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Reactions mixed over arming police
by Anya Bergman
News | 9/25/07
Posted online at 9:03 PM EST on 9/24/07
/ Last updated at 5:24 AM EST on 9/24/07
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The recent decision to arm University police officers has been met with varying reactions from students.
Those who support the move stress the need for police to be as prepared as possible, while some of its detractors said they plan to organize efforts to engage students and faculty and ultimately try to reverse the decision.
Some students interviewed said they opposed the presence of guns on campus while also respecting the administration's desire to create a safer campus.
Still other students said they object to the lack of community involvement in the decision-making process and have concerns over police behavior.
University President Jehuda Reinharz made the decision two weeks ago after a firearms advisory committee that met five times over the summer recommended to arm Brandeis police officers. This development came in the wake of the shootings at Virginia Polytechnic Institute last April, but Brandeis police argued on past occasions that they needed guns to protect themselves and the student body.
Several students expressed concerns about the new policy at a forum among activist club leaders held Sunday in the Castle Commons.
Ben Serby '10, the Activist Resource Center's liaison for Democracy for America, said his group is opposed to both the decision itself and how the administration made it. He argued that arming officers would increase the likelihood of inappropriate coercion by the police and would instill a culture of fear among students.
"The answer to gun violence is not further proliferation of firearms," he said. "We feel that this decision will result in a higher level of fear on this campus among...members of the community."
"We're somewhat dismayed by the decision on the part of the University to do this in this manner when one of the core bedrock principles of the University in its own words is social justice," Serby said.
DFA, along with Students for a Democratic Society and Students for Barack Obama, will work to reverse the decision to arm officers, Serby said. They plan to petition, hold ralleys and get professors who don't support the decision to reach out to the administration, he said.
Those who support the move stress the need for police to be as prepared as possible, while some of its detractors said they plan to organize efforts to engage students and faculty and ultimately try to reverse the decision.
Some students interviewed said they opposed the presence of guns on campus while also respecting the administration's desire to create a safer campus.
Still other students said they object to the lack of community involvement in the decision-making process and have concerns over police behavior.
University President Jehuda Reinharz made the decision two weeks ago after a firearms advisory committee that met five times over the summer recommended to arm Brandeis police officers. This development came in the wake of the shootings at Virginia Polytechnic Institute last April, but Brandeis police argued on past occasions that they needed guns to protect themselves and the student body.
Several students expressed concerns about the new policy at a forum among activist club leaders held Sunday in the Castle Commons.
Ben Serby '10, the Activist Resource Center's liaison for Democracy for America, said his group is opposed to both the decision itself and how the administration made it. He argued that arming officers would increase the likelihood of inappropriate coercion by the police and would instill a culture of fear among students.
"The answer to gun violence is not further proliferation of firearms," he said. "We feel that this decision will result in a higher level of fear on this campus among...members of the community."
"We're somewhat dismayed by the decision on the part of the University to do this in this manner when one of the core bedrock principles of the University in its own words is social justice," Serby said.
DFA, along with Students for a Democratic Society and Students for Barack Obama, will work to reverse the decision to arm officers, Serby said. They plan to petition, hold ralleys and get professors who don't support the decision to reach out to the administration, he said.
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alum
posted 9/27/07 @ 2:54 AM EST
How dare the Obama group get envolved in this issue. They have no right to use his name in an political issue with out his permission. I know that Senator Obama is not against armed police. (Continued…)
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