Kavanaugh accuser quoted in graffiti

NEW HAVEN — Quotes from Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing about her accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh were spraypainted on the Yale University campus this week.

While they have since been removed, signs saying “Yale Is Complicit” remain posted on campus bulletin boards and students say little is being done to address the issue of sexual misconduct on campus.

Painted in large letters in front of the Yale Law School entrance on Wall Street were the words “Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter …,” referring to Ford’s recalling what she remembered from an alleged incident in high school in which she said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her by forcing herself on top of her.

Outside of Sprague Hall on College Street was the quote, “I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me.” This referred to Ford’s description of Kavanaugh lying on top of her and holding his hand over her mouth. Sprague Hall is a concert hall, part of the Yale School of Music.

And in Laurance Hall, one of the buildings forming the Old Campus quadrangle, a set of doors were painted with the words “I have had to relive my trauma in front of the entire world.” Ford is a psychology professor at Palo Alto University.

On Wednesday, a petition on Care2 (thepetitionsite.com), called for a permanent tribute to be erected to Ford outside the Sterling Law Building on Wall St.

“The tribute to Dr. Ford has since been washed away which is why I’m asking Yale Law School to erect a statue or a plaque at the entrance to the Sterling Law Building to honor Dr. Ford permanently and her bravery as a silence breaker,” wrote the poster, Alison P.

“Dr. Ford has become a symbol for a generation of American women and inspired a movement of women to break their silence through the #whyIdidntreport hashtag and reshape the way the Country thinks about sexual assault survivors. If Yale Law were to erect a permanent tribute to Dr. Ford it would serve to remind students that the way we practice law and the laws we enact need to better serve all people.”

The petition had almost 2,700 signature by 12:45 p.m.

Pictures of the signs on the campus were posted on the Facebook page of Anna Notaro. She is not listed in the online Yale directory. The photos also were posted on the Twitter feed of AnnaNotaro22, which identifies her as living in south Florida. No further information could be found about her.

Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart issued a statement saying, “We’re not aware of when this happened, but the university police were notified. Any graffiti will be removed because the university’s free expression policies do not permit the defacement of university property.”

The policy, which is online, notes: “The exercise of free expression on campus is subject to three general conditions: 1) access to a university event or facility may not be blocked; 2) a university event, activity, or its regular or essential operations may not be disrupted; and 3) safety may not be compromised. Permission to host events or speakers is subject to specific approval.”

Students on campus Wednesday said they did not believe Yale was addressing the issues raised by the accusations against Kavanaugh, who graduated in 1987 with another accuser, Deborah Ramirez, who said he exposed himself to her at a party when they were freshmen. Kavanaugh received his law degree from Yale Law School.

“I haven’t really heard much from Yale in terms of dealing with the situation,” said Roxanne Harris, a sophomore. “There’s student activity that’s bringing awareness to the situation.”

She said that on the administration’s part there are “words that’s being said but not much that’s being done. It’s business as usual.”

She said she thought the spray-painted signs and posters “were good, bringing awareness [to] the names of the alleged victims rather than … Kavanaugh’s name.”

“On a student level, a lot of people feel powerless,” Harris said. “In the end, power means everything.”

A senior, who would not give his name, said, “I think the administration could be more direct about it. They’re kind of beating around the bush. I think the administration underestimates how much we understand what strategies their communicating to us and they’re trying to hold things back.”

Referring to Yale College Dean Marvin Chun, who is chief administrator of the undergraduate program, the student said, “He was commenting on allegations of sexual assault and specifically said I don’t wish to comment on the Supreme Court nomination.”

He said he is concerned about “the general unhealthy practices of students on campus. It’s really quite shocking. … Every woman you talk to has experienced something along the lines of it,” referring to sexual harassment or assault.

He said he had mixed feelings about the graffiti. “I often go back and forth … on tactics of activism and the message,” though he said he completely agreed with the message that sexual assault victims should be heard. Since the spray paint wasn’t “active destruction of anything,” he said, “I think it’s important to keep on our minds.”

A junior named Emma said, “I think the student response was really encouraging in terms of supporting survivors of sexual assault. I don’t think the administration has taken a stand.”

She said the signs were a positive action. “Now that Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court, you can’t just let this conversation die out. It’s a way of bringing it back up, making sure we continue this conversation about sexual assault.”

The quotations were from Ford’s Sept. 27 testimony, in which she maintained that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her. Kavanaugh angrily denied the accusations later in the Judiciary Committee’s hearing. Yale law students and faculty staged a sit-in at the law school and protested in Washington, D.C., during the hearing.