As a wave of protest encampments sweeps the nation's academic institutions, the police have been cracking down with brutal, entirely unnecessary force.
At Emory College, a Black student was held down and repeatedly shocked with a taser by police officers and an economics professor, Caroline Fohlin, was thrown to the ground and had her face slammed into the concrete by police officers. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the students.
Today we were trying to build an encampment … We were out here chanting peacefully … All of a sudden a huge patrol of police … basically swarmed the entire crowd. Students of color were significantly targeted throughout the process. There were Black students that were being tased, there were Black students who were being teargassed. I got teargassed as I was trying to leave the protest," recounted one Emory student, Bella.
Demand an end to the police brutality at Gaza protests!
These students are out here protesting their academic institutions' financial involvement with the perpetrators of some of the worst atrocities of the 21st century. They are exercising their First Amendment rights and deserve better than to be brutalized and abused by jack-booted thugs who are supposed to be protecting their rights, not restricting them.
The rapidity with which the police deploy violence against protestors is deeply disturbing indeed. The Justice Department needs to step in and take action to make sure that these kinds of abusive incidents don't happen again.
Demand the police stop brutalizing peaceful protesting students and teachers!
