BPD drops investigation of N-word written on vehicle at University Hill

A photo of the car parked on University Hill. The CUI has edited this photo do to its explicit content. (Photo courtesy of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Black Student Alliance)

Editor’s Note: The photo has been edited due to the explicit content.

The Boulder Police Department dropped its investigation of an incident from Thursday in which the N-word was written in snow on a vehicle parked on University Hill.

BPD identified the owner of the vehicle who decided not to pursue a case. Boulder police spokeswoman Shannon Aulabaugh said the owner did not “want any involvement in this matter.” The vehicle was parked on Marine Street just east of 11th Street as reported by the Daily Camera.

Karia White, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, posted the photo of the vehicle to the Black Student Alliance’s (BSA) Facebook page on Friday morning. The photo was also posted on BSA’s Twitter and White’s Twitter.

In response to BSA’s tweet, the CU Boulder Twitter said they “condemn racism in all forms.” The incident was reported to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance as per one of BSA’s demands.

This incident comes less than a week after a white woman harassed a black student in CU’s Engineering Center, calling him the N-word and accusing him of stalking her. This racist attack inspired protests among students, led by BSA, calling for change and protection for students of color. White said that the student who took the photo of the vehicle, who has remained unnamed, took part in the protests this week.

In response to White’s tweet of the photo, Boulder City Council Member Aaron Brockett said, “That is outrageous, appalling, and completely unacceptable, as were the horrible racist remarks recently directed at the CU student. I support the demands for change made by the Black Student Alliance. We have to do better.”

The photo also sparked outrage on BSA’s Facebook.