Brown Coalition to End Racial Profiling

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Letter from another Brown activist '12

Dear President Paxson,

Despite my support for students and community members involved in the disruption that took place on October 29th, I had no plans to write you a letter. I believe that my fellow alumni and current undergraduates, many of who have much more at stake than you or I in the matter of Stop-and-Frisk have been exceedingly insightful and more informative than I could hope to be on the issue of Ray Kelly’s alleged right to be paid to speak at Brown.  That’s right, I was happy being a passive supporter until I read your most recent letter to the Brown community (sent November 6th 2013). As I read your letter I realized there was something I could contribute, something that I have personal experience with. Now allow me to educate you.  I am very upset and saddened that you are considering subjecting students involved in the action against Kelley to “established processes for resolving alleged violations of the Code of Student Conduct.” You see I was involved in a “similar instance” as you say, five years ago as a first-year at Brown. I, along with seven other students directly ignored the demands of Brown University administrators and vocal members of the Brown Corporation in entering University Hall during one of two bi-annual Corporation meetings; our goal was to deliver a petition.  What followed for myself and other students involved was months of being funneled through “the established processes for resolving alleged violations.” From the beginning of the inquiry into action I took part in, the Brown administration went to great lengths to ignore the University’s code of conduct during judicial and pre-judicial proceedings. Brown’s own regulations dictate that students have the right “To be assumed not responsible of any alleged violations unless she/he is found responsible through the appropriate disciplinary hearing.” However, during my first meeting with the dean in charge of handling the case I was told that some charges were simply “inarguable.”  Furthermore, as part of the official processes, I and the other students were barred from seeking legal counsel, however, Brown University was able to consult their own lawyers in building their case against us. We were given the option to get faculty members to serve as our advisors. In the weeks before our actual hearing, meetings were scheduled without regard to our faculty advisors’ schedule and we simply told that it was inevitable that some of our faculty would miss meetings. This obviously made us worry about the fairness the University’s handling of our case. However, Vice-President Klawunn reassured us by pointing to our right to disqualify members on the hearing panel if they were shown to be biased (a right given to students in Brown’s community guidelines). Unsurprisingly, one of the undergraduate members on the hearing panel was a student who had been vocal about how she thought that all students involved in the protest I participated in should be expelled. We requested that this member be disqualified. Our request was denied.  When it came time for our actual hearing, several of the witnesses we called were not allowed to testify and the ones which were allowed were cut off several times due to “time constraints,” however, in presenting their case against us, Brown allowed itself over 10 hours to interview their witnesses, until midnight during finals period.  One of the most serious charges levied against us was that of injuring University personnel. It was alleged that protestors injured Brown police officers during the action. Bizarrely, injury reports filed submitted as evidence were filed more than a week after the protest despite that all injury reports clearly state that reports MUST be filed within 48-hours of the incident. Those who filed the injury reports revealed that they filled said reports only after being asked by higher-ranking officers and admitted never having their injuries verified by medical personnel. President Paxson, I can honestly tell you I have never assaulted a police officer, it’s just not me. Unfortunately, despite having no witnesses, or photographic/video evidence, I was found guilty of injuring a Brown University police officer.  I, along with the other students involved, was told I had to sign a confidentiality agreement. We requested our confidentiality be waived and for the hearing to be open (as recommended by the Brown chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union) and were told it could not be waived for our own good and protection. Where was Brown’s commitment to the free exchange of ideas here? Why were my supporters and detractors robbed their ability to be completely informed of nature of Brown’s “established processes for resolving alleged violations of the Code of Student Conduct[?]” This is not a series of rhetorical questions.  While I do hope you take the time to read my letter and that you fully understand that the University’s disciplinary processes are beyond unfair to student activists, I must admit I did not write this letter for you. I wrote it for the students who stand to be punished for standing up for what’s right. I want them to know that there is a supportive community of alumni, alumni that learned of Brown’s fundamentally unfair judicial processes first hand, and we want to help in any way we can. I can be reached at [email protected]  Atilio Barreda Brown University Class of 2012  P.S. I did not sign the confidentiality agreement.

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if you are: gay, imagine if ray kelly was a radicalized russian bigot. jewish, imagine if ray kelly was a neo-nazi physically or mentally handicapped, imagine if ray kelly was a eugenicists female, imagine is ray kelly was weininger, nietzsche, or kant if you can imagine this, then perhaps you too can imagine the rage of certain communities when brown university PAID ray kelly, one of the most racist human beings on the planet, to come discuss, legitimize, and validate his racism. perhaps you too can imagine. for as the poem goes: "then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak..."

+ Okezie Nwọka '10

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When Dolorus Umbridge Comes To Town: On Paxson's Letter to the Brown Community

As I predicted a few weeks ago, the recent campus protests against Ray Kelly and his Stop & Frisk policies have elicited a strong reaction from both the University and President Paxson. 

A PhD student from University of Southern California analyzes President Paxon's email and her future plans.

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Change Magazine | The Positive Effects of the Ray Kelly Protest

Change-Magazine is your on-the-ground source for activist news and analysis. Analysis of the positive effects of the Ray Kelly protest.

An article from one of the main organizers of the protest, Justice Gaines '16, regarding the protest and its criticisms.

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Letter from the President

President Paxon sent out another community email regarding the formation of another committee -- this time regarding the disciplinary actions of the protest organizing committee [11/06/13]

November 6, 2013

Dear Members of the Brown Community,

On October 29, 2013, a planned public lecture and opportunity for questions and answers with New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, hosted by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, was interrupted by members of the audience, which included members of the Brown and broader Providence communities.

The campus discussion of this incident has been difficult. The day after the lecture, I held a forum at which more than 600 students, faculty, and staff came together to talk about the episode. I learned a great deal from this and subsequent discussions. It is impossible not to empathize with our students who strongly object to stop-and-frisk policies and racial profiling. Their feelings, in many cases based on personal experiences, are visceral, raw and genuine. I also understand the concerns of students and others who were upset and affronted that they did not have the opportunity to hear Commissioner Kelly speak and to ask him questions. These different points of view have resulted in an intense debate about whether, in some cases, disrupting a campus lecture is an acceptable form of protest.

I strongly believe that Brown must be a place that supports the free exchange of ideas, even if it means making space for points of view that are controversial or deeply upsetting. The central mission of Brown is to discover, communicate and preserve knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry. Ideas, expressed in writing and in speech, are the basic currency of the University’s work. Impeding the flow of ideas undermines Brown’s ability to fulfill its mission. Making an exception to the principle of open expression jeopardizes the right of every person on this campus to speak freely and engage in open discussion. We must develop and adhere to norms of behavior that recognize the value of protest and acknowledge the imperative of the free exchange of ideas within a university.

This view is laid out in the Brown Code of Student Conduct, which all students indicate acceptance of before enrolling. The section on “Protest and Demonstration Guidelines” states the following:

“Protest is a necessary and acceptable means of expression within the Brown community. However, protest becomes unacceptable when it obstructs the basic exchange of ideas. Such obstruction is a form of censorship, no matter who initiates it or for what reasons.”

  The Guidelines describe acceptable means of protest, such as picketing, as well as unacceptable means, such as interrupting or halting a lecture, debate or any public forum. To prevent similar episodes in the future—something we must do—these standards of conduct will be upheld and enforced.

The University bears responsibility for the events of last week. Brown hosts controversial speakers on a regular basis. Clearly, something went awry in the planning and oversight of this particular lecture. There is a need to establish the simple facts of what happened and why, so that this kind of episode does not recur.

Given the extraordinary nature of these events and the multiple strands requiring review and discussion, I will establish a Committee on the Events of October 29th that will be charged with making findings and recommendations to me in two phases. In the first phase, which will conclude quickly, the Committee will review the activities and circumstances related to the October 29 lecture and identify issues that may have contributed to the disruption.

In similar episodes that have occurred at Brown in the past, students who violated the Code of Student Conduct have been asked to accept responsibility for their actions. After the findings from the first phase of the Committee’s work are complete, we will determine whether individuals or organizations involved should be referred to the University’s established processes for resolving alleged violations of the Code of Student Conduct.

In the second phase, the Committee will address the broader issues of campus climate, free expression, and dialogue across difference that have been the context for much of the discussion and activity of the last week. Specifically, the Committee will make recommendations regarding how the University community can maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for all of our students while upholding our deep commitment to the free exchange of ideas.

The Committee will include five members of the faculty, two undergraduates and one graduate student and will receive staff support from the Offices of Student Life and General Counsel. I will appoint the members of the Committee in consultation with the Faculty Executive Committee and relevant student groups.

It is clear from the many conversations that I have been part of over the last week that the Brown community has many issues to work through together. I am encouraged by the spirit of the discussion that is now taking place on campus. Students, faculty and staff are engaged in necessary and intense conversations about issues of race, class and privilege; the value of protest in driving social change; and the importance of free expression on a college campus. These conversations underscore the importance of the free and open exchange of ideas around society’s most difficult questions, and they make us stronger as a community.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson

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Daily Orange | Brown University student protests prove millennial "slacktivist"€™ label incorrect

Recent student protests at Brown University have proven that millennials are anything but "€œslacktivists."

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Providence Police Misconduct Project by Brown University ACLU

Info Session: Providence Police Misconduct Project From Brown ACLU  Are you interested in combating racial profiling, sexual harassment, illegal searches, and other forms of abuse by law enforcement? Join the Brown American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday, November 5th at 9 PM in J Walter Wilson and help us hold Providence police accountable! A brief history of the citizen complaint process in Providence will be provided, as well as an overview of our current methods.

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I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail

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Brown Daily Herald | Powers '15: Defend free inquiry at Brown

As a university, we need not actively support and represent each and every voice, but we should not disregard them, and we should not suppress them.

Andrew Powers '15 shares his opinion on the debate around "free inquiry"

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Brown Daily Herald | Letters: Kelly was not silenced

There is a long, honorable history of disruptive protest that is part of the tradition of political democracy.

Professor of English, William Keach, stands in solidarity with protesters.

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Gordon '14: Kelly protesters empowered the voiceless - Brown Daily Herald

The thought process of those who dismiss the shouting down of New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as “inarticulate” or “myopic” is fundamentally shallow.

Casey Gordon '14 shares his opinion on the protest.

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Brown Daily Herald | Letters: Protest blocked free speech

I strongly oppose stop-and-frisk. Notwithstanding this opinion, I abhor behavior that prevents a speaker at Brown from expressing his or her views.

Chancellor of the University, Emeritus, Stephen Roberts '62 shares his view.

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To the people who say they wanted to hear what Kelly had to say, His voice is loud and clear every single day. But if you want to hear his planned speech, it is online. Look it up yourself and do it in your own time. Because listening to hate speech is a waste of mine. I deserve to be here; Ray Kelly does not. For my entire high school career, Brown was what I sought. I worked hard everyday, missed out on sleep to get here. But Kelly got to Brown by instilling fear. By securing white privilege, Expanding the gap between different lineages. By deciding that white equals good and brown equals bad, So yes, President Paxson, I’d agree that this day was sad. My school’s administration welcomed a racist man For reasons I’ll never truly understand. But I do understand some things, and this is what I’ll say: Dr. Paxson, you’re white, so to the police, you’re okay. You can understand rationally that Kelly’s ideas are wrong, But you never have to worry if your son is out for too long That maybe today is the day his freedom will be gone. It is easier to listen to racist comments when you aren’t the victim, But as a black woman I just can’t stand them. For years they made me hate the color of my skin, Made me want to be white so I would fit in Made me want to not be judged I just wanted white skin so I could be loved. Because words hurt, you know. So now I can’t just go with the flow. Words aren’t as innocent as they may seem; They hurt and they dehumanize and they make people bleed. To the person who said Yale welcomed Rick Santorum and we can do better, I say I agree, and that’s why I’m writing this letter. I will not tolerate racist ideas that have led to minority oppression, I will not tolerate waiting until questioning Kelly is in session. I will not tolerate racist speech at a white president’s discretion. I will not tolerate Kelly’s racist views because he has “freedom of expression.” Why should I wait until I am fully in the white man’s possession, Always having to be twice as good to make a good impression, Unable to fight back with any form of aggression, Watching my minority male friends be stopped-and-frisked in succession, Making me fall everyday into a deeper depression. Trying to understand how violating minorities could become a profession, Trying to figure out how harassing minorities has become an obsession Excuse me for my digression. But you know what, here is my Brown University Confession: To the freshman who said blacks and Hispanics commit more crimes, I’m sorry to say I believe you must be blind. Because the mass incarceration of black men Only proves that this system is not our friend. Just because white crimes aren’t reported as often doesn’t mean they’re not guilty So dare I say that your assumption is filthy. Dear Mr. Freshman, your logic is flawed, And coming from a Brown student, I’m slightly appalled. To the person who smugly said “getting searched by a policeman equals life ruined,” You should get informed before you speak because this fact has been proven. Talk to Azeem, who has been stopped and frisked thirty times, And never once committed a crime. How would you like to not be able to put up a fight When a cop tells you, “I hoped you would have had something so I could lock you up tonight.” Talk to the mothers whose sons have been killed during stop-and-frisk, Talk to the young men whose lives are always at risk. To those who say this gave our school a bad reputation, Do you think this was what MLK worried about in the Civil Rights situation? Do you that think he said to himself, “Most people don’t like the Freedom Rides, let’s try something else.” Do you think he said “Oh, this KKK meeting isn’t canceled? That’s okay. I’ll just patiently wait for the Q and A.” I’m not saying Kelly is as bad as the KKK, clearly he’s not. I’m saying they are both racist, and both need to be fought. As a woman of color, I refuse to take orders from a predominantly white administration Telling me when it’s acceptable to fight against minority violation. We can ask questions that are tough, But that’s not enough. I promise you Kelly’s prepared. He has answers to all the questions you may want to share. Tough questions alone wouldn’t have garnered national attention. Some people think we’re fascists and communists, and not to mention Spoiled, elitist, closed-minded, but if we care more about reputation than justice, Then the idea that I go to an open-minded school will be missed. I support free speech to a certain extent, But when it leads to racist action, then that I must resent. I can’t accept “free speech” that violates me, That degrades me and my people who still aren’t completely free. That makes me feel like I’ll never be good enough no matter what I do Because I can never change my skin color, and I’m sorry if brown skin offends you. I can’t accept “free speech” that leads to unfair policy, That makes my people lose their privacy. To the person who made the sarcastic Brown confession: I wish you would take an Africana lesson Because “You don’t agree with us? You’re racist” is not what the protesters were saying. “We don’t want racism to have a voice,” is the message they were conveying. To the freshman who once asked to call black people Negroes, responding to you is a must. You said the protesters believe “NO ONE is allowed to disagree with us.” But they believe that many things are up for debate But debate about racism is the one thing they refuse to tolerate. To the white male student who was brave enough to post a quote by MLK Thank you for making my day. Excuse me while I diverge from my rhyme scheme because I want people to hear this most of all. I understand the desire to have a civilized discussion, but a discussion that includes the viewpoint of a racist is by default uncivilized. King said the “The Negro’s greatest stumbling block in his stride towards freedom is the white moderate who says, ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action,’” the white moderate who “prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.” Tough questions are great, but we need change now. We need to make a statement, and the protesters knew how. Tomorrow is not good enough for the Hispanic boy who will be physically harassed today. Tomorrow is not good enough for the Muslim who’s now ashamed of his turban, so I say-- A Q&A is not good enough for Tatiana who now has no father Because a policeman decided that a black man on New Years Eve is too much a bother. Watch “Fruitvale Station,” and maybe you’ll understand That someone needs to stop this Ray Kelly man. Oscar Grant was killed and now will never have a voice, Now he can’t speak up, now he doesn’t have a choice. When will Kelly’s victims be invited to speak at Brown? When will our administration let their voices be loud? I’m embarrassed to say I was not part of the protest; I was a passive bystander as the Brown administration tried to let Kelly justify his mess. I sat in my dorm as Brown students were prepared to hear the case for racial profiling. I sat in my dorm as the administration welcomed racist views, all the while smiling. I sat in my dorm as my campus was about to be poisoned with hate speech, As a man perpetuating the racial divide was about to attempt to "teach." To those upset that the protesters didn’t let Ray Kelly speak, I’m sorry it offended you that some people value a just campus over free hate speech. Words matter, And when people respect hateful words because it’s someone’s “opinion” it just makes me sadder. To the person who said, “Wait until there is a question and answer part of the program,” I refuse to wait another minute to take a stand. To the Brown alum who is “appalled at the behavior of [phe’s] alma mater’s students,” I’m sorry that you found the protesters imprudent. Does justification of racial profiling--er, "proactive policing"-- qualify as “important conversation?” I’m sorry that I just don’t see that correlation. To the person who said that the protesters “employ[ed] playground tactics to hurt [Kelly’s] feelings,” I have some sources you may find appealing. Watch a Youtube video as Kelly's boys bend back a teenager's arm. Talk to 88% of stop-and-frisk victims who are innocent and maybe you’ll be alarmed. Sorry that you find Kelly’s feelings more important than the safety of men of color, And I just hope you’re not a black boy’s mother. To the person who tried to justify Kelly’s policies by saying on Brown Confessions as you hide “They are proven to be effective and save human lives.” You forgot to mention the lives they take away, They instill they in minorities every day. And to the people still defending stop-and-frisk, There are so many things wrong I could list Starting with: it’s probably not you who’s at risk, Knowing that if the police use violence you can’t raise a fist Because as you may know, this law is racist, Targeting young men of color who “fit the description,” Being judged by skin color and their cultural diction, They are stopped-and-frisked by police with conviction That based on appearance they can make a prediction. To those outside the Brown/Providence community, Please do your research and take this opportunity To learn about all viewpoints regarding this whole situation Before assuming that our university is a disgrace to the nation. So in conclusion, thank you Jenny Li and those who helped the protest succeed. You’ve made me proud to be a member of Brown University Class of 2017.

"An Ode to the Protesters" by Claire Detrick-Jules '17

[hello-kongkong]

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my university tells me that I have received a degree with distinction

but they will award the same diploma to the boy next to me: the one with one letter

and six figures away from me,

the one who invited a war criminal to speak at dinner sophomore year and called her

“an inspiration,” the one who just accepted a job offer with a business

that left hundreds of thousands of people starving, but at least hires gay people and liked the format of his resume —

the way that the blank parts are so beautiful like the silence

necessary to graduate from a university where we are assigned so much reading that

we forget how to speak, forget how to feel, graduate from a university

where we forget how to poor, forget how to brown, forget how to human

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Kasiem Just Wants to Move Freely Without Fear

by Terrance Pitts & Rashid Shabazz

Kasiem’s first stop-and-frisk happened when he was thirteen and on his way to school.

“You want to end up in jail?” the police asked the frightened teen, as they searched his pockets.

Since then, the Brooklyn teen has endured seven more of these episodes.

Released today, Kasiem’s story is the first of four short documentaries in the Where I Am Going series, launched by Communities United for Police Reform. Each tells how an ordinary New Yorker—Kasiem, a police officer, a mother, and a clergyman—has been affected by the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy.  [Continue reading article.]

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"On April 15, 1974, William Shockley, the Nobel laureate who believed that blacks were less intelligent than whites, was supposed to debate William Rusher, the publisher of the National Review, at Yale University on the topic: “Resolved: That society has a moral obligation to diagnose and treat tragic racial IQ inferiority.” The debate never occurred." [LA Times]

As a result, a commission was formed to discuss freedom of expression within the University and published this report.

An flashback to another point in time which the freedom of speech discussion happened and the "civility" language was invoked

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Bluestockings | Round 2: More Letters to Paxson

President Paxson,

In labeling the actions of Ray Kelly protestors as “indefensible,” you demonstrate a radical lack of empathy for why students (many of color) might prefer to silence a racist voice in this country rather than, as usual, be silenced by one. Your use of “indefensible,” I think it’s fair to say, is itself racist.

You don’t have to change your mind about whether you think protesters should have shut down Kelly’s lecture. You should, however, interrogate your white privilege enough to come up with at least one defense of their actions. You should listen and understand how offensive it is for you (a rich white woman in power) to so totally dismiss the anger felt by a group of students and Providence community members (some poor, many of color, all relatively disempowered). That group refused to sit quietly and patiently while an architect of white supremacist policing got paid to lecture at, not debate with, them.

Rewind to this weekend when a group of people (mostly rich and white) politely decided that we should continue to invest in an industry paid to explode mountains; pollute the air; and drive climate change, all of whose effects disproportionately decimate low-income communities and communities of color.

Sometimes, I believe what we need most is impatience, not politeness. These protests worked. They drew attention to the issue of Brown’s uncritical invitation and the policy of stop-and-frisk. They sparked a conversation that outmatched any value a lecture and subsequent Q&A might have had. They drowned out racism in favor of student-community solidarity.

If you hope to lead this University, then you must do better.

We are waiting,

Kurt Ostrow, ’13.5

For more: http://bluestockingsmag.com/2013/11/01/round-2-more-letters-to-paxson/