On July 6, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County police were called to respond to an “offensive slur” written on the desk of a Black employee working in the bwtech@UMBC North Research and Technology Park company.
Police responded to meet with the human resources manager, who reported the hate crime. Police Chief Paul Dillon stated that the police believe the employee was targeted based on their race and the nature of the racial slur. Police interviewed the HR manager as well as the employee. There were no CCTV cameras at the scene.
According to Dillon, there is no reason to believe that the hate crime was committed in relation to the uptick in violence against Black people, though he points out, even if it was a dispute between employees, “when you do something like that, in my mind, you’re motivated by bias.”
Police do not believe anyone associated with UMBC committed this crime, seeing as, though the Research and Technology park is university-affiliated, it is a private company area, and few people besides the employees have access to it. According to UMBC’s website, over 55 organizations lease the property from the university.
If the suspect is apprehended, criminal charges would be decided upon and the company would take action.
This has been the only reported hate crime this year, with the last recorded hate crime occurring in Fall 2019. Most students, faculty and staff have not been on campus since March.
