University of Iowa community rehashes thoughts on Marcus Owens’ false report

IOWA CITY — Nearly 100 members of the University of Iowa community gathered in the Iowa Memorial Union on Wednesday to discuss social justice issues affecting the campus — including this week's news that a student's hate-crime report was fabricated.

Georgina Dodge, UI chief diversity officer and associate vice president, opened the event by sharing her personal thoughts and feelings related to UI freshman Marcus Owens' discredited report that he was attacked by three white men using racial slurs.

'When I heard that Marcus Owens had been attacked in an alley by three white men, it impacted by relationship with this community,' Dodge said. 'Not in a good way.'

Dodge said she's always felt relatively safe here. She would go running with her dog and never thought to look over her shoulder.

'But after that incident, I started looking over my shoulder a lot. A whole lot,' she said. 'I found myself getting a little jumpy.'

Dodge said she's been processing that change in her relationship with this community. And she still is — even after learning that Owens fabricated the alleged hate crime. Police on Tuesday showed video evidence that Owens was never jumped by white men but rather engaged in and even instigated three separate fights on the night in question.

Police said a racial slur was used during one of the fights. But, officers said, that doesn't qualify the incident as a hate crime.

'Even though I have different news now, I'm still processing,' Dodge said. 'Because I know what kind of world we live in. And I ask myself, 'Wow, why did this happen?' Sometimes I wonder, 'What just happened?''

Before diving into a discussion on the topic, facilitators of the Wednesday evening discussion — which was open to all members of the UI community via a campuswide invitation from Dodge — told the crowed they hadn't intended to involve media in the event.

They asked participants to break into small groups to share their thoughts on a list of questions like, 'What troubles you?' and 'What brings you hope?' Members of the group later rehashed some of their thoughts for the larger group — including UI graduate student Ruth Bryant who said this community shouldn't discredit Owens' account entirely just because portions were wrong.

A racial slur was used, she said.

'He was horribly injured — those white boys weren't injured,' Bryant said. 'Racism is rampant in this town, and the level of victim blaming and victim denying that's happening as a result of this is horrifying and outrageous.'

Another man said he's frustrated by those who ignore the news that Owens fabricated the story and would rather there have been a hate crime.

After the event, UI staff member Micah Ariel James said she felt the discussion was productive and hopes it doesn't stop just because Owens' report was false and the spring semester is over.

'I think it's good to have these sorts of conversations, especially in these heated moments,' James said.

Upon learning that Owens made up the story, James said her feelings didn't totally change.

'I just felt like even if it wasn't a hate crime, there was definitely hate involved,' she said. 'And I was frustrated that I knew people would use those doubts to dismiss the whole concept and idea that there could be that kind of hate and that people do actually feel uncomfortable on campus and in town.'