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U. Utah Students Object to Addition of Campus Police Office at Student Union

U. Utah Students Object to Addition of Campus Police Office at Student Union

“This is supposed to be our safe space”

The anti-police rhetoric here is breathtaking. Students object, claiming that police make them less safe.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

University of Utah students reject adding a campus police office to the student Union building

For more than two hours, they lined up to speak, passing the microphone around the packed university classroom where every seat was filled and more squeezed in to sit cross-legged on the floor.

Most who came were students of color. A few identified as LGBTQ. Some said they are survivors of sexual assault.

And, when it was their turn, nearly every one suggested the same thing: The communities they come from — the most marginalized on campus and the most vulnerable — would be the most impacted if a police satellite office were put in the student Union building here at the University of Utah.

“This is supposed to be our safe space,” pleaded senior Puneet Singh. “I will not go to the Union any more if cops are there.”

The controversial proposal came from a U. student government leader, who suggested designating $30,000 to open the extra police office as the senior gift from the 2020 graduating class. Vice President Gabe Martinez argued that after student-athlete Lauren McCluskey was murdered on campus in October 2018, many have been critical of campus police and the project could help rebuild that relationship.

More than 70 others joined Singh in speaking out against it Thursday night before the student senate unanimously voted against moving forward with the plan.

“We don’t trust the police,” Singh said, waving a blue poster from the back of the room. His sign included McCluskey’s name next to the phrase “inept cops.”

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Comments

“I will not go to the Union any more if cops are there.”

I hear a lot of criminals say things like that.

Lucifer Morningstar | February 29, 2020 at 12:25 pm

Fine. Just withdraw all law enforcement on campus and let the shit hit the fan in whatever manner it’s going to happen. And then when these same precious snowflakes complain that nothing’s being done just remind them that they “don’t trust the inept police” and therefore none will be provided on campus for student security.

Fuck ’em all. If these precious snowflakes don’t want the police around then don’t pay the police to be around.

You truly cannot fix stupid.

Your Mormons! You’ll be fine with the police!

The Friendly Grizzly | March 1, 2020 at 9:17 am

I’ll side with at least some of the students here. I don’t know how it is now, but back in my college days, campus police comprized local PD rejects. They acted like occupation armies, looking for trouble, and causing it when none could be found. “Aff-leetz” got a free pass; the geek student was a far easier target.

johnnycab23513 | March 1, 2020 at 1:57 pm

Students are entitled to an opinion, but the final decision should be left to their betters.

Aren’t these the same people who complain about their safety? How do they think the university will ensure safety without police? The woke crowd isn’t going to provide it.