Another Tale of Two Austins: A Response to Haruka Weiser’s Murder
On April 5, 2016, the body of 18-year-old UT Dance and Theater freshman Haruka Weiser was discovered in Waller Creek at the University of Texas at Austin.
Sorrow surmounted the campus as hundreds of students gathered to honor Haruka’s memory. Unfortunately, sorrow wasn’t the only emotion flowing through the veins of the University. An underlying fear, caused by countless incidents of harassment and violence perpetrated at the University, finally erupted.
This fear became steeped in anger as details of how Haruka died and of a suspect surfaced. First came reports of sexual assault and strangulation then the arrest of 17-year-old Meechiael Criner. Meechiael is reported to be a ward of CPS with a history of mental illness and the victim of perpetual bullying. He was taken in on Thursday April 7th with the charge of evidence tampering then later charged with murder after a surveillance video was released, placing him in the area of the crime.
This case quickly hit the Austin social justice circuit where community activists already are struggling to diffuse racial tension, the intolerance of the transient population, and repair the tattered connection between mental health resources and community members. With all of these ingredients present, it is no wonder as to why responses to the murder have escalated to epic proportions.
When a young life is taken suddenly, the realization of one’s own mortality comes to the forefront. No one wants to digest the notion that we could leave our loved ones or they leave us prematurely. And, by instinct, we grasp for logical reasons when we’re faced with this fate. In the deplorable case of Haruka, her life wasn’t lost- it was stolen. We demand justice for stolen lives, by any means necessary. However, as unpalatable as it is in our moment of grief and anger, we must press ourselves to invoke our system of justice. This system promises due process, where we are innocent until proven guilty. True justice is served when the truth is uncovered, and the right individual(s) is/are prosecuted and sentenced fairly. We cannot and should not proceed in any manner that robs any person of this right.
Both Haruka and Meechiael are victims. Haruka by virtue of not getting the opportunity to live a long, full life, and Meechiael for possibly losing his life to the system that failed him in the first place. With this type of situation at hand, we have no time to incite hatred- hatred against the poor, homeless, people of color, Black men, the underprivileged, and any other vulnerable population. This is, however, the time to discuss how such a heinous event could happen at one of the top universities in the world in America’s most economically-thriving city. We will find that this case is yet another piece of a very worn tapestry of racial and economic inequity, “liberal” Austin’s very dark secret- a secret that has plagued us since the city’s conception.
Now is the time for us to say we will not allow this legacy anymore. We will not turn on one another, but turn to each other for comfort, healing, restoration, accountability, and growth. The path will be littered with painful and uncomfortable challenges, but we still must courageously and intentionally proceed- for Haruka and for Meechaiel.
A statement made by Ashely “Flashe” Gordon on behalf of the Travis County Green Party
