Since Communication freshman Jaime Alexander Saide, known as Xander, admitted to fabricating two reported hate crimes last week, Northwestern students are seeking ways to ensure his confession does not hinder the fight against hate on campus.
“The community responded in an amazing way to Xander’s story,” said Karla Diaz, president of Latino student group Alianza. “It’s unfortunate, but now we have to find a way to keep the dialogue going.”
Diaz and about 30 students discussed the group’s response to Saide’s confession Monday at the Multicultural Center during Alianza’s general meeting.
Last week Evanston Police Department said Saide confessed that he lied about two hate crimes.
Saide had told police he found the words “Die Spic” on Nov. 4 on a poster and a wall near his dorm room in Chapin Residential College.
Saide admitted that he lied to police when he told them four days later that someone with a knife grabbed him from behind and whispered, “Spic, we didn’t run away this time” while he was walking to his dorm at night, police said.
EPD arrested Saide on Nov. 17 and charged him with two counts of felony disorderly conduct. Saide wrote in an e-mail to The Daily on Friday that he is in his hometown of Ames, Iowa, and that his permanent status at NU is “yet to be determined.”
Using the energy generated after Saide’s story, Diaz said Alianza again will focus on becoming a political organization. Group members plan to investigate the possibility of a Latino Studies minor and build relationships with Latino faculty, Diaz said.
Many students at the Alianza meeting said they were disappointed when they heard about recent events, but Diaz reminded the group that Saide’s tale highlighted the best of the Latino community at NU — and united the campus.
“The interesting thing about Xander was that he was never an active member of Alianza,” said Diaz, a Weinberg junior. “But what I saw was Xander had a support network within our community. It said, ‘Hey, we identify; we care.'”
After Saide reported the second hate crime, Diaz said she and Saide spoke on the phone daily. Each time they spoke, Saide would “break down crying,” Diaz said. Upon hearing about his confession, Diaz told the group she didn’t speak to anyone for three days to collect herself.
Diaz was not the only student who was touched by Saide’s tale.
Leaders of cultural groups and concerned students started a “Stop the Hate” campaign to address hate issues on campus. Members of the campaign encouraged minority students to wear black apparel and take a vow of silence on Nov. 11 to protest intolerance.
Students also organized a rally at The Rock the following day to speak out against bigotry. More than 500 students attended.
Ronnie Rios, one of the campaign’s main organizers, said although Saide’s behavior was a setback, his confession did not undermine the group’s purpose.
“Our response was for all of these acts,” said Rios, a Weinberg senior. “I put my heart and soul into this cause, and I can’t say that I regret anything that happened.”
The campaign will continue to meet throughout Winter Quarter to coordinate programming to remind the NU community that the campus is “no place for hate,” Rios said.
