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"Hit So Hard That the Solid Wooden Canes Were Breaking"

Photo credit: Yanicka Shepherd/the Famuan The Alpha Xi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. had its own corner on the FAMU campus. The chapter was suspended after hazing charges.

Following is an excerpt from the offense and probable cause affidavit filed by Det. Brice Google of the Leon County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, accusing five students at Florida A&M University of hazing. It descibes his interview with FAMU student Marcus Jones:

On 3-16-06 at approximately 10:00 hours I interviewed Marcus in his home [in] . . . Atlanta, Ga. I observed Marcus walk to the kitchen area to sit down. Marcus was moving very slowly and stepping very lightly. I observed as Marcus' face grimaced in pain with each step he took. Marcus had to sit on a soft cushion and lean to his left side as not to place too much pressure on the right side of his buttock. I asked Marcus if he would be more comfortable sitting on the couch in the living room and he said it was more comfortable for him to sit on the chair. Upon starting the interview, Marcus stated in essence the following:

Spent close to $3,600

Marcus stated he went through what he identified as a "pre-initiation process." During the summer of 2005, Marcus was in Tallahassee working. Marcus already knew some of the Kappas and they were aware that he was interested in joining Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Marcus was instructed by some of the Kappas that he needed to "cater to them" in order to get their votes to be on the spring line. Marcus explained that "catering to them" meant buying Kappas food (subs, chicken, shrimp and other miscellaneous dinners), clothes and any thing else they may want. It also meant sometimes giving them money.

Marcus stated this type of activity went on from mid-summer to about the end of October for him before he just decided that he was not going to be spending anymore of his money on any Kappa. Marcus stated this made several of the Kappas angry. They continued to call him and tell him to buy them clothes and other material things, but he kept refusing.

After a while, Marcus just stopped answering their phone calls. Marcus estimated that he probably spent close to $1,500 dollars during the "pre-initiation process." Marcus stated that as a result of his rebellion, the Kappas did not want him on their spring line, however, Marcus' father, Mr. Jones "made a phone call" and Marcus was allowed on the line. Marcus stated that the Kappas were not happy about this and began to taunt him and tried to make him quit the line. According to Marcus, after all the interested parties paid their application/process fee ($2,100) on a Tuesday the hazing started on that following Thursday. It is believed that the dates of the following incidents occurred from February 23-28, 2006.

"Your dad better not find out!"

Marcus stated the first night, they were taken to someone's home where all twenty-six pledges were made to either sit or kneel in what Marcus believes was the kitchen area of the residence. All the pledges had their heads down looking at the ground. Marcus stated they had to keep their heads down because they were not allowed to look at any of the Kappas. While all of the pledges were in the kitchen area, Marcus would get "snatched" up by his t-shirt and several of the Kappas would start whispering in his ear and slapping him in his face with an open hand.

They were whispering the following statements to Marcus: "Are you gonna tell your dad?", "Your dad better not find out!," "If your dad finds out, we'll find you and we'll kill you!," "You know what happened the last time."

I asked Marcus what was meant by "You know what happened the last time" and he informed me that the last person that snitched on the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity was beat up real bad in retaliation by fraternity members, and as a result he had to be hospitalized. Marcus stated that while they were whispering all these statements in his ears, several of the Kappas kept slapping him in his face, so much that he had a black eye and severe pain in his ear when he left that first night. Marcus stated that after they taunted him for a while they ordered him to "get in the cut." This meant to bend over, protect your testicles and prepare to get hit on your butt.

Marcus stated the Kappas would strike him several times with a cane simultaneously on both sides of his butt and after that each Kappa would actually take their turn and strike him approximately 4-6 times a piece. All this occurred prior to the "pledge line" actually taking their licks which Marcus also had to participate in. Marcus stated that the other males on the line would sit there with their heads down while he continued to get beat. Marcus described the act of him and the other males on the line getting hit with the canes as brutal. Marcus explained that at times, people were getting hit so hard that the solid wooden canes were breaking.

Canes became thicker than before

The Kappas would pick up the broken parts of the canes and tape them together making an even thicker cane and then began hitting them with that one.

Marcus stated that after a while of the Kappas taping broken pieces of canes together, one of them (the canes) would be as thick as if not thicker than a bat. This same action towards Marcus: taunting, open hand slaps to the face, simultaneous strikes and strikes by multiple Kappas using wooden canes prior to having to take the strikes along with the rest of the line; all occurred two days in a row (Thursday & Friday) On Saturday, 02-25-06, while on his way to the next pledge night, Marcus was pulled over by a police officer for speeding. Marcus had a few of his "line brothers" in the car with him. As a result of being pulled over, Marcus and his line brothers made up an excuse and did not attend the pledge night on Saturday.

On Sunday, 02-26-06 the pledge line started their first "official" night of pledging. Marcus stated they met at Jessie Boyce's residence, went to another location at an apartment complex off Raymond Diehl Rd. Marcus stated he remembers this because he remembered riding up Capital Circle almost to Thomasville Rd. and turning right. Marcus also remembers riding past a Publix grocery store prior to arriving at the apartment complex.

Pledges were blindfolded

Upon their arrival to the complex, all of the pledges would blindfold themselves. Marcus confirmed that they used maxi pads and stockings. They all then got into cars and waited. A few minutes later they would hear someone get in the car, ask them if they were ready and then the music inside the car would be turned up very loud to where they could not hear anything else. Marcus stated they rode for a long time and once they stopped it would be compete silence. Suddenly, they would feel someone pulling them out of the cars by pulling them on their t-shirts. They would be put in what Marcus thought was a line, simply because his hand would be placed on the person in front of him and the person behind him would place their hand on him (Marcus).

The whole group would start to walk. Marcus stated he noticed that the ground felt like rocks at first for a short distance and then it turned to concrete. They would eventually walk into a building and once the blindfolds were taken off, Marcus noticed the building appeared to be some type of abandoned warehouse.

There were several Kappas inside, but again, Marcus and his line brothers were not allowed to look up at the Kappas. The line would participate in several rituals of calls and responses with the Kappas. Some of the Kappas were walking around with boxing gloves on and would jab the pledges in their face during the call and response. Marcus advised that after the call and response the Kappas began hitting them with canes again.

Angry that pledges passed out

Marcus also advised that ten of his line brothers passed out during this time of hazing. Marcus stated that some of the Kappas began getting angry that people were passing out and one actually stated: "I'm tired of ya'll falling out, we'll just beat you while you're out!"

I asked Marcus if any Kappas actually beat any of the pledges while they were passed out, and he said, "Not that I saw."

Marcus stated that on Monday, 02-27-06 they went through the same process again all the way up to coming to the same abandoned warehouse. Marcus noticed it was the same by remembering feeling the rocky ground when they first got out of the car, walking on the concrete shortly thereafter and then seeing the inside of the same building they were in the night before. Marcus stated that before they started anything on Monday night, the Kappas checked all of their injuries to see how bad they were.

The Kappas went down the line and marked an X on the back of each pledge (to indicate which side they should be hit on because the other side was too bruised) Marcus, however, did not get any X's marked on his back even though he had some of the most severe injuries at the time. Marcus stated that all the Kappas did was tell him he needed to soak. While standing in line waiting for them to finish marking on the rest of the pledgees, Marcus passed out. Marcus stated that all he remembers is having water poured on him to get him up.

Posted April 14, 2006