide, a Northwestern University undergraduate, confessed to falsifying anti-Hispanic threats after the school rallied around him with “Stop the Hate” protests.

Williams declined to comment.

A transcript of Williams’ accusations can be viewed at here.

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