Three Black Women Claim They Were Beaten By White Students On A Bus

Three black female State University of New York Albany students alleged they were victims of a hate crime when a group of white students harassed and assaulted them on Saturday.  

The women claimed they got into an argument with a group of 10 to 12 men and women from their school after they boarded a city bus, according to the Times Union. The women then allege that they were beaten and called racial slurs by the white students. One women told university police that several men kicked her after she fell to the floor. 

The women got off the bus at a campus stop, according to the Times Union, and two of them went to the Albany Medical Center to treat minor scrapes on their faces. 

Asha Burwell, one of the three black women, shared their story on Twitter, and said that they immediately reported the incident to university police. "I can't believe I just experienced what it's like to be beaten because of the color of my skin," Burwell tweeted.

I just got jumped on a bus while people hit us and called us the "n" word and NO ONE helped us.

— Asha Burwell (@AshaBurwell) January 30, 2016

I can't believe I just experienced what it's like to be beaten because of the color of my skin.

— Asha Burwell (@AshaBurwell) January 30, 2016

And these were my fellow classmates, people that attend MY school.

— Asha Burwell (@AshaBurwell) January 30, 2016

Called SUNY police and they didn't even seem concerned, just transferred us to Albany police who told us they should've helped

— Asha Burwell (@AshaBurwell) January 30, 2016

I begged for people to help us and instead of help they told us to "shut he f*ck up" and continuously hit us in the head

— Asha Burwell (@AshaBurwell) January 30, 2016

Albany Officer Steve Smith said if this is a hate crime, "that's something that the Albany police would take very seriously."

University President Robert Jones sent an email to the student body on Saturday afternoon, where he stated that he was out of town but decided to cut his trip short to address the incident.

"I am deeply concerned, saddened and angry about this incident," he wrote. "There is no place in the UAlbany community for violence, no place for racial intolerance and no place for gender violence."

Please see a statement from #UAlbany President Jones regarding last night’s events => https://t.co/c7pDiCC7Zl pic.twitter.com/3TBgpY3vId

— University at Albany (@ualbany) January 30, 2016

Jones also said the university is working with the the local police department -- they requested to view the video footage from the bus that night -- to identify the students involved.

Campus community members and activists are showing their support for the three women by using the hashtag #JusticeForUA. Burwell tweeted she appreciated the demand for justice, but she said she doesn't know "if I'm ever going to be able to get over this experience."

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