It’s easy to laugh at some of the hate crime hoaxes we’ve seen. The “noose” in Bubba Watson’s garage, for example. It was so dumb, we couldn’t help but laugh.
But it’s really important to keep in mind that ultimately, hate crime hoaxes are not a laughing matter. They have the potential to ruin the lives of innocent people. That’s certainly the case for what happened with UVA students Zyahna Bryant and Morgan Bettinger (what is it about UVA and hoaxes?). Reason’s Emma Camp has the full infuriating — and utterly devastating — story.
The allegations first attracted attention after Zyahna Bryant, a 19-year-old UVA student and social justice activist, made them on Twitter during the demonstration. Her account would be retweeted more than 1,000 times. “The woman in this truck approached protesters in #Charlottesville, and told us that we would make ‘good speedbumps,'” Bryant wrote. “She then called the police and started crying saying we were attacking her.”
Bryant also posted a series of videos—not of the alleged “speed bump” comment itself, but of its aftermath. In the videos, an SUV reverses down a street while Bryant and several other protesters follow. “It’s a Karen, it’s a Karen,” Bryant taunts.
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In the year that followed, Bettinger was the subject of multiple investigations. One of them, from the UJC, would find her guilty of “threatening the health or safety” of students. As punishment, she would be expelled in abeyance—meaning that she was allowed to continue her schooling, but that a second violation of the same standard of conduct would likely result in actual expulsion. She also faced a litany of other sanctions.
While Bettinger eventually graduated from the university, she did so with a permanent mark on her record and a destroyed reputation.
But despite two separate investigations, there’s no evidence beyond Bryant’s allegations that Bettinger said protestors would make “good f**king speed bumps” or that she threatened the protesters at all.
Please take the time to read the entire thing, because it’s absolutely worth it. But if you’re unable to right now, these tweets from Greg Price should summarize what happened:
While Zyahna Bryant was getting glowing profiles in the Washington Post, the girl she falsely accused of trying to run over protesters had her plan of going to law school shattered and was being prescribed medication to sleep at night. pic.twitter.com/ESMKQUGU10
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 1, 2023
Here's the original video of the incident that occurred. She had her car surrounded by a mob and had her life ruined over it. This local news outlet still hasn't updated their headline.https://t.co/bKh4q42Vis
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 1, 2023
This whole thing is genuinely outrageous.
Another important thing to note: Bryant, after leading this mob against Bettinger and trying to ruin her life based on a seemingly false accusation, would later admit she might have misheard what Bettinger said. https://t.co/VsLIAz9Rly
— AG (@AGHamilton29) May 1, 2023
Oh, she might have “misheard” Bettinger? Ah, well. Who among us hasn’t misheard someone and led a crusade to destroy that person’s life?
Ppl have forgotten the environment around 2020. There was a lot of incentive to fuel a certain narrative.
I remember the Hispanic electric worker who was fired bc random BLM protesters confused him cracking his knuckles w making a white power gesture: https://t.co/vfLXNYpSlH
— AG (@AGHamilton29) May 1, 2023
Activists were looking for witches to hang around every corner that summer. And all you needed was an accusation, regardless how thin, to fuel the online mob and get some press. It was a very shameful moment that undermined any real efforts to counteract bigotry or seek justice.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) May 1, 2023
And as long as the people who fueled these mobs don’t face any consequences for their words and actions, we will continue to see more moments like that one.
Rarely do I get legitimately angry at the news but I did reading that story. This is the world the left and BLM have created, dominated by lies and fear of a mob destroying your life at any moment. Racial justice activists are truly the worst people in society.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 1, 2023
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Update:
Group that went to bat for UVA hate crime hoaxer rages at ‘right-wing media’ for telling the truth https://t.co/sVQ451feHG
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 1, 2023
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