Investigation requested – Daily Freeman

A large police presence arrested 132 people late Thursday, May 2, and early Friday, May 3, at the site of an encampment at SUNY New Paltz. (Photo provided by Dylan Moscoso)

The NAACP is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States. As the only NAACP branch in Ulster County, the Ellenville NAACP is committed to promoting civil and political rights in our county, including the right to peaceful protest. Therefore, we are deeply concerned about the May 2 police operation on the SUNY New Paltz campus, in which students, faculty and community members appeared to be met with brute force at the behest of SUNY New Paltz President Darrel Wheeler.

We are not the ones to jump to conclusions or make accusations without giving full details. Based on reports from the protesters themselves, the mayor and deputy mayor of New Paltz, as well as video footage, it appears that this incident needs to be at least thoroughly investigated. While Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa issued a statement defending law enforcement officers’ actions, his description is an outlier among the May 2 narratives.

The Ellenville NAACP believes there was a breach of trust between college students, faculty and their supporters, and law enforcement. We formally demand that Ulster County open an investigation into the events of May 2nd that includes not only police reports, but also the statements and supporting evidence of protesters and other witnesses.

—Maude Bruce

Ellenville

The author is president of the Ellenville NAACP.