Editor:

The beginning of this spring semester opened with MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) having four peaceful candlelight vigils on sequential nights beginning on Jan. 23 in front of the Kappa Sigma house. We were protesting the fraternity to bring light to the intramural racial incident in which one of their "brothers" made a racist remark against the MEChista calling him a "spic." The following Thursday a rally to end racism on campus was put together by MEChA and cosponsored by other organizations on campus to let the whole campus know that racism isn't a thing of the past.

The following afternoon I was in my room studying when I received a phone call. All I heard was a recording stating, "Stop what you're doing or I'll shit down your neck and choke you." As an active member of MEChA, I hoped that it was a wrong number and went along the weekend as normal until I received two more on Sunday with the same recording. I felt violated and concerned for my safety. Why would anybody want to kill me? I traced both phone calls and was instructed to notify UAPD if I receive three of these calls, which I did Monday evening after receiving the fourth call.

I made a police report that same night and was not notified until the following Wednesday, Feb. 14. An officer told me that the trace led to a room in which a Kappa Sigma member lives in on the same floor I do. The member said he was trying to call my neighbor, which doesn't make any sense. How could any person dial two wrong digits of a phone number (every time I was called) four times intending to give a death threat to my neighbor?

What I would like to know is why does this person want to shit down my neck and choke me? Is it because I was protesting in front of their house and they want to scare me into stopping, because I am proud of who I am and where I come from, or is it because I'm "just another spic?" While you sleep at night, I search in my mind for possible answers to any of these questions. While you are in class taking notes or participating in conversations, I struggle to stay awake and get my troubles out of my mind.

The reason I want you all to read this is to show another example of racism which happens everyday. Just because it isn't reported to you through the Wildcat doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. If this letter is even printed, you will hopefully learn that racism is continuing from the direction of Kappa Sigma and understand that they'll have every alumni, pledge and current member of color write in a letter stating how wrong I am, take a look at the police report where it states that the Kappa Sigma member confessed. Then we'll talk.

Roberto Martinez
Mexican-American studies freshman