“Mr. Shorey would appear in a hearing there, and the judge would make a call as to whether or not there is sufficient reason to extradite him,” Wilkinson said.

But she says either way, he’ll be here. And how much will taxpayers have to cough up to bring Shorey back? The DA says she would like to do it more cheaply, but she may have to send two officers on a commercial flight.

Now, we just hope that when he gets back here he won’t be able to get bail and flee Ithaca again. The DA has indicated that she will request that bail be remanded.

On another note, I came across the following today from Abraham Shorey’s wife “Isa Sequoia Bigtree Lake” who also goes by the online alias mamabigtree:

Greetings, my name is Isa, I am a mama of 6 beautiful children, Sunny Lake 10, Shine 8, Wanda 5, Iris 4, Maya 3, and Freya is 6 months old. They are all very amazing children and very much enlightened. We are searching for are family. We would like to find a community that we can become members in and beome part of the team. We as a family can contribute much love and happiness to any community and to the world. We are willing to work and contribute are talents. Me as the mother have taught my children spiritual values that I would like to continue. My children are taught to respect each other and the mother earth, they are also taught to be honest and truthful, they are taught to teach others how they want to be treated. I wish for my kids to be home schooled and shown the ways of the land. I would like it if they didn’t watch t.v. or eat meat. I would very much like it if we could join a community where all are needs are met and we would be living in harmony with all of our neighbors and with the earth. Please contact me if you can feel for me and my children and our future. If you are community looking for members that will add love, respect, and equal contribution please call me at 732-986-4725. Live 2 give true etenal love, eternally ISA

It’s hard to understand the Shorey family from these online snippets, which raise more questions than answers.  If you’re interested in the old family history, check out this post.

Sadly, before we could strike up conversation, Poffenbarger signed off after just under an hour online:

(9:42:55 PM) Nathan Poffenbarger has signed off.

You can bet we’ll be keeping close tabs on any more Nathan Poffenbarger online developments. And, we promise this blog is not run by crazy stalkers.

Update:

Nathan Poffenbarger, currently indicted for 4 counts of assault as a hate crime, has set his AOL Instant Messenger profile to:

put this in your profile if you or someone you know has had their bike stolen by black kids.

I can see no other explanation for this but racism, and wonder if things like this will slip out of his mouth when he’s cross-examined in court. This is shameful.

That, however, doesn’t stop us from examining Poffenbarger’s Facebook friends, which are still visible. In fact, we can even classify them by race:

The first thing you’ll notice is that none of his facebook friends are black, although 12% of Americans are. That aside, the number of white people he knows is on par with the 2000 US Census average of 75%, but he’s friends with about 4 times as many Asians as the national average of 3.6%. Of course, the entrance rates for Cornell are shifted from these numbers, but as Poffenbarger is a transfer student, I’d rather compare with nationwide statistics. Now let’s look at gender:

This is a little inverted–according to the USA Today, 57% of people attending college are now women, and yet Nathan Poffenbarger’s profile shows only 42.2% of his friends as female. That’s a difference of 15% from the national average, and leads to ask the question, “Did Nathan Poffenbarger mostly associate with white males like himself?” The answer is .71 * .58 = 41% of his friends are white males. This is in contrast to the expected value of .75 * .43 = 32%. Even more troubling is that he has no black facebook friends.

Other interesting details gleaned from his profile include his AIM name (poffpoison), his cellphone number (301.639.0261), his net id (nhp8@cornell.edu), and his dormitory address (Transfer Center 1327). Here is his full profile:

Apparently I can still poke him:

Update

Oddly, his profile is back online, albeit with anything resembling contact information gone. Facebook glitch or change or heart? You decide.

The only new information released in the discussion came from Poffenbarger’s release of certain information. Judicial Administrator Grant said, “Nathan Poffenbarger was temporarily suspended (pending a full hearing on the merits) on Feb. 18, 2006. The judicial administrator will pursue the matter in the campus judicial system after the criminal matter has been resolved.” Gwen Wilkinson, District Attorney, plans to see the case in court this summer.

Mary Beth Grant, Kent Hubbell, and Susan Murphy

When asked about the weapon used in the stabbing, Zoner refused comment, citing the current active investigation. However, a young Asian girl in the audience expressed concern over her safety without a weapon:

I can understand why some students want to carry a weapon, because things like attitude cannot be that easily changed. This is the type of crime where I am very concerned. I came from a place where I had rocks thrown at me because I’m Asian, so I come here and I realize that this is all happening again. I myself am having doubts if I should be carrying a weapon.

Other audience members commented that students have either been increasingly carrying small knives and other weapons for protection, or seriously considering it. However, CUPD representative Zoner was quick to point out that carrying any tool which could inflict damage to another person was illegal on campus.

About Holiday, Murphy indicated that he has been released from the hospital and is recovering well. His wound, which affected a lung, will take time to heal, but he is expected to “recover completely.” Murphy also promised to lead a Cornell contingent up to Union College to watch Holiday’s next play.

For more information, please feel free to download a recording in mp3 format of the forum.

I would like to begin this concise email with a thank you for all those concerned students, faculty, staff and administration that have answered the call to engagement induced by the recent incident involving a black student being stabbed under the auspices of hate. The wonderful thing about Cornell’s student body is its propensity to tackle pertinent issues that may threaten this ideal of Ezra Cornell ‘to create a new institution, where any person can find instruction in any study’. As salient as that may seem across racial, class and gender lines it does sort of holistically give * *anyone** the aptitude to defend this right if threatened. However now, in this time, currently it predicates that everyone is still so strikingly unequal and discriminated against and it only pushes people to polarize along issues that need to be tackled as a community. This incident bothers me yes. 1)because I am a black student 2) because I am a Cornell student 3) because I am an American citizen and this threatens my safety and security. With that being said we challenge you all to not make this incident a Black Cornellian issue but an all encompassing one. Yes the urge to hold up the fist of unity propels us to centralize ourselves, however, looking around campus to see the few black students who are acknowledging the incident, thinking about the incident and then following through are quite scanty. BSU condemns all acts of hate, discrimination, violence, sexual assault etc. but we do not condemn them alone. This one dimensional (only black) way of thinking will result in no response from the administration or student body; at least not large enough to subside these issues and rectify the often crumbling rhetoric behind ‘open doors, open hearts, open minds’. BSU will work in systematic meaningful ways to provide a solution to what events have transpired within the days of the 2005-2006 academic year. BSU will not just hold the administration accountable (which to most seem to only consist of Susan Murphy, Kent Hubbell, Biddy Martin and Hunter Rawlings) but we will hold the student body accountable for their actions seeing that it is the student body that commits these heinous acts of violence and hatred not the administration. BSU cannot and will not commit time to one-dimensional logic that will get the black students on this campus half way there or let down as a result of ‘un-supporting’ students whose apathy and callus disregard for their well being eclipses that of those who care. BSU will unify and collaborate with other student groups whose goals are to see a better Cornell. BSU will collaborate with facets of the Africana experience (Ujamaa, Africana, Black Graduate Students and Black Faculty and Staff) in hopes to find mentoring and advice how to grasp the message from all of this and not miss it due to the anger caused by it. In closing, I hope this message finds you all well and pushes us all to engage in meaningful ways not just reactionary ones. Keep hope alive and take care of Black people but never forget that our lives are inextricably bound to the lives of the other 18,000 grads and undergrads on this campus. Take care and God Speed.

Unfortunately, whatever message there might be in BSU’s “press release” is buried below a thick, crusty layer of implausible grammar and unfocused narrative. The very first sentence alone, which attempts to define the scope of the audience, assumes the existence of a yet unverified hate crime, qualifies its introduction to pro-black supporters, and uses two passive verbs! The rest of the “release” reads similarly, and for a well-educated Cornell student, faculty, or staff member must seem overbearingly illiterate and incomprehensible. That it is written for a primarily black audience is no excuse.

From my best gloss–I cannot verify the accuracy of my interpretation, because only Justin Davis knows what these words mean–I will try and summarize BSU’s points:

• Our response must extend beyond the black community
• The administration and student body are both responsible
• We must find an appropriate way to respond to the stabbing
• Don’t offend any white people in response to the stabbing

Unfortunately, I fail to see why BSU has the authority to “to provide a solution to what events have transpired within the days of the 2005-2006 academic year.” It’s my belief that the Ithaca courts will decide justice in the matter of this stabbing, not the Black Students United. Furthermore, it doesn’t make sense to hold either the administration or the student body accountable for the isolated actions of three black men, a white male, and his girlfriend. Dear BSU, there are no “meaningful ways” to engage this stabbing, except to pass it off to law enforcement authorities and forget about it.

If, in the course of the investigation, it becomes clear that this was a racially motivated assault, there’s still nothing worth engaging. There are not 100 Poffenbargers burning Aaliyah CDs on Ho Plaza chanting “Burn black culture.” And therefore, because this issue doesn’t concern a racial community, there’s no need for a “release” from BSU and my own longwinded commentary.

As most of you are aware, there was a serious incident late Friday night on West Campus. A black male Union College student was stabbed just outside of the Baker Tower archway by a white male Cornell student, who had allegedly been yelling racial slurs prior to the stabbing. The victim is currently reported to be in stable condition at the Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira.

We also regret to inform the TL community that the suspect in the stabbing– Nathan Poffenbarger ‘07– is a member of the Turn Left news staff. He has reportedly turned himself in to the local authorities, and he will be arraigned in the coming days. Nathan joined Turn Left’s news staff last fall, and since then, he has written two news articles and one feature article for the paper. According to TL editors and staff members who had worked with Nathan, he had shown absolutely no propensity for violence or racism.

As always, Turn Left condemns any racist or violent actions, and we are saddened to see that racially-motivated violence is still present in our society, even among people who ostensibly oppose such bigotry. TL also extends its most heartfelt sympathies for the victim, and wishes him a safe and speedy recovery.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Evan Marshak, Editor-in-Chief, and Wayne Huang, Editor Emeritus
www.cuturnleft.org

The statement is perplexing because it (1) assumes that the stabbing was a hate-crime, (2) assumes the guilt of Poffenbarger, and (3) continues to support in some measure an individual that they clearly believe is guilty of a violent hate-crime. In particular, the statement reads disingenuously in the last paragraph, which begins “As always,” as if Turn Left were merely repeating the words that public sympathy and politics demand, without any real feeling. Yet, an insincere apology is better than none.

However, I believe that the stabbing may have played out slightly differently than the media so far has portrayed it. I offer up the following bits of salient evidence, none of which are damning, but which spark my imagination:

• A retracted quote from Simeon Moss in a CU News story which reads, “‘Those comments weren’t directed at the student who confronted him,’ said Simeon Moss, director of director of Cornell Press Relations Office.” A call to Simeon Moss confirms that the quote is actually completely inaccurate, and lifted from the Ithaca Journal. An investigation into the crime is ongoing. However, there seems to be confusion as to the intent and direction of the racial slurs.
• The Cornell Daily Sun writes, “University officials said Poffenbarger continued using the epithets after leaving the fraternity and was overheard by a nearby group of three black Union College students, who then confronted Poffenbarger.”
• Hunter R. Rawlings’ letter addressing the Cornell University community omits all mention of racial motivation.

What follows is a theoretically plausible reconstruction of what may have happened to cause Poffenbarger to stab Holiday. It is non-factual, and should be taken as theory until more evidence emerges to either confirm or disprove this narrative.

Poffenbarger, kicked out of a fraternity party for being a racist jerk, decides to exercise his first amendment rights in front of Baker Tower. With liberal use of racial slurs, he loudly proclaims the inferiority of the African race. Holiday and his two friends, upset over Poffenbarger’s decision to exercise his freedom of speech and his drunken derogatory comments about their race, come over to confront him. I can imagine how the conversation might have gone:

Holiday: Hey man, wtf?
Poffenbarger: You’re a n**ger!
Holiday: F**k you!
Poffenbarger: F**k you!

From there, Holiday and his friends may have escalated the confrontation physically, shoving or striking Poffenbarger. Attacked by three men, Poffenbarger retreats up the stairs and defends himself with a knife, driving them off. After it’s over, he sees blood on the floor. Having intended to protect himself, not mortally stab anyone, the drunk Poffenbarger flees the scene.

I find this narrative more plausible for the following reasons:

• It places blame on both Poffenbarger and Holiday
• It allows for a “fighting words” reaction by Holiday to Poffenbarger
• Holiday’s group outnumbered Poffenbarger
• Poffenbarger, if attacked by Holiday and friends, would have felt intense pressure to defend himself

Of course, without facts, this is merely speculative. Personally, I will not be happy until the exact nature of the crime is known. Then, perhaps, we can confidently say this was a racially motivated white attack on the black community. But, for now, it’s equally likely that this is a racially inspired black crime against a white man.

The Cornell Democrats are stunned at the stabbing that occurred early on Saturday morning. We are further disturbed by the racist statements which preceded the attack. We condemn the attack and the racist sentiments allegedly made by the suspect in question. Our thoughts are with the victim at this critical time, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.

The student in custody, Nathan Poffenbarger, was not a member of our club’s leadership or active membership. Our organization is dedicated to the promise of racial equality as articulated by our nation’s greatest progressive leaders. We hope that the Cornell community will join in us in working to create a campus where it is safe for people of all cultures and backgrounds to live and learn together without fear of another crime like this one.

Already people are beginning to leap ahead in conclusions about the racial motivations of the stabbing, which are as of yet unknown. Until a statement from witnesses or the involved parties is published, we have no idea if any racist statements were made, or what their content was. We also do not know if the racist statements were made by Mr. Poffenbarger, by his victim, or both. Until we know exactly how race plays into this assault, it is clearly impossible to be “disturbed by the racist statements which preceded the attack.”

Update:

Julie Geng sent us this news 10 story:

University police say a white male stabbed a black male student at Cornell’s Baker Tower archway on West Avenue. The suspect had reportedly been yelling racial remarks leading up to the stabbing.

Update 2:

Now that the incident has become a possible political scandal because of racial bias, Rawlings has issued a statement:

“The Cornell community is stunned to learn of the stabbing allegedly carried out by one of its students early Saturday morning on campus. We extend our heartfelt feelings of concern and support to the Union College student who was injured in the incident, and wish him a speedy and complete recovery.

“While we are all relieved to learn that the alleged perpetrator is in custody, the crime and the circumstances leading up to it are deeply disturbing to all of us. Now that the matter is in the hands of the judicial system, we are confident that the law enforcement authorities will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that justice is done in this case.

“I have requested the Cornell University administration to monitor closely the case as facts continue to unfold and to pursue actively this matter through campus means.”

There should be a note in the morning report tomorrow, and hopefully the SUN will carry a story. However, since this year, unlike the Ludacris concert incident, the victim is black, we should have no trouble properly labelling it a hate crime.

Update 3:

Nathan H. Poffenbarger has been arraigned in Ithaca Court today (Sunday), after being charged with felony assault. Apparently, he is a 20 year old ILR (Industrial and Labour Relations) student. He does not appear to have a Facebook or Cornell directory profile.

Nathan has written for Turn Left, a liberal Cornell student publication. In an article titled Campaigning for Corzine in New Jersey we may see the nascent seeds of violent racism:

I usually end up just trying to describe the building. “It’s the big white one, ya know? People stand out on the balcony a lot.”

He has written several other articles for Turn Left. His permanent residence appears to be a southern farm in Maryland:

Mary & John Poffenbarger
Lock Farm
10703 Coppermine Road
Woodsboro, MD 21798
(301) 845-6944

This may also explain the racial motivation.

Update 4:

The victim, Charles Holiday, is a senior at Union College. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, he was stabbed below his right shoulder, puncturing the lung. Holiday is in stable condition and recovering in Elmira. For more information, please see the following Sun articles:

• Police Arrest C.U. Sophomore for Stabbing
• Police Arrest C.U. Sophomore for Stabbing

Update 5:

Is this Washington Post picture Nathan H. Poffenbarger? We know he’s a transfer sophomore at Cornell, so the timeline appears consistent:

Update 6:

In an update on the stabbing case, Poffenbarger has posted bail today (Feb. 22), which was set at $20,000 cash / $40,000 bond. Because of this, the preliminary hearing today has also been cancelled. For now, the Cornell University Police have issued an injunctive barring Poffenbarger from the campus. According to Rawlings’ memo, he is on track for expulsion. Tonight at 7 PM, there will be a meeting to further discuss the University response to this incident, in the Memorial Room of WSH.