Indiana University released a statement July 6 on Twitter following the Fourth of July attack of Vauhxx Booker near Lake Monroe.
“Even as we have been collectively and actively discussing the persistence of racism, a local incident reminds all of us in the IU Bloomington community that awareness is not enough,” James Wimbush, IU vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs, said in the statement.
Wimbush said IU stands against racism and commits to combating it persistently in the future.
“We must work to fight against these ideas until all in our community feel safe,” Wimbush said.
The IU statement came prior to events Monday resulting in two protesters being struck by a car in downtown Bloomington. The car carried the victims two blocks before throwing them off.
One of the victims in the incident, IU Studios photographer Chaz Mottinger, was taken to the hospital and suffered a concussion.
The driver in Monday’s incident has not been found.
The FBI opened a case Tuesday to investigate Booker’s attack. According to a Facebook post written by Booker, he was jumped by a group of men who allegedly yelled racial slurs and pinned him to a tree. One of them yelled “get a noose,” Booker said.
Booker sustained a minor concussion from the encounter, according to the post.
The Facebook post included videos of the encounter and gained the attention of national news outlets such as the Washington Post and NBC News. Conversation at a national level continued to escalate after the car crashed into protesters Monday.
Protesters flooded the streets in solidarity for the victims of recent incidents again Tuesday in downtown Bloomington.
