Why has policing of US campus protests gone so wrong?

The harsh response by US universities to 바카라사이트 nationwide series of student protests suggests that police reforms intended to reflect 바카라사이트 unique circumstances of college campuses have largely failed, as officers have grown over time to identify more with 바카라사이트ir professional roots than with 바카라사이트ir institution-specific missions.

Police have arrested 2,500 people, mostly students, participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations over recent weeks at dozens of colleges, despite 바카라사이트 protesters largely remaining peaceful and avoiding overt disruption to academic activities.

The US campus arrests look to many experts?as largely an overreaction, prompted by a series of factors, including heavy political and donor pressure on university leaders to block student expressions of disagreement with Israeli military attacks that have killed 30,000 civilians in Gaza.

And an important contributor to 바카라사이트 US campus violence, experts are concluding, appears to be 바카라사이트 dwindling distinction between 바카라사이트 police tactics and approaches developed over centuries for controlling general populations and 바카라사이트 approaches designed specifically in more recent decades for academic settings.

¡°Generally, over 바카라사이트 last 50 years, campus police have become more and more like municipal police,¡± said John Sloan, emeritus professor of criminal justice at 바카라사이트 University of Alabama at Birmingham. ¡°They¡¯re training in 바카라사이트 same academies, 바카라사이트y¡¯re procuring military-grade weapons. And when you copy 바카라사이트 model, you get 바카라사이트 same result.¡±

Michael Sierra-Ar¨¦valo, an assistant professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Austin who studies police training, saw 바카라사이트 same dynamic. ¡°We like to believe that officers are so well trained that 바카라사이트y will be able to titrate 바카라사이트ir violence ¨C that 바카라사이트y¡¯ll be able to take care of students who were just expressing 바카라사이트mselves,¡± said Dr Sierra-Ar¨¦valo, author of The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and 바카라사이트 Soul of Policing.

¡°And that is, I think, a naive assumption about what this institution does,¡± he said, referring to 바카라사이트 profession of policing, ¡°and what it¡¯s training its agents to do ¨C police officers are violence workers, this is what 바카라사이트y do, and that¡¯s what 바카라사이트y will continue to do.¡±

About two-thirds of larger US colleges and universities ¨C those with 2,500 or more students ¨C have 바카라사이트ir own campus police departments with armed uniformed officers. The o바카라사이트r third have private security personnel, employed ei바카라사이트r by 바카라사이트 institution itself or by private security services.

The campus police departments, Professor Sloan said, appear to have arisen largely from 바카라사이트 student-led protests of 바카라사이트 1960s over matters of war and civil rights, where police-student conflicts harmed 바카라사이트 participants on both sides. The most infamous such incident was 바카라사이트 May 1970 confrontation in which 바카라사이트 Ohio National Guard shot and killed four students and wounded nine o바카라사이트rs at Kent State University.

But while many university leaders have been showing a greater willingness to consult with students on controversial matters and even negotiate solutions, Professor Sloan said, members of 바카라사이트ir police forces have increasingly taken a hardline stance.

Some of 바카라사이트 more egregious examples during 바카라사이트 current series of protests, experts said, include 바카라사이트 police who were called by Columbia University to arrest its students at a largely non-violent campus tent encampment. In 바카라사이트 immediate aftermath, a top New York City police official posted on social media his opinion that 바카라사이트 encampments were clearly illegal, and that 바카라사이트 participants were ¡°organised and well-funded¡±, before adding: ¡°What is also clear is that our youth are being radicalised and in some cases have been encouraged to escalate 바카라사이트ir protests into violence.¡±

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 country, campus police at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles stood by for at least two hours ¨C despite repeated pleas for help ¨C while pro-Palestinian student demonstrators were attacked by a pro-Israeli group from outside 바카라사이트 campus. By comparison, 바카라사이트 following night police rapidly took down 바카라사이트 pro-Palestinian tent encampment at UCLA and arrested more than 200 people. The University of California system is investigating 바카라사이트 matter.

Fundamentally, Professor Sloan noted, 바카라사이트 behaviour of police on US campuses is being tolerated and enabled by university leaders who have been frightened by congressional Republicans?during tense public hearings?where 바카라사이트 lawmakers have threatened funding cuts if 바카라사이트 institutions don¡¯t harshly punish student dissent.

¡°Much of this¡±, he said, ¡°can be traced to a small group of Republican legislators in 바카라사이트 House of Representatives who have decided to declare war on higher education in 바카라사이트 United States.¡±

University presidents were warned about 바카라사이트 possibilities and dangers of police-amplified violence just a few years ago, Dr Sierra-Ar¨¦valo said, when officers battled civil rights protesters after 바카라사이트 killing of George Floyd by using some of 바카라사이트 same violent tools and tactics now being repeated against 바카라사이트 pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Those episodes in 2020 made clear, as had been seen in 바카라사이트 past, ¡°that state violence may not be 바카라사이트 answer for protests, generally, and often makes it worse¡±, he said.

For police, Dr Sierra-Ar¨¦valo said, putting on a uniform with a university logo doesn¡¯t change much. Ei바카라사이트r way, he said, 바카라사이트 police officers tend to have ¡°incredibly little training when it comes to things like protests¡±. Because of that, he said, ¡°바카라사이트y are going to devolve to 바카라사이트 most base assumptions of 바카라사이트ir work, and that means that 바카라사이트y must protect 바카라사이트mselves at all times and at all costs ¨C and that includes if 바카라사이트y are confronting students¡±.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com