Police violence on university campuses is unacceptable

Late Tuesday night, counter-protesters attacked pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the UCLA campus. Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol officers arrived nearly three hours later and were unable to intervene for nearly 90 minutes as counter-protesters continued to attack with physical force, chemical warfare agents and fireworks. On the same day as the UCLA incident, an NYPD officer fired a gun at Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, and on Wednesday the NYPD distributed a gun operationally boastful police video glorifying dominance as opposed to a duty to protect and serve. On the same day, police at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire violently wrestled a 65-year-old professor to the ground, and police in riot gear forcibly removed protesters from the campus of Tulane University in New Orleans. The week before, police used rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters at Emory University in Atlanta.

Armed police officers. Combat gear and batons. More than 2,500 arrests at dozens of campus locations across the country. Images and reports of militarized escalation and police violence in response to student protests in Gaza are omnipresent. And while many high-profile public figures and politicians have spoken out to condemn the disruption that the protests have caused on campus grounds and student life during end-of-semester and graduation ceremonies, too few have condemned the egregious use and abuses of the Police condemned.

If you believe, as I do, that every person deserves security, regardless of who they are, where they come from, the color of their skin, or their political and religious beliefs, then you should agree that these incidents of police failure to protect are unacceptable . You should agree that unprovoked violence by the police is unacceptable. Since last October, students and faculty alike have reported that both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim prejudice are on the rise on college campuses. Many say they simply feel less safe. These fears of bias and harassment are legitimate, as is the desire for safety.

Sending armed police to disperse protesters and clear encampments through a show of force only fuels the fire rather than putting it out. Finally, the heavily condemned clashes between police and demonstrators began after The decision was made by dozens of college presidents and campus leaders to send in police.

The war in Gaza is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing issues of our time. I come forward here to raise a pressing point about policing and not, as others have done, about war itself or the meaning of the First Amendment and the right to peaceful protest. I lead the largest criminal justice reform organization in the country. I have been part of the justice reform movement for decades – from Rodney King to Ferguson, from Eric Garner to George Floyd. I am writing this three weeks before the anniversary of Mr. Floyd’s murder. This latest wave of aggression, violence and escalation by police requires accountability, particularly from leaders and those who set our national tone.

Last Thursday, President Biden addressed for the first time the conflict rocking college campuses across the country. He reiterated his commitment to freedom of expression and the right to protest. He also spoke of the rule of law and stated that there is no right to cause chaos. Yet he said nothing about the rule of law as it applies to the police. He failed to denounce these acts of violence and escalations and this abject failure of the police to protect them. In his omission, he has also failed to speak not only to Americans for whom police violence and brutality are a painful reminder of this country’s shortcomings, but also to Americans who believe that no one is above the law, too not to our officers in uniform. We cannot allow polarization on one issue to divide us on another issue that is so consequential and on which there is real consensus.

In a recent national survey commissioned by our sister organization Vera Action to better understand what voters think about when they go to the ballot box on issues such as crime and safety, 89 percent of respondents agreed and 59 percent strongly agreed that we We can support police officers who put their lives at risk for us every day And We can hold police accountable when they use excessive force or abuse their power.

I think it is urgent to point this out because we need to correct course before it is too late. These protests and others at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions will continue as we face an election of outsized importance at the end of this year. Our leaders must express their complete intolerance of and condemn police excesses and violence. Otherwise, any talk about protecting democracy and the right of all Americans to feel safe will ring hollow.

Many have compared this moment to the protests during the civil rights movement and against the Vietnam War. Just like today, many in power back then were quick to condemn the student protests. And just like now, police were deployed to break up demonstrations and intimidate demonstrators. What’s different now is that the United States as a nation has evolved when it comes to policing and accountability. The collective tragedy of lives lost at the hands of police has led to a shared understanding that we can have safety, responsibility and justice. In fact, we need to have all three – no one alone will do it.