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NORMAN, Okla.–UPDATE: Norman Police Department has determined that a man who claimed he was the victim of an antisemitic hate crime was actually the aggressor in an altercation of “mutual combat.”
NPD responded to a report of a fight in the 500 block of Buchanan Avenue at approximately 1:27 a.m. Sunday.
In an emailed response to the Black Wall St. Times Monday afternoon, Norman PD said the overnight beating of Harrison Hipp remains under investigation.
First reported by News 9, Hipp, who is Jewish, and his girlfriend were walking to a bar on Campus Corner–a district of bars and shops near the University of Oklahoma–when he was approached by a stranger who wanted to wear his hat.
“The fight had started after the suspect approached the victim and requested to wear the victim’s cowboy hat as the victim was walking to his vehicle,” Norman Police Department Public Information Officer Sarah Schettler told the Black Wall St. Times.
“Comes up to me and says, ‘Hey can I try on your hat?’” Harrison Hipp told News 9. “I said no, it’s my hat, sorry.” Hipp said he stepped back, told the stranger he didn’t want to fight and ran.
“The request was denied and the altercation became physical,” Schettler told the Black Wall S. Times.
Random Beating or Hate Crime on Campus Corner?
Hipp said the man attacked him, beating him while holding a knife. When his girlfriend tried to intervene, she said others joined in the beating.
““The other guys start coming in on him and I’m trying to pull the original guy who started the fighting with him,” Emily Rodriguez told News 9. Hipp was transported to the hospital, where he spoke with investigators.
Hipp claims the attackers hurled antisemitic slurs and stole several items, including his yarmulke. He wants the attackers charged with a hate crime.
When asked whether they would pursue hate crime charges, Norman PD didn’t say. “This remains an active investigation. Charges will reflect the outcome of the investigation,” Schettler said.
Oklahoma’s Hate Crime Law
According to state law, “No person shall maliciously and with the specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because of that person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin or disability.”
The first offense is a misdemeanor–which carries up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Any future offenses are felonies, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Nationally, race and religion remain the top two motivations for hate crimes, while Black American and Jewish Americans remain the top two targeted groups, according to FBI data.
If officials ultimately rule Sunday’s attack on Campus Corner a hate crime, it would be far from the first in Oklahoma, home to the “Trail Where We Cried,” the Tulsa Race Massacre and the most lynchings of any state outside of the South, according to data from Equal Justice Initiative.
In 2022, the most recent year FBI data is available, 43 hate crimes based on race and four hate crimes based on religion took place across the state.
Hate crime allegations are “part of the ongoing investigation”
Hate crimes have risen in recent years. Hate crimes against Jewish Americans and Muslim or Arab Americans specifically have risen sharply since October 7, when Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched an attack motivated by decades of apartheid that killed up to 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostage.
The response from Israel has led to the massacre of over 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women, children and the elderly. Nations around the world continue to call on Israel to halt what the International Criminal Court is investigating as a genocide.
Tensions remain high as protests against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions continue at campuses across the nation and within Israel, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. A recent pro-Palestinian protest at OU ended peacefully, according to the OU Daily.
It’s unclear whether Sunday’s attack on Campus Corner was indeed a hate crime or a random beating. No arrests have been made, but a suspect has been questioned, Norman PD told the Black Wall St. Times.
“All facts including allegations of a possible hate crime are part of the ongoing investigation,” Schetter said.
By Friday, however, Norman PD released a statement saying video evidence and witness testimonies contradicted Hipp’s original claims.
To read our update article, visit this link. To read Norman PD’s full statement, click here.
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