The City College Community Reacts to a Student’s Racist Threat to “Shoot Up The School”

MANHATTAN, New York – On November 23, 2022, Din Bajrektarevic, a student at The City College of New York (CCNY), allegedly threatened to “shoot up” the Manhattan campus in a series of online messages. The college Public Safety Department called law enforcement and Bajrektarevic was arrested two days later when he returned to the campus.

Bajrektarevic allegedly sent messages to an unidentified student that included racial slurs and threats of violence, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s complaint.

“When I shoot up the school, know who’s to blame,” one message threatened. “Your brains will be left on the f****** pavement,” another graphically stated. The messages also demanded that the recipient “stop talking to white people” and referred to his racial group as “dumb N***** M******” (comparing the defendant’s race to an animal).

The recipient of the messages claimed that he recognized the messages came from Bajrektarevic’s phone and reported him to authorities because he feared for his physical safety.

Pat Morena, Executive Director of Public Safety at City College, informed students and faculty of the threat through an email broadcast on November 29. “Public Safety immediately acted on the threat with the NYPD and the FBI, and the student was promptly identified and arrested,” the email said. Moreno declined Harlem View’s request for further information because of the active investigation taking place.

On campus, students and faculty felt horrified when they heard the news about the threat. “My friend sent me a screenshot of the email and I’m like, why is this guy released?” said Salwa Rahman, a public relations and advertising major. “Even if it was a joke, he still said it.”

“I felt very threatened and very scared because everyone’s young here, everyone’s trying to make a life and everyone’s trying to live in this world that’s hard to live in now,” said Alicia Persad, an architecture major.

The district attorney’s office charged Bajrektarevic with aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime, harassment in the first degree as a hate crime, and aggravated harassment in the second degree. His Legal Aid attorney hung up the phone when Harlem View called for comment.

Bajrektarevic was released from custody without bail to wait for his January 11 court date. The district attorney’s office granted a temporary order of protection to the student who reported him. “[He] has [also] been suspended and barred from the City College campus by Student Affairs, pending further disciplinary action,” according to the email Public Safety Department broadcast.

The college has assured students and faculty that public safety officers are fully prepared to enforce Bajrektarevic’s ban from campus. Still, many expressed concern that these measures are not enough.

They pointed to the composition of the student body, which is 85 percent people of color. “When I came to campus on Monday it was as if it was a normal day. No FBI or NYPD. And the security stature was the same as any normal weekday,” said Tyrese Johnson, an English major. “Honestly, I’m disgusted and offended by City College’s lax response to this threat. This says that City College, which enrolls predominantly people of color and has a history of celebrating diversity, isn’t as dedicated to upholding those ideals as they claim to be.”

Larisa Caraballo, a psychology and political science major, feels that the school has not significantly increased security. Public safety officers set up yellow tape to manage lines of students as they enter the North Academic Center (NAC), but Caraballo said that this is the only building with heightened security measures.

 “This instance is another example of how hateful rhetoric is ramping up and threats of violence against groups of color are becoming increasingly seen,” Johnson said. “And when people in positions of authority won’t effectively protect those who are being threatened, then these threats and subsequent acts of violence will continue.”

The United States experienced over 45 school shootings that resulted in injuries or deaths this year. Many fear that City College could be next.

George Elliot, a City College student, said that the threat made him reevaluate violent language he has seen around campus. “There are a lot of violent messages [written in the bathrooms], and I used to think, ‘Oh, that’s just people trolling,’” Elliot said. “In the context of this more serious threat, the messages in the stalls are a little bit unnerving.”

Students and faculty have ideas about what the school can do to prevent this from happening again in the future.

“When I spent a semester at Brooklyn College, you didn’t need an ID to get into buildings, but you needed one to get onto campus. That could be an alternative, to have checkpoints at the entrances,” Elliot said. “It would probably make it harder for people who aren’t supposed to be here to get in, but obviously a lot of community members use this space, so I think the school should talk to them too.”

Debbie Cheng, the Director of Fellowship Programs and Office of Student Success at the Colin Powell School for Public and Civic Leadership, said she feels safe on campus but would like to see larger investments in preventative measures. “I think that more resources, more mental health and community support resources, things that can prevent the problem before it becomes a problem, is what I would advocate for.”

Meanwhile, students wonder if Bajrektarevic, who listed himself as “an aspiring designer and business owner” on his LinkedIn page, will try to return to campus.