The Yale Police Union distributed flyers to incoming students, warning them of crime on and around campus which features a figure that looks like the Grim Reaper.
Leaders at Yale and the city of New Haven are not happy about it.
FOX News reports:
Yale police union hands arriving students Grim Reaper flyers about crime near campus: ‘Good luck’The Yale Police Union in New Haven shared a bold public safety flyer, complete with an image of the Grim Reaper, with students arriving at the Ivy League university’s campus this week.Yale and New Haven city officials criticized the “misleading” pamphlets, which say crime in the southern Connecticut city is “getting worse.””This weekend, the Yale Police Union, which is currently in contract negotiations with the university, handed out misleading pamphlets to Yale students as they moved into their residential colleges,” Yale said in a Monday statement. “These pamphlets included disturbing and inflammatory rhetoric about the safety of Yale’s campus and its home city of New Haven, aimed at creating fear among new students and their families.”The flyer notes that “murders have doubled, burglaries are up 33% and motor vehicle thefts are up 56%” — statistics that come from the New Haven Police Department.”Nevertheless, some Yalies do manage to survive New Haven and even retain their personal property,” the pamphlet states, adding, “Good luck,” along with a list of safety tips, such as “[s]tay off the streets after 8 p.m.,” ‘[d]o not walk alone” “[a]void public transportation” and “[r]emain on campus.”
The New Haven Register has reactions:
New Haven, Yale officials, police decry flyers questioning students’ safetyThe flyers, which officials said were created and distributed by the Yale Police Benevolent Association, “were distributed during Yale University’s annual move-in day this past weekend and aimed to create fear and stoke public safety concerns among new students and their families,” an advisory notice said.The officials, including Mayor Justin Elicker, city Police Chief Karl Jacobson, Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell and members of the Board of Alders, joined other community members to address their concerns Tuesday on the steps of Yale’s Woolsey Hall at 500 College St…Elicker called the flyer “totally offensive” and said it was not an accurate reflection of the city and the wrong way to welcome people to New Haven.”When you welcome someone to your community, you embrace them and support them,” said Elicker, pointing out that the flyers were distributed at what should have been one of the happiest, most celebratory days of new students’ lives. “You don’t invite fear.
The offended parties are trying very hard to downplay the idea of local crime while blaming this on the Yale Police Union, which they claim is unhappy with pay negotiations.
If you watch this video report to the end, you’ll notice that they downplay the idea of local crime, but admit at the very end that homicides in the area have doubled since last year.
Featured image via YouTube.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY