by Bryan Gibel and Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
A group of about 30 students, faculty and staff demanded Wednesday that student Peter Lynch be charged with committing hate crimes.
The group also called on UNM administrators to implement a zero-tolerance policy for acts of hatred and bigotry on campus.
Lynch, 30, took down a Mexican flag from a pole outside Scholes Hall on Sept. 17, tore it and took it to the Air Force ROTC office.
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The flag, owned by El Centro de la Raza, was raised Sept. 14 in honor of Mexican Independence Day.
He was charged with criminal damage to property and pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Wednesday.
Lynch came under more fire Wednesday as El Centro de la Raza claimed he posted a racist comment on MySpace.com on July 21, about two months before he tore the flag.
A screen shot of the posting given to the Daily Lobo showed his name, photo and personal information next to a comment stating that illegal immigrants are responsible for bankrupting hospitals and exploiting welfare services.
"I say next time the fucking wet-backs march down our streets, we load up on Keith's semi, and fly my garrison sized US flag then we drive threw (sic) the fuckers," the comment stated.
Lynch said that though the comment came from his MySpace account, he did not write it.
"I would never say anything like that," he said. "Regardless of them trying to make it about racism, it's not what this is about at all."
Lynch said he is not a racist, and he tore down the flag because it was flying without a U.S. flag nearby.
"They're trying to make it something it's not," he said. "They're trying to make themselves out to be the victims, and the victim is the U.S. flag. It has nothing to do with racism."
Lynch said he made a bad decision by tearing the flag, but he tried to rectify the situation by offering El Centro a Mexican flag.
"Their statement to me was, 'It will not be accepted,'" he said. "I walked into El Centro to have a dialogue."
Lynch is not a racist, and he was right to be upset about the Mexican flag flying without an American flag above it, said Paul Caputo, a former marine and retired police officer.
Caputo is organizing a motorcycle rally Sunday at The Pit to "support the American flag."
"He was extremely humble and hurt that he aroused this many people to accuse him of doing something that could be translated to be a hate crime," he said. "He was devastated."
Student Travis McKenzie said UNM needs to address hate crimes on campus.
"The University celebrates diversity," McKenzie said at a news conference outside Mesa Vista Hall. "It is time to put diversity into action."
On Sept. 14, police arrested a man suspected of attacking more than 20 Indian students in the past several months.
Another incident occurred at the football game against NMSU when a man mocked Miss Native UNM in the University Stadium parking lot.
Members of GPSA drafted three resolutions condemning acts of intolerance on campus, GPSA President Joseph Garcia said.
The resolutions will be presented to GPSA at its meeting Saturday.
"There's been a major debate," Garcia said. "There are some people in GPSA that don't think that hate crimes exist."
