Students Shocked After Swastika Scribbled On Bowie State Building

BOWIE, Md. (WJZ) -- Racial tensions and protest continue to envelope the University of Missouri. A couple of possible hate crimes have hit two historically black universities. Howard University is beefing up security on its campus.

Gigi Barnett has more on the latest incident at Bowie State University.

Bowie State University's campus is quiet once again. This, after students rallied Thursday night in response to a swastika scribbled on one of Bowie's buildings named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The hate symbol drew shock.

"This is too radical. It's too inappropriate," said Anita Gates, 1970 Bowie graduate.

It sparked fear.

"I felt scared for my life," Bowie student, Lakeesha Warley said.

And it prompted the question--who would do such a thing?

"You don't know who could be the person doing this," said student Albert McLane. "People come in and out of campus all the time."

Now Bowie State and Prince George's County police are both investigating the graffiti as a possible hate crime.

"It's to put fairness and I feel like it's to stop us from getting our education," said McLane.

In a matter of days, Bowie is the third university dealing with racial tensions on campus.

Howard University beefed up police presence after the college received online death threats. The anonymous hate message read: "Any [expletive] left at Howard University after 10 tomorrow will be the first to go."

"I woke up this morning and saw the threats and saw more information about Missouri and I felt like we got set back 50 years," one student said.

And students at the University of Missouri have a new interim president.

Students called for the resignation of the school's president after months of protesting racial strife on their campus.

Bowie State University has painted over the swastika. The university says it supports the students who decided to rally against the hate symbol.