Students of the University have taken steps to ensure recent issues in the national spotlight garner attention on Grounds.
Ferguson & Police Brutality
The police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri sparked outrage among members of the Charlottesville community, who joined together in a series of events to speak out against police brutality and racial profiling. Days into the semester, Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo spoke at a forum titled, “Can Ferguson Happen Here?” at the Ebenezer Baptist Church off West Main Street.
“This is an evil world, and evil things happen — and when they do, I need to call upon certain equipment and resources to keep us safe,” Longo said. “But when it’s used, ask why.”
Black Presidents Council and the University’s chapter of the NAACP staged a “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” photo as part of a national initiative sponsored by the NAACP’s national chapter.
After the police officer who shot Brown was not indicted by a Grand Jury, the Black Student Alliance and other groups of University students organized a series of response demonstrations, including a candlelight vigil.
When a subsequent grand jury decision in a different case did not indict an officer who fatally choked Eric Garner, an African American man in New York, more than one hundred students took to Mad Bowl, University libraries, and Carr's Hill to demonstrate against police brutality and advocate for increased racial equality.
Midterm Elections
Weeks before the midterm election, Student Council's Legislative Affairs Committee encouraged voter registration and awareness in a voter registration drive. Similarly, University Democrats and College Republicans conducted “Get out the Vote” operations via phone calls and going door-to-door to encourage citizens to vote on the day of elections.
Israel-Palestine conflict
CIOs Hoos for Israel and Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine spoke out regarding the tumultuous events in the region during the summer.
“We’re a very open group,” third-year College student and Hoos for Israel President Kayla Pomeranz said in August. “We do not advocate one specific solution because it’s important to talk to the other side and negotiate. As a group, we think future solutions need to be realistic in providing peace for all the involved parties.”
Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine have held discussions on the issue. They created a visual display last spring: a mock wall outside of Newcomb Hall covered with statistics and accounts of injustice against Palestinians. The wall represented the Israeli blockade on Gaza and the West Bank.
Read More
‘Unite The Right’ rally, protests in downtown Charlottesville turns deadly
By Anna Higgins , Tim Dodson and Daniel Hoerauf | August 13, 2017“This is not our story,” Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said at a press conference.
McAuliffe condemns white supremacists, violence in Charlottesville
By Tim Dodson | August 12, 2017The chaotic events in downtown Charlottesville became deadly when a car plowed through a crowd near the Downtown Mall.
One dead, 19 injured after car plows into crowd of counter-protesters following ‘Unite the Right’ rally
By Anna Higgins , Tim Dodson and Daniel Hoerauf | August 12, 2017One person is dead and 19 people are injured after a car plowed through a crowd of counter-protesters in the aftermath of Saturday’s “Unite the Right” rally downtown.
