Just days after the election, two students from Babson College drove a pick-up truck through the campus of nearby Wellesley College flying a Donald Trump flag. Wellesley students made accusations against the young men ranging from spitting to yelling discriminatory slurs.
The two were expelled from their fraternity and faced multiple charges, but now it’s all over.
The Boston Globe reports:
Pro-Trump Babson students cleared in Wellesley incidentBabson College has cleared two students of any disciplinary violations stemming from their controversial drive through Wellesley College to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory the day after the presidential election, their lawyers said Monday.The students, Parker Rand-Ricciardi and Edward Tomasso, faced accusations of harassment and disorderly conduct before the college’s honor board on Friday.The Nov. 9 incident sparked a post-election uproar, fueled by accusations on social media that the men spat on a Wellesley student and yelled racial and homophobic slurs while parked in front of Harambee House, a campus gathering place for African-American students.Rand-Riccardi and Tomasso denied the allegations, and an investigation by Babson found no evidence the men did anything other than drive through the campus waving a Trump flag out the truck window and yelling “Make America Great Again.”They are not facing criminal charges.
The Boston Herald has more:
In a campus free-speech case that put a national spotlight on Babson, Edward Tomasso and Parker Rand-Ricciardi yesterday were found not responsible on counts of disorderly conduct and harassment for their political demonstration, their attorneys said.The pair had been called before Babson’s Honor Board on Friday and participated in a lengthy closed-door hearing. The board cleared the men of any wrongdoing in a written decision today, their lawyers said.“This has been an extremely difficult, painful five weeks for Parker and his family, one that has naturally taken a toll on them,” Jeffrey Robbins, Rand-Ricciardi’s lawyer, said in a prepared statement. “They are grateful for the kindness and support of so many people, including both friends and complete strangers. Their hope is to spend some time decompressing and enjoying the holidays.”Social media posts had claimed Rand-Ricciardi and Tomasso shouted racial and homophobic slurs while driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and flying a Trump flag through the Wellesley College campus on Nov. 9, the day after the presidential election. But campus police were unable to find witnesses to corroborate those claims.
It sure looks like the accusations made against these men were based solely on resentment for them as Trump supporters. Do you recall any college students being penalized for celebrating the election of Obama in 2008?
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