Hate is a hell of a thing. It makes people, literally, crazy. We have seen it at work these last few years in ways that have made me question everything about who we are as humans. I have seen it play out in the media. I have read about it in books, and unfortunately, we have it at work, in some form or fashion, in the highest offices in the land. Hate is that action that has cost mothers their children, children their fathers and fathers their dignity. It should not be, and I long for the day when it isn’t. It’s going to take everyone who believes in love and peace to fight it and kill it. Hate, as it pertains to individuals, is something that is taught for the most part. Once it takes root in a heart, it becomes the reason for so many other issues. Hate is also something that can be the result of other ill feelings someone has towards another person. In the case of the white University of Hartford student who poisoned her black roommate, the hate she exhibited through the things she did just might very well be the result of jealousy. It is one of the biggest trending stories right now. Brianna R. Brochu, a freshman, did disgusting, unimaginable things to Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe, also a freshman. Brochu poisoned Rowe so much through her hateful antics that it got to the point where the victim could not physically speak because of subsequent health issues. And the way it all came to light has everything to do with this generation’s obsession with sharing every detail of life with social media. Brochu posted on Instagram, "Finally did it. Yo girl got rid of her roommate!! After 1 1/2 months of spitting in her coconut oil, putting moldy clam dip in her lotion and rubbing used tampons on her backpack, putting her toothbrush in places where the sun doesn't shine, and so much more I can finally say goodbye Jamaican Barbie." There is no doubt that the things Rowe unknowingly endured came from a place of hate and jealousy. I’m talking real, deep-seated, “My momma and daddy taught me this” disdain for people who are not like Brochu. She already entered the situation with a predisposed notion about black women, clearly from the fact that she called Rowe a, “Jamaican Barbie.” But then for Jazzy to be smart and beautiful; that hatred turned to jealousy, and that’s more than likely when things really went south. Brochu is the perfect example of a few things. Firstly, there is so much privilege going on here. In fact, the whole situation reeks of entitlement. The blonde girl from Harington, CT displayed behavior akin to that of individuals who feel that they can do whatever they want because of who they are. Harington is a part of Litchfield County, which has an estimated population of 182,000 of which 97% of residents are white, and a mere 1.5% are black. Which brings me to another point about the situation – it was racially motivated. Brochu’s language implies it and the depths to which she was willing to go to hurt her roommate are representative of someone with a racial superiority complex. Finally, the kind of hatred the freshman had toward Rowe is indicative that her paradigm of the world and where white people vs. everyone else fits in that view has been molded by the adults in her life. This is a real implication of racism to remember because as we can see, it’s not just 40, 50 and 75-year-olds committing racially motivated hate crimes. This girl is 18-years-old. It’s how the spirit of racism is able to survive from one generation to the next. The older bigots are teaching their millennial offspring how to carry on their damning legacy. There is no way to describe this situation other than to call it what it is – a hate crime. Rowe was intentionally poisoned, and her health was put in danger because of the color of her skin. There was a point in the whole ordeal where, according to a live video Rowe posted to her Facebook page, the medical professionals at the university could not even pinpoint the cause of her health issues. All they could confirm is that there was some kind of bacteria at the back of her throat causing the illness she contracted, unbeknownst to her, as a result of her roommate’s actions. [pdf-embedder url="https://movietvtechgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Brianna-Brochu-Court-Documents-Redacted-on-chennel-rowe.pdf" title="Brianna Brochu Court Documents Redacted on chennel rowe"] Since everything has come to light, Brianna Brochu has been arrested, charged, and kicked out of the University of Hartford. My hope is that officials give this girl more than just a slap on the wrist because it’s time out for light punishments for white young people who misjudged how far their privilege could carry them. They are bold enough to do the crime they deserve to do whatever real time goes along with that. Because when it comes down to it, black and brown people receive harsher punishments for lesser offenses and the results are damaging the black community while white offenders go on to lead normal lives after their "indiscretions." Chennel Rowe took to Facebook to say this before livestreaming her video about the experience which you can see under that. "As a young African American woman I don’t want to become another statistic. When it comes to college incidents/crimes and racial cases justice needs to be served. Colleges are known to just sweep issues that happen within the campus under the rug, making the issue disappear and not doing anything about it. Now this isn’t right at all and this is where the public gets involved to push for things to be done right. I’m not holding my tongue any longer about my situation because this is just ridiculous to hear nothing back from my school about this situation. As a African American woman I have to fight for myself and others to not become some statistic. I’m not making this known. I’m giving you guys the option to choose where you would like to hear this information either through Facebook live or Instagram. I will then go on live and let it be known." Hate is a debilitating thing, and as tiring as it can be to try to fight it, we have to in order to stop it.
