DN|Blog

The spin on racism

Posted April 25th, 2006. By News. In News.

Racism has been a buzzword around Ball State University’s campus this year.
From people yelling racial remarks out of cars to the many, many events the university and other organizations have sponsored, racism has been a major topic of dicussion.
Less than a month ago, a group of about 75 Ball State students were playing a game of midnight tag on Lafollette Field. The University Police Department received numerous calls complaining of loud noises, so officers went to disband the game. The students were told to leave, and the officers thought they did. However, UPD received more calls later about noise problems. Once again, officers went to break up the group of students who had reformed by Worthen Arena.
Students said the officers were disrespectful and forced them to leave.
Of course these students were forced to leave.
They were disrespecting the community by being loud late at night, and they were also breaking the law by violating the city’s noise ordinance. The officers had every right to tell them to break it up. They had done it once before, and by not listening the first time, the students were showing disrespect for the officers by restarting their game.
Students also said that the officers had been racist by treating the black students differently from other students.
Students held a rally the next day where they marched to the police station while chanting and making speeches about racism on campus. However, when students actually filed complaints about the officers’ handling of the incident, not one complaint referred to racism. If the officers did exhibit some racist actions, why didn’t the students submit a complaint about that? Instead, the complaints addressed the officers using inappropriate language and forcing the students to leave.
The university did as it should have and investigated the complaints. It was proven that one of the officers used profanity when addressing the students. He used the phrases “get the hell out of here” and “get your asses out of here”,” Heather Shupp, executive director of University Communications, said.
The officer was verbally reprimanded, as university rules specify. No evidence of racism was found during the investigation.
A story done by TV station WTHR-13 from Indianapolis on the investigation did not come out and say this was a racism issue, but it was heavily implied.
For example, the story said “13 investigates on the discipline and a noise ordinance that is not so black and white.”
This story, like the story in the Daily News, also addresses the issue of one student, sophomore Jocelyn Jackson. Jackson, who happens to be black, received the one noise ordinance violation ticket during the night’s events. She was walking away from the scene next to freshman Amanda Clifft, who happens to be white. The two woman say Clifft yelled out “Ball State police shoot to kill.”
Officers thought Jackson had yelled it out, not Clifft, so they cited Jackson, the students said. Neither said they thought officers cited Jackson because of her race.
The story on WTHR-13 strongly implied it was a racial issue in its coverage. Footage of two students, one black and one white, walking together was shown with a voiceover saying “two young women walk a path of justice together.”
Everyone is making this situation into a racial issue, but no proof has been given. Complaints were filed, an investigation has been completed, and nothing has been found to say that this had anything to do with race.
If this is a racial issue, and someone has proof, I hope they come forward and share it. If not, I hope people will stop sensationalizing events such as this.
Shame on the TV station for making an already tough situation on Ball State’s campus worse by emphasizing only the negative aspects of this incident and not fairly reporting the story.
-Submitted by Emily Ortman, News Editor