TONGUE TIED links to a story about another hate crime hoax:

Evanston police arrested a Communication freshman Monday and charged him with felony disorderly conduct, alleging he lied about two hate crimes to bring attention to race relations on campus. . . .

Saide “made up” both incidents, Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis wrote in a press release issued Tuesday morning. Police charged Saide late Monday with two counts of felony disorderly conduct in connection with fabricating police reports about the incidents.

Saide confessed he falsified reports about the racist acts to initiate dialogue about racial relations on campus, said Chief Frank Kaminski of Evanston Police Department. Saide could not be reached for comment.

“Certainly his motivation was to bring attention to himself and his cause,” Kaminski said Tuesday at a press conference.

Well, he certainly achieved that. Of course, crying “wolf!” has its downsides, too.