What happens when the NYU College Republicans plan a questionable game? Hundreds of NYU students are planning to protest! The College Republicans had planned a "mock illegal immigrant" hunt in Washington Square Park - they were going to put a tag reading "illegal immigrant" on a member and have others, playing "INS" agents, to find him/her. The reward would be $50-100, plus knowing that you can find someone in 9.75 acre mostly-paved park.
NYU College Republicans president Sarah Chambers tells the Daily News, "It's not a racist event, first and foremost. Just because we don't want illegal immigrant being able to completely disregard the laws of our country doesn't make us racist." And she emphasized that the person playing the role of illegal immigrant will not be an actual illegal immigrant (too real?).
The protest - and game - will take place tomorrow at Washington Square Park, 11AM to 2PM. The students organizing the protest aren't from one group; according to a letter we got, they were "rallied together through the website Facebook.com by what some students have labeled a 'troubling','“racist' and 'dehumanizing' publicity stunt."
Last week, NYU had the whole "band whose name sounds a lot like a Chinese slur" thing going on.
Photograph of the Washington Square Park arch by lyndsey matthews on Flickr
