Campus Police Were ‘Immediately Violent’ at Protest for Diversity at Florida University, Say Students
“It’s just kind of surprising that they met us with such force right from the beginning,” one student told Jezebel. “We didn’t really have a chance to leave.”
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This week, a student protest led by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of South Florida devolved into a tussle after campus police intervened, with videos showing four protestors—three of them students—being arrested. Not unlike the scores of other recent demonstrations at colleges across the state, Lauren Pineiro, a representative from the group, told Jezebel via phone call that the students were protesting Governor Ron DeSantis’ attempts to ban diversity and inclusion initiatives in schools outside of the office of Rhea Law, the university’s president.
“We were only in there [the building wherein Law’s office is located] for maybe two minutes before the Chief of Police, Chris Daniels, approached us and was immediately violent, Pineiro told Jezebel. “Everything just kind of evolved from there.”
The group’s demands were simple, Piniero explained. First, they wanted the university to continue its search for a Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)—an effort that was halted in the wake of DeSantis’ January announcement that he would defund Critical Race Theory (CRT) and DEI initiatives and push legislation to prohibit state schools from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Then, the group asked that the university reinstate the DEI committee in the College of Arts and Sciences. (All six members of the committee resigned in 2020 after claiming they were being ignored by the administration.) Lastly, the students demanded the administration release a public statement outlining its commitment to protect diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and to condemn DeSantis’ attacks.
“Black enrollment is declining, and is actually the lowest it’s ever been in the last 14 years, at 9.1 percent,” Pineiro added, noting that it’s a central concern for the group. Records listed on the university’s website confirm the population has dwindled from 12 percent in the 2008-2009 school year, to 9.5 percent in 2021-2022, the last recorded school year. (Representatives from the university did not provide comment, instead directing Jezebel’s request to campus police.)