WWU student in hate speech case appears in court

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Western Washington University student suspended amid accusations he posted a threat against a campus leader  appeared in court Friday.

Tysen Campbell is charged with malicious harrasment.  He posted a $10,000 bail and has been banned from campus pending the outcome of the case.

His victim, Associated Student Body President for Western Washington University, Belina Seare, watched as Campbell pleaded not guilty to malicious harassment during his arraignment Friday.

But according to court documents, he admitted to posting "let's lynch her"on the social media app YikYak.

Campbell and Seare are peers, but they don't know each other.

Campbell was arrested November 30 in connection with threats on social media platform Yik Yak that caused administrators to cancel classes November 24.

Campbell's mother, Lisa Concidine, told The Seattle Times that her son told her his post on Yik Yak was "sarcastic because he was annoyed by all of the uproar." She said she did not have information on the content of his post.

She described Campbell as respectful and said she was shocked by the news of her son's arrest.

"He's never been violent, he's never racist, he's a star kid," Concidine said. "If he was a kid that was always on the edge, I wouldn't be surprised, but this has taken me by surprise."

Administrators canceled classes the day before the scheduled Thanksgiving break, after learning about racist remarks on social media that included threats of violence against Seare, who is black.

University spokesman Paul Cocke confirmed Tuesday that Campbell was detained in connection with a post saying "lynch her," and directed at Seare, the Bellingham Herald reported.

Campbell told police his comment was in response to one that Seare supposedly made on her personal Facebook page, calling white students "baby KKK."

Friday was the first time the two had ever seen each other in person, and a courtroom will be the only place that will ever happen again.

Whatcom County Court Commissioner Martha Gross barred Campbell from coming near Seare as a condition of his release.

Campbell's attorney, Robert Butler, said his client does not have a criminal record.

The university asked Yik Yak, which is popular among college students and allows users to post anonymously, to turn over the names of the commenters, who posted pictures of Seare, a gun and references to nooses. University police are continuing to investigate, officials said.

The long stream of posts mentioned almost every ethnic group, including blacks, Muslims, Jews and American Indians, blaming them for an effort on campus to debate changing the university's mascot, a Viking. The threats came days after several student leaders suggested that the mascot is racist.

Most of the online comments contained racist language and profanity, making fun of the mascot debate and the students who proposed it. One post called black students crying babies and another complimented the school for having an "overtly Aryan" mascot.

Campbell's family says he was on the university track team and an honor student.  He's staying with them in his hometown of Granite Falls.

KIRO