Mitch Fagen, President of the Cornell Democrats, writes via email:

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.”