The person who was seen dressed in KKK regalia on the campus of Oberlin Collge & Conservatory was spotted from a moving vehicle by a student “in the neighborhood of 1:30 in the morning” on Monday, a spokesman for the school told TPM.
Scott Wargo, director of media relations at Oberlin, said that the eyewitness then drove around the block in the hopes of getting a better look, but the person who was said to be wearing a white hood and robe was nowhere to be found. The student then called the college’s safety and security office. Wargo said it remains unknown who was donning the incendiary outfit.
The early morning sighting was the latest of what the school described as recent “hate-related incidents,” after graffiti containing swastikas and other prejudiced messages appeared on the Ohio-based campus last month. Wargo declined to say if he thought the incidents were linked, saying it would be “very speculative” to assume a connection.
Wargo said that events promoting tolerance and diversity had already been planned at the school, but the KKK incident served as an impetus to push the events up to Monday. He estimated that hundreds of students and faculty participated in the events, although precise attendance figures were not available. The decision to cancel classes Monday was made between 5 and 6 a.m., according to Wargo.
“The way to look at it is unfortunately these types of incidents occur in the world, and Oberlin isn’t immune to that,” Wargo said in a phone interview. “But this is something that’s against our community fabric and against our values.”
