College at Odds With Students Over Plan to House Police for Cleveland Convention

Even though its campus sits nearly five miles from the arena hosting the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Case Western Reserve

University on Monday announced a virtual shutdown of its operations next week for the convention’s duration, citing concerns that last week’s shootings in Dallas, Louisiana and Minnesota could provoke a “significant degree of conflict” in the city.

But students believe the decision to essentially close the campus relates to protests over another safety issue — the fear created by having 1,900 armed police officers and National Guardsmen housed in campus dormitories. They are part of an auxiliary force that will assist the Cleveland Police Department during the convention.

Students voiced their objections to the police presence during campus forums last week and in a Change.org petition, “Student Safety During Riot Police Occupation of Case Western Reserve University.”

“The primary concern is the safety of the campus community,” said Taru Taylor, a Case Western Reserve law student from Washington D.C. and a co-author of the petition. Mr. Taylor, citing police misconduct in Cleveland and across the nation, said he was concerned that by agreeing to house the police, the university was implicitly siding with them.

“Also, there’s a sense in which the university should be a scholarly environment, a sanctuary from the police state,” Mr. Taylor said.

The petition demanded that the police store their gear and weapons off campus; that they not enter university-owned buildings other than their assigned dorms; that they not use alcohol or mind-altering drugs; and that they abide by campus rules governing sexual harassment, anti-discrimination and the use of weapons.

Nearly 350 people had signed the petition as of Wednesday.

As one of them, Shannon Groll of Cleveland, put it: “As an alum of C.W.R.U., I relied on feeling safe in my identity on campus. I am scared and concerned for students of color, queer* and trans* students and all university community members at the mercy of an arbitrarily expanded police force without clear oversight or attachment to the community. Please, protect C.W.R.U. as a safe space for all bodies.”

And another, Keith Fitch, also of Cleveland, wrote:

“I am deeply troubled by the presence — even temporarily — of a militarized police force on the C.W.R.U. campus.”

All Credit: The Newyork Times