The San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) is investigating an alleged antisemitic assault outside the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity house near Cal Poly.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Hathaway Street residence, according to a campuswide email from University President Jeffrey Armstrong on March 2.
Police said a 21-year-old man was standing near the Hathaway Street entrance of the fraternity house when a lifted white truck drove onto the street and stopped near the residence.
“A large white truck with extensive aftermarket lighting drove near the property on Hathaway Street, and the truck’s occupants reportedly yelled antisemitic slurs at the fraternity’s residents,” Armstrong wrote. “The individuals then parked on Hathaway, entered an unlocked gate on the property and engaged in a verbal altercation. During the confrontation, one of the suspects punched a resident in the head. The suspects then fled the scene in the truck.”
SLOPD described the suspects as four to five white males, approximately 20 to 25 years old, wearing trucker hats, blue jeans, and cowboy-style boots. The case is being investigated as a hate crime, and because the residence is located off campus, the investigation falls under city police jurisdiction.
New Times contacted Cal Poly AEPi Chapter President Jason Hananel but did not receive a response before publication.
“Hateful acts that target members of our Jewish community are hurtful, disgusting and simply unacceptable,” Armstrong wrote. “Antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination run counter to the values at Cal Poly and have no place at our university.”
The university said it was first notified of the incident on March 2 and encouraged fraternity members to report the crime to city police. Because the investigation is ongoing, university officials declined to provide additional details.
University spokesperson Matt Lazier confirmed that the university’s antisemitism task force “is active and will discuss this incident as part of its broader aim of ensuring that Cal Poly remains a welcoming environment for all campus community members.”
In a statement released Monday, San Luis Obispo Hillel, the local Jewish campus organization that provides support, programming, and community for students, said it was alerted to the incident just before Purim began Sunday evening.
“This deliberate act of antisemitism happened after SLO Hillel and AEPi festively celebrated together with dinner,” the organization said.
SLO Hillel said it “stands strongly in partnership and in support” of Cal Poly’s AEPi chapter and emphasized that targeted hatred “does not reflect the values of our community or represent the welcoming nature of the Cal Poly campus.”
“There is no room at Cal Poly for antisemitism or hatred of any kind,” the statement read.
SLO Hillel said it is working in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League’s Tri-Counties office to support impacted students and ensure “all perpetrators are held accountable.” Staff members are also available to students seeking support.
“This act of antisemitism will not deter us,” the statement continued. “The Cal Poly and Central Coast Jewish community have come together to swiftly respond and handle this situation, and we will continue to strongly celebrate our Judaism and heritage—as we always do.”
The Feb. 28 incident is not the first time the Jewish fraternity house has been targeted.
In February 2021, members of Alpha Epsilon Pi woke up on Shabbat to find swastikas and antisemitic phrases graffitied outside the same residence, according to a statement from the fraternity. The vandalism occurred a few days after Holocaust Remembrance Day and was also investigated as a hate crime.
“This was targeted at us, as the Jewish fraternity, and we would like to let the world know we do not tolerate or condone this behavior,” the fraternity wrote at the time on its GoFundMe page. “Our chapter and the entire San Luis Obispo Jewish community stand together proudly against those who are uneducated and who encourage hateful acts.”
Police are asking anyone with information about the Feb. 28 incident to contact non-emergency dispatch at (805) 781-7312 or Crime Stoppers at (805) 549-7867. ∆
This article appears in March 5-12, 2026.