In an Instagram post, Brochu said she had successfully driven away her “Jamaican Barbie” roommate. Jazzy Rowe, the roommate, shared what happened to her in a Facebook post on Monday.
“As a young African American woman I don’t want to become another statistic. When it comes to college incidents/crimes and racial cases justice needs to be served,” Rowe wrote. She said when she told people what happened they couldn’t believe it, thinking it was “straight out of a movie scene.”
In a statement posted Tuesday night, UHart President Greg Woodward said, “I am writing to you this evening to send a strong message regarding an incident that is deeply upsetting to me, our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. One of our students was the alleged victim of bullying and her story was shared across social media. Let me be clear: the accused student’s behavior was reprehensible and does not reflect the values of our institution. Let me also be clear that I am confident the University has taken all steps to pursue this matter seriously, and will continue to do so.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Brochu Bragged She Put Moldy Clam Dip in Rowe’s Lotion, Rubbed Used Tampons on Her Backpack & Put Her Toothbrush ‘Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine’
Brianna Brochu bragged on her Instagram page about what happened just moments after Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe told her she was moving out, Rowe said.
“Finally did it yo girl got rid of her roommate!! After 1 1/2 month of spitting in her coconut oil, putting moldy clam dip in her lotions, rubbing used tampons (on) her backpack, putting her toothbrush places where the sun doesn’t shine and so much more I can finally say goodbye Jamaican Barbie.”
You can see the post below:
Brochu posted this to Instagram, her roommate says.
The victim, Rowe, told police she felt “ostracized” by Brochu,
according to the Hartford Courant. She said Brochu ignored her and then asked her to change rooms. Rowe told police she developed “severe throat pain” while living with Brochu. Police began investigating on October 17, when her neighbor approached Rowe with “very concerning posts” on Brochu’s Instagram page as Rowe moved out of the dorm.
Brochu admitted to licking her roommate’s plate, fork, spoon and and smeared her own bodily fluid on Rowe’s backpack, police said. But she denied the other actions she talked about in the Instagram posts, according to the police report. She also told police she did not mean to injure or sicken the victim. She told police, “anything else she bragged about on social media was a lie in an attempt to ‘appear funny,'” according to the report.
Brochu claims she “began to lash out due to a ‘hostile environment’ caused by (Rowe’s) rude behavior, not compromising, and posting Snapchat videos of me sleeping and making fun of me snoring.” She said she tried to change rooms on October 11, but wasn’t able to.
Brochu is a freshman from Harwinton, Connecticut, a town in Litchfield County about 35 minutes away from West Hartford, where the University of Hartford is located. She graduated from Lewis Mills High School in 2017,
according to the Republican American newspaper. In April, she wrote on the
University of Hartford Class of 2021 Facebook page that she was looking for a roommate.
Brianna Brochu.
“Hey my name is Breezy I’m from Harwinton CT and have committed to University of Hartford. I’m looking for a roommate so if anyone is interested let me know. I love going out and having fun and can’t wait to start off the year,” she wrote.
2. In a Facebook Live Video, Rowe Described the Horrific Treatment She Says She Endured & the ‘Extreme Throat Pain’ She Suffered
Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe posted a lengthy Facebook Live video where she talked about her experiences with Brochu. You can watch the video above or by clicking here.
Rowe shared other Instagram videos and photos posted by Brochu, holding up her phone to show a video of her ex-roommate holding up an apparently contaminated jar of lotion.
“While I’ve been here, I’ve been getting sick. Not knowing why, I’ve been getting sick. It started with throat pain. I thought maybe because it’s colder up here, I’m just probably catching a cold,” she said in the video. Rowe said usually when she gets sick it starts in her throat and she then gets other symptoms, but she didn’t get any other part of the cold. “The sore throat pain got worse and it was just throat pain. And this was happening for about a month. It got to the point where I had extreme throat pain where I couldn’t sleep, to the point where I couldn’t speak. Like I’d try to whisper, and I could barely whisper.”
In the video, Rowe said she went to the campus medical center and was prescribed antibiotics, which helped, but doctors could not figure out what was wrong. Three tests came back negative and doctors said there was “some type of bad bacteria” in the back of her throat causing pain.
Rowe said she was assigned her roommate at random and had not been getting along with her since the start of the year. “I basically felt like I was unwanted,” she said. “I felt like I was a ghost in my own room.” She said she was “disrespected,” like if she was in her room working alone and Brochu walked in, Brochu would “turn off the light and just walk out, just a whole bunch of petty disrespectful stuff.”
But Rowe said she didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to start a conflict. Rowe said she doesn’t know why Brochu didn’t like her, saying she shared tried to be nice, sharing her microwave and fridge with her.
“She lives in Connecticut and she would go home every weekend. I would always feed her fish,” Rowe said. “I don’t understand why, which is why I think it’s a whole racial/hate issue.”
Rowe eventually moved out about two weeks ago after going through the process of finding a new roommate.
Rowe said when she moved out, the Instagram posts from Brochu were brought to her attention. She was not following Brochu on Instagram, but someone sent her the messages. She said Brochu also posted videos of Rowe eating, saying “if only she knew where her utensils been.”
Rowe said she is also bothered by the fact that she doesn’t know what else Brochu might have done to her, and that other people on campus were seeing the posts before she found out about them.
“It’s the fact that I didn’t know all of this was happening and it’s the fact that she’s been posting it on her Instagram,” Rowe said. “And I didn’t know anything about it until my neighbor’s friend (told me). If only I knew. I just want to know the ‘so much more.’ I want to know all the posts.”
Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe.
Rowe said she went to her residence hall staff, but was told the situation was “over” when she moved out. She said she signed a no-contact order. Rowe said the school staff told her she could not talk about what happened or she would possibly be kicked off the residential side of campus.
“How’s the situation over? The situation just started,” Rowe said in the video. “I can’t get anything done to progress the whole situation, because you have to wait for public safety to finish the investigation in order for this to go up so things can actually start happening.”
Public safety officials told her she “might not hear anything at all” about the case. Rowe said she has had to go back and forth between her home in New York and Connecticut to go to doctor appointments, and the health center has told her she needs to see an ear, nose and throat specialist.
“I’m missing classes because I have to go back and forth,” she said. “Meanwhile, nothing is happening, nothing is happening.”
In a Facebook post Rowe, a freshman who graduated from Springfield Gardens High School in New York, criticized the University of Hartford for how it handled the situation.
“Colleges are known to just sweep issues that happen within the campus under the rug, making the issue disappear and not doing anything about it. Now this isn’t right at all and this is where the public gets involved to push for things to be done right. I’m not holding my tongue any longer about my situation because this is just ridiculous to hear nothing back from my school about this situation,” she wrote. “As a African American woman I have to fight for myself and others to not become some statistic.”
“And the fact I’m black and my old roommate is white, if the roles was switched, I want to know if it would be handled the same way?” Rowe said in the video. “I damn well know it wouldn’t. … I feel like me as a black person and her being a white person, if I’m the woman who committed all these crimes, this would’ve been completely different. … There were so many crimes committed, that she openly posted. … I would’ve been locked up already, they would have had no hesitation, cuffed me and taken me away. I’m just so aggravated.”
3. The University Says Racism, Bias, Bullying & Abusive Behaviors Won’t Be Tolerated on Campus
Brianna Brochu.
Greg Woodward, the president of University of Hartford, addressed the issue Tuesday night in a letter to the community titled, “an important message.” Woodward disputed claims that the incident had been “swept under the rug,” writing:
Upon learning of the incident, Public Safety immediately ensured that the victim was relocated to a safe location, notified local authorities, and provided support for their investigation. The accused student was subsequently arrested by the West Hartford Police Department and her case will proceed through the legal process. The University will continue to precisely execute our defined process outlined in the Code of Student Conduct.
The University strictly and swiftly followed all procedural and legal processes related to this alleged event; claims to the contrary are based on misinformation. The incident has brought about accusations of racism, and I want you to know that I hear and share your anger and frustration. Acts of racism, bias, bullying, or other abusive behaviors will not be tolerated on this campus. I pledge to do everything in my power to work with our community to address related concerns together.
Woodward said he spent the day Tuesday along with members of his administration meeting with students, including representatives of the Student Government Association, multicultural organizations and other concerned students.
“I have also met with the affected student and we are in communication with her family. We will continue to offer support and assistance to her, as well as any other student that feels threatened, victimized, or uncomfortable on our campus,” Woodward wrote. “Let me repeat; racism and hatred will not be tolerated on this campus. Period. I encourage every one of you reading this email to report incidents on campus that are troubling and worthy of review.”
4. Brochu Was Released on $1,000 Bail, Is Set to Appear in Court Wednesday & Faces Up to a Year in Prison
Brianna Brochu, a University of Hartford freshman, was arrested October 28 by the West Hartford Police Department.
Brianna Brochu was arrested October 28 on misdemeanor charges of third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace, online court records show. Details of the case were not immediately available. The charges are both class B misdemeanors, which each carry a maximum sentence of 6 months in prison, along with a potential fine.
Brochu is scheduled to appear at Hartford Community Court on November 1 for her arraignment. She is currently free on $1,000 bail. Online records do not list an attorney for her and she could not be reached for comment.
Brochu, who also goes by the name Breezy, won a four-year, $20,000-per-year scholarship from the college by entering the University of Hartford Scholastic Art Scholarship contest,
according to Lewis Mills High School:
If you look at her showcase, you’ll notice that her artwork is not identified as perfect. Breezy confessed that if you look close enough you’ll see cracks and missed glazed spots. But she decides to keep those ‘mistakes’ because it adds character to her work. She identifies as being the ‘queen of mistakes and a walking accident,’ but ‘no matter how hard you take the L, you can always bounce back from a mistake.’ In addition, she often starts her pieces with no plan or outline. Breezy describes her work as spontaneous. However, she is inspired by the human figure and likes to go off of bones, ribs and spines.
Brochu said she was “discouraged” going into her senior year of high school and thought she would be staying at home to attend a local community college. But she said winning the award, gave her an opportunity to “go out and make something of myself.”
Brochu is now facing possible discipline from the university, but it is not clear if that will result in her losing her scholarship. The university has not provided details about what punishment she could be facing.
Rowe
told WTIC-TV that she was told by the university that Brochu would have a student conduct hearing on Wednesday.
5. The Case Has Sparked Outrage on Social Media & Students Plan to Hold a ‘Justice for Jazzy’ Meeting
The case sparked outrage on social media, with Rowe’s video viewed more than 50,000 times on Facebook and shared thousands of times. On Twitter, activist Shaun King called the story “one of the nastiest things I’ve ever heard.”
He added, Dear @UofHartford, You have a chance to step up and handle this properly. The world is watching.”
A group of students plans to hold a “Justice for Jazzy” meeting on Wednesday:
Other students and community members have reacted on social media, with some calling it a hate crime. Tajae-Jasmine Walton wrote in a post that has gone viral, “At a point in time, Jazzy had so much bad bacteria in her throat, she couldn’t even speak. She could have died simply because of her skin tone. University of Hartford is trying to silence Jazzy and her story, but we can’t let that happen. Too often colleges let severe hate crimes get swept under the rug but I hope Connecticut is better than that.”
A Twitter post has been retweeted more than 1,000 times:
Others reacted on Twitter:
In his letter to the UHart community, President Greg Woodward wrote, “I will proactively schedule and communicate additional community conversations in the coming days. I am willing and prepared to openly discuss concerns and will transparently share any additional information about University resources and processes that will make our community stronger. We pride ourselves on the diversity of our University and I am confident we provide a secure environment for our students in which to learn and thrive. Our community is not exempt from issues facing our society and world. We must strive every day to practice understanding, tolerance, inclusion, and grace. I know that you will join me in this critical mission.”
