“Safety” or Silence — On Increased Police Violence on College Campuses

While protests and activism can happen anywhere in the United States–from the streets, to digital spaces or even your front porch—college campuses have historically served as a space for college students to practice their freedom to assemble and advocate for causes they believe in. From protesting against the Vietnam War and racial segregation to organizing sit-ins, student activism has played a huge role in shaping the state of our world today. However, since its inception, peaceful campus student protests have been vulnerable to threats by law enforcement who often use violent tactics in attempts to silence the voices of students.

At North Carolina Central University, five students were detained on April 16 following a rally held on campus in protest of the university’s poor housing conditions. The protest, which was organized by the Student Panthers, a student-run revolutionary collective based in Durham, North Carolina, aimed to put pressure on the university’s administration to address the ongoing housing crisis. 

“People are living in very unsafe conditions that can cause many illnesses, and, you know, other problems that we just don't want our students to have,” a member of the Student Panthers chapter said in an interview with GENZiNE. “So we decided to get together to basically do this rally for students to speak out about how they felt about their housing conditions.”

The organization and outside organizers' primary intention was to raise awareness about the housing conditions at NCCU. Despite the rally’s peaceful intentions, police were called by the campus administrators to shut down the planned protest. 

“Before we even started, the police were already there. And this wasn't just from our campus. This was from Durham city police, UNC Chapel Hill police, they were already there, moving around, walking around, basically trying to intimidate people,” the member said. 

According to the member’s account of the event, both a student and a professor who were not involved in the organization were tackled and detained. Another student who had used a megaphone to voice their concerns was also met with violence – pushes and shoves – from officers. Members of the Student Panthers attempted to talk with the police to see what could be done to stop the violence. 

“Some of our members went to go talk to the police to ask, What can we do for y'all to stop doing this?,” the member said. “So they tell us, if we move to the student center, we will leave y’all alone. So we marched to the Student Center. We're literally outside, not doing anything, and two more students get arrested.”

The incident that took place at North Carolina Central University is just one of hundreds of examples of police violence enacted against campus activism. Over the past year and half, students all over the U.S have set up campus encampments in protests of U.S. involvement in the ongoing genocide against Palestinians. From Columbia to Yale and Tufts University, thousands of students have joined forces to declare solidarity with the millions of Palestinian men, women and children suffering at the hands of Netanyahu’s governance. 

These encampments were also subject to police violence – zip ties and rubber bullets were just a few of the many violent tactics officers deployed against peaceful student protests. Faculty and professors were also vulnerable to this violence, especially those who wanted to show support for student protestors. 

Barbara Dennis, a professor in the School of Education at Indiana University Bloomington was among one of the faculty members arrested during the April 2024 student pro-Palestine encampment. The Indiana State Police had been called by the President of the university and arrived with snipers pointed at students after being called by campus administration to stop the encampment. Dennis put her body behind a police officer holding a sniper and in front of a student in attempts to protect them from being attacked by the officer. 

“I was so angry at the university, because I felt like they (police officials) asked me to put my body between a weapon and a student,” Dennis told GENZiNE. “I felt like they put me in the position to have to risk my life, when I've had a good one, so that some 19 year old or 20 year old student behind me gets a chance.”

Police presence on college campuses traces back to 1884, where Yale University established its first campus police department. Officers initially served as “watchmen” to address the rise in vacancy and theft and protect the university’s property. It wasn’t until the 1960s—during the Civil Rights Era–when more campus police departments were implemented. Officers’ presence on college campuses shifted from the original “watchmen” intention to a role that aimed to control and manage student protests, especially those related to the Vietnam War and civil rights for Black Americans. 

Dennis says that no matter the intention, heavy police presence and associated police violence has never fostered a safe environment for students. Instead, it creates an atmosphere of fear amongst students, discouraging them from exercising one of the most important First Amendment rights. 

“One thing they're saying is, ‘anything you have to say doesn't matter to us, and that's like saying you don't matter to us, and whatever their interests are that are more important,” Dennis said. “I think, you know, there's a kind of veil, like we're doing this for safety. But the most unsafe I ever felt on that campus was when we had snipers on the roof and war weapons on the meadow.”

The height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 brought forth conversations about the role of police officers. These conversations centered on whether police forces have drifted away from the “protecting public safety” role they claim to play, instead veering towards an institution that thrives off committing violence against marginalized groups. The same critiques can be made about their presence on college campuses—why has it become acceptable for police to commit violent acts in an environment that was created to foster learning and growth?

The solution to this issue is clear — police presence has no place on a college campus. In a learning environment where it is encouraged to have conversations whenever disagreements arise, college administrations should be willing to speak face to face with students if they are not fond of students’ peaceful actions. Handling non-violent forms of protest by sending police officers to harm students shows that college administrations lack the skills and resources necessary to resolve conflict. 

With the trajectory of this country under Trump’s administration, colleges play an important role in serving as a breeding ground for civic engagement and democratic participation. To limit this First Amendment freedom for college students robs them of the ability to speak out against crucial national and worldwide injustices.

To all college administrators – from the president to the dean – don’t risk a healthy relationship with your student body by calling on law enforcement to counter peaceful protests with violence. Communication goes a long way, and fostering conversations about issues that your college students care about is way more effective than creating a culture of fear and violence.