I’d like to take a moment to remember Scout Schultz, who was shot by police outside of the dorms of GA Tech this Saturday. They later passed away on Sunday.
I see no reason a student holding a multi-tool knife needed to be shot - and I have to wonder why weren’t the officers given less lethal weapons?
Scout did a lot to help the LGBTQ+ community, both on the GA Tech campus and here in Atlanta, acting as President of the Pride Alliance for GA Tech. They were such a strong advocate for equal rights, and I’m just shaken up and sad to hear about all this. I just...don’t know what to say or think.
The Georgia Tech student's death highlights the need for better mental health resources for LGBTQ college students, some advocates and health professionals say.
Trigger warning: This story contains difficult themes of police brutality and mental illness. Proceed with caution.
Scout Schultz, the president of the Pride Alliance student group at Georgia Tech, was shot and killed by campus police over the weekend. The circumstances surrounding Scout’s death are horrifying, and a vigil in their honor Monday night led to protests.
Scout, who was intersex and nonbinary, was killed late Saturday night after approaching police officers holding what police believed was a knife. Before that, Scout had called 911 to report a person “skulking around outside” with a gun or a knife. When Scout was shot, they were yelling “Shoot me!” at police. Scout’s family said their child was going through a “mental breakdown” at the time and that the officer didn’t need to shoot.
Violence broke out after a vigil for Scout on Monday. Dozens of people marched to the campus police headquarters afterwards. A police car was set on fire, and several officers were injured.
In the wake of Schultz's death, Georgia Tech has made counselors available and shared the number for the Georgia Crisis and Access Line, which has social workers and counselors on call 24 hours per day.
"In the face of tragedy with what happened with Scout, I think colleges need to take a step back and figure out why a situation like this happened," Sontag said. "They need to see whether there are opportunities to move forward, to provide training — not just for police on campuses on how to respond to the most distressed students — but also for the faculty and staff be able to recognize students who may be in distress and providing resources to them to help them get connected to services on campus."
The Schultz family said they hope a civil suit and an investigation will give them answers to the questions they have surrounding Scout's death. They also noted that Georgia Tech's campus police currently don't carry tasers, and they said they hope their child's death might bring about policy change on campus.
The Trevor Project runs a confidential 24/7 helpline and online chat for young people. The helpline can be reached at 1-866-488-7386.
This is a devastating loss for Georgia Tech’s LGBTQ community, under awful circumstances. Sending thoughts of peace to Scout’s family and loved ones, and hoping there is a path for justice through all of this. Rest peacefully, Scout.
We will continue to answer the calls to fight in Scout’s memory. ACAB FOREVER
Submission from the Queer Coffee Run crew, received on September 21st, 2017.
On Wednesday morning, we dropped two banners at the University of Pittsburgh. They read, “From Pitt to Georgia Tech: Disarm the Police, Arm Your Desire” and “Solidarity with St. Louis and Atlanta: Fuck the Police.” The first was hung from student dorms, the second from condemned housing near campus – we hope the symbolism is clear. Later that night, after campus police arrested a student protestor during coordinated disruptions of a right wing “debate” on immigration, we linked up with two other crews to beautify campus with chalk and flyers [just a heads up, the link is from a right-wing student news site, and it’s kinda hilarious]. Another crew from the autonomous student network tells us they also tagged and wheatpasted the Oakland area on Tuesday night.
We are deeply saddened and angered by the murder of comrade Scout Schultz by Georgia Tech campus police. As a small crew of radical queer youth and accomplices, we recognize that Scout could have been any one of us. We too struggle daily with and against our mental health; we take these actions as part of that struggle. We will continue to answer the calls to fight in Scout’s memory [1, 2, 3, 4], one of which reads:
To anyone who is enraged, grieving, or who stands against the police and the murderous system they protect, we call for actions in solidarity with our fight here in Atlanta. To anyone who is fighting for liberation: in the coming days, fight with Scout’s name on your lips, on your banners, and in your hearts.
We are also enraged, but unsurprised, by the continued impunity of racist police in St. Louis. Rest in Power, Anthony Lamar Smith.
We’re profoundly inspired by the uncompromising militancy of the resistance in both these cities. There is no dialogue to be had with those who continue to write our murderers’ paychecks, nor are there negotiations to be made with the forces of hetero-patriarchal white supremacy, capitalism, the state – Power.
To quote This is Not a Dialogue –
Maybe you missed this, but you’re not in a dialogue. Your views are beside the point. Argue all you want—your adversaries are glad to see you waste your breath. Better yet if you protest: they’d rather you carry a sign than do anything. They’ll keep you talking as long as they can, just to tire you out—to buy time.
They intend to force their agenda on you. That’s what all the guns are for, what the police and drones and surveillance cameras are for, what the FBI and CIA and NSA are for, what all those laws and courts and executive orders are for. It’s what their church is for, what those racist memes are for, what online harassment and bullying are for. It’s what gay bashings and church burnings are for.
This is not a dialogue. How could you be so naïve? A dialogue—from which some of the participants can be deported at any time? A dialogue—in which one side keeps shooting and incarcerating the other side? A dialogue—in which a few people own all the networks and radio stations and printing presses, while the rest have to make do with markers and cardboard signs? A dialogue, really?
You’re not in a dialogue. You’re in a power struggle. All that matters is how much force you can bring to bear on your adversaries to defend yourself from them. You can bet that if you succeed, they will accuse you of breaking off the dialogue, of violating their free speech. They will try to lure you back into conversation, playing for time until they need no more stratagems to keep you passive while they put the pieces in place for tyranny.
This isn’t a dialogue—it’s a war. They’re gambling that you won’t realize this until it’s too late. If freedom is important to you, if you care about all the people marked for death and deportation, start taking action.
The early bird avoids the cops,
Queer Coffee Run – Autonomous Student Network [QCR-ASN]
REST IN POWER, SCOUT IT’S A SIN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
“Love and Rage to student rebels at Georgia Tech – RIP Scout – Fuck Cops (A)”
Click HERE to learn how to support Georgia Tech student rebels.
Scout Schultz was a piece of shit. If you are suicidal, that does not make you a bad person, but if you deliberately engineer a situation where someone else is forced to kill you, and they have to live with that guilt for the rest of their lives because of you, you are a fucking coward, you are disgusting, and the world is better off without you.
Oh dear, we’re getting nasty, aren’t we anon?I was wondering where your anger was coming from. I can see that you blame the victim for what happened. In fact, you see the police officer as the victim, not Scout. Hmmn.I too am sorry for the officer - I am sorry for the entire situation. For Scout’s family, for the officer and their family, for all the students who had to watch one of their own be shot down right out in front of their own dorms. How scary that must have been for them.
It is all very, very sad.
However, I maintain my stance: I firmly, strongly believe that if the officers had been given non-lethal means of restraint (which I think they actually did have pepper spray, please correct me if I’m wrong), and had been thoroughly and PROPERLY TRAINED on how to handle those who are mentally unstable, or unwell, then the end result of this tragic event would never have taken place. Because even if (and I personally don’t believe it but you clearly do) Scout had manipulated the situation with the specific intent on getting an officer to shoot them, the police would’ve understood how else they should respond, and would’ve done so accordingly.
Conversations, the likes of which you and I are currently having, are also very sad. Those words you sent to me in your message should never have even been thought of, much less written down - because they are indicative of a very troubling, deep-seated problem within our police force, both here in Atlanta and around the rest of the United States, on how they handle and approach the mentally unwell and those who so desperately need help.
Police NEED to be trained on how to appropriately respond to situations like this. Because in the end, without it, everyone suffers - from the person who’s shot, to the officer that pulled the trigger - and everyone who ever loved either person, too.It’s all sad, anon. All of it.
im literally on the verge of tears because i was stupid and went into the comments on the video of the scout schultz shooting and FUCK so many people were making jokes at their expense and calling them “it” like SOMEONE IS DEAD YOU INSENSITIVE FUCKS
A year after his arrest, JT has had his charges dropped--but that does not undo the year of anxiety and court dates, or the time he spent in jail. Police lied to fill out his arrest warrant, contradicting clear video evidence. Now that he has beaten the charges, the next step is to sue the lying cops to hold them accountable. Please help us raise $500 to file the initial lawsuit papers.
Background:
Two nights after the Georgia Tech police killed Scout Schultz, the student leader of the LGBT alliance, there was a protest on Georgia Tech's campus. In the following weeks Georgia Tech police arrested three students who had been at the protest although none of the three had broken any laws. All three were already known to Georgia Tech Administration for prior protest activity, and although the protest had been mostly white, all three of those arrested afterwards were black. It was a year before the charges were dismissed, and in that year one of the other arrestees committed suicide.
In order to arrest JT at his own house two weeks after the action, police had to fill out a warrant swearing that he had obstructed justice and incited to riot, although their own video evidence clearly contradicted the statements in the warrant. Why would they be so reckless? One possibility is they are so unused to being held accountable for their actions, they do not fear any repercussions for lying on a court statement. Forcing the police to answer for these actions will not only get JT some justice, it will protect protesters and others frequently victimized by police in the future. Please donate what you can, and spread the word. Any funds not needed for JT's lawsuit will go to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to help other social justice protesters facing charges: Atlsolidarity.org.
