Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: News

Media Credit: James Jeffrey James Coffey, a post-graduate student studying physics, discovered that his truck had been vandalized while parked in the Fourth Street Garage, after a feud with another motorist over a parking spot.

James Coffey, a physics major at San Jose State University, was shocked to find his car vandalized last Tuesday as he returned to the Fourth Street garage.

"The word 'fag' was written on the hood of my blue Toyota truck," he said.

Coffey, who said he received a computer science degree from the University of Texas at Austin in the '90s, said students in the Fourth Street garage called him a cracker and a faggot prior to the vandalism.

He said he was on the second floor of the structure trying to find a parking spot when all of a sudden the vehicle in front of him, a white '80s Honda-type car, stopped in the middle of the road to wait for someone to pull out.

"He must have been there at least a minute before everyone started yelling at me," he said.

Coffey said he driver to move on because there was sure to be parking on the other floors.

He said the driver behind him yelled, "Just go around him cracker."

Coffey said as he drove past car in front of him, the driver once again called him a faggot. The driver's companion, got out of the car to confront Coffey. The driver in the vehicle behind him continued to call him racial slurs.

After finding a parking spot a couple of floors up, he waited a while to see if anyone would come up and approach him. No one never did.

Coffey admitted he was not too concerned about the vandalism because his insurance will pay for the damage.

"What concerns me the most is the amount of racial tension here at SJSU," he said "It is ridiculous."

He went on to say that it is upsetting to see so much racial tension at SJSU because the school prides itself in being racially tolerant.

Media Credit: James Jeffrey Coffey's truck was keyed in the Fourth Street Garage following a parking dispute Oct. 2.

"I have talked to a classmate about the issue, and he told me that he did not feel comfortable coming to school," he said.

Coffey filed a report with the University Police Department but was told there was only a small chance that the people who vandalized him car would get caught.

"UPD should have a system to prevent these kinds of things from happening," he said.

Sgt. John Laws, UPD's public information officer, confirmed that very little can be done to find the people who vandalized Coffey's car.

Laws said UPD is doing its best to provide safety for students in the parking lots, but that officers can not be everywhere at once.

"It is a big parking structure, sometimes things are going to happen," he said

Laws also mentioned that the Fourth Street parking lot is actually the safest of the three school parking lots.

According to the police report, Coffey described one of his confronters as "an 18-year-old Asian or Filipino man," and the "black male driver" behind him called Coffey a "cracker."

As for there being any racial tensions at SJSU, Laws said "There is very little racial tension at SJSU."

Christian Espinoza, a junior, materials engineering major, agreed with Laws.

"I do not think there are any racial tensions at SJSU because there are so many people here from different cultures," he said. "I feel safe at this school because UPD will respond if I need them to."

Ann Mandap, a junior, biology major admitted that she thinks there is racial tension at SJSU.

"People tend to go with who and what they know. Asians with Asians. Blacks with blacks. Whites with whites, etcetera," she said. "The tension is not expressed out loud, but it is there."

Mandap also believed the tension can ease up through education.

"Education can help us be aware and help us understand each other," she said.

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