Inflammatory graffiti found on bridge

Campus organizations often advertise their events on various IU bridges. But last weekend, someone spray painted vulgar words about raping and beating women over anti-rape messages on the North Jordan bridges. \nMany have not noticed the graffiti on the bridge. \nTodd Paddock, a graduate student and a sexual assault prevention presenter, said the lack of attention the graffiti received could be positive.\n "On the one hand, those messages are appalling. And on the other hand, how much attention do we want to give to immature and cowardly messages?" Paddock said. \nThe graffiti, which reads, "Rape Women Now," "It's OK To Beat A Woman" and "Cut It Out or We'll Cut It Off" covered the the bridge near Jordan Avenue and Law Lane. \nIU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger said his department does not know who is responsible for the graffiti.\n "At this point, this is an inactive case because there aren't any leads or information to follow up on," Minger said. "I don't have a reason to think more than one person did this. I can't see if the person felt a deep-rooted opinion, as the graffiti shows, or if it was just a joke in bad taste."\n Minger said one person had called the police department to report a complaint about the incident. The department contacted the University Control Center to have the bridge repainted. \nMany campus organizations paint on the bridges, and Dean of Students Richard McKaig said there is no policy for painting the bridges.\n "I don't know that there is a system for permission," he said. "It's kind of a campus tradition and student organizations do it, and they usually respect each other. We don't have a prohibition against it, and we don't have a policy for reserving it for certain groups." \nPaddock said the messages should not be dismissed and that the message on the bridge represents a group of people who do view women in a negative way.\n"Imagine being a (sexual or physical assault) survivor and walking that bridge. That message has an impact," Paddock said. "It makes them feel that they deserved what happened to them. That has to be a horrible feeling."\nDan Plew, a senior, said he hadn't seen the bridge.\n"If I walked by and just saw the word 'rape,' even from the corner of my eye, I would look at that and it would register in my mind," Plew said. "There's free speech and there's vandalism. I think whoever did that is trying to get attention"