Since it's Berkeley, it was probably done for social justice class credit. The only surprise here is that they're being charged with a hate crime.
Ismael Chamu, 21, was arrested on a warrant at his San Francisco home at 9 p.m. Thursday, according to Alameda County sheriff’s office records online.
Chamu is being held at Berkeley Jail on $85,000 bail on suspicion of felony vandalism causing $400 or more in damage, the commission of a hate crime, hate crime enhancements and conspiracy, said Sgt. Andrew Frankel, Berkeley police spokesman. No other arrests have been made in connection with the case.
Police said last week that they had tallied more than 35 instances of vandalism, including graffiti on cars and fences, and slashed tires on at least 17 vehicles, in the Southside neighborhood along several blocks of Prospect Street near Hillside Avenue that appeared June 28. The graffiti included phrases such as “fuck white people,” and is therefore considered a hate crime, BPD said.
A second student has been arrested in connection with the case, according to online records from the sheriff’s office. He’s identified in the Inmate Locator system as 21-year-old Peter Estrada. Estrada, also a UC Berkeley student, was arrested on a warrant in Berkeley at 5:10 p.m. Friday.
Despite the obvious conclusions that some might jump to based on his name, Ismael Chamu is likely Mexican rather than Muslim. His politics are predictably alt-left complete with all the usual rants like, "F___ the right wing. F___ their Free Speech."
And claiming to be oppressed by the police state.
His alleged behavior was also enabled by all the usual suspects.
Remember the UC-Berkeley student who at the end of June claimed he was racially profiled by police and then detained “without explanation or justification”?
And, remember how the Associated Students of the University of California — without knowing any of the details of the incident — unanimously (with one exception) supported him ?
Well, now that student officially has been arrested on vandalism and hate crime charges.
His Linkedin profile describes him as Co President at Pre-Law Coalition for Social Justice.
Ismael Chamu is a confident public speaker and innovator at UC Berkeley involved in Social Justice, Education and Law based public relations. His experiences is largely community based. He is head coordinator of two different organizations, both of which he helped create and establish at the University of California Berkeley and in the local Oakland East Bay community. Ismael is also a certified Substitute Teacher by the State of California and is currently employed at the West Contra Costa Unified School district.
Of course he is. And if you think this will impede his career, you don't know the left. It will enhance it.