When state police arrived to break up a protest against the war in Gaza, a handful of faculty members volunteered to stand between officers in riot gear and demonstrators with umbrellas.
“These are our students on their campus. Hey, hey, hey, hey! He’s a professor!” shouted one as officers sprayed protesters with pepper spray.
That video and others were part of a presentation from faculty members who felt the university’s president was wrong when he explained the need for police.
Professor of Religious Studies Oludamini Ogunnaike concluded.
“Many of us who were present on Saturday believe it was the police who rioted and were aggressive – not our students or community members.”
His colleague, David Edmunds, agreed
“I saw one protester I thought was having seizures because of the chemical agent that was sprayed on her. I saw another student roughly thrown to the ground.”
And nursing school Professor Kathryn Laughon was surprised when Campus Police Chief Tim Longo explained that he had asked state police not to use tear gas but, instead, to rely on something he considered a safer option – pepper spray.
“The pepper spray started immediately. I was far from it, but I could still feel its effects. There were already people coming past, grabbing their eyes, in pain, and I just started flushing eyes, and for the next few hours that’s what I did.”
UVA President Jim Ryan said his decision to summon state police was linked. In part, to reports of non-students joining the protest.
“Four men, dressed in black, carrying large backpacks and wearing helmets entered and remained in the encampment. At least two of these were known to law enforcement personnel as participating in violent acts elsewhere in the Commonwealth.”
But Professor Laura Goldblatt said she was privy to many conversations with Longo who never mentioned that.
“They talked a lot about policy violations, signs in trees, tents, but he did not say to me that they were concerned that there were dangerous people within the camp itself.”
There were, perhaps, 45 protesters on hand, but none of the faculty members could think who those mystery men might have been. Professor Walter Heinecke said the mood had been peaceful until city and county police arrived, and even then he thought calm could be restored.
“At about this time there are e-mails and calls going out to President Ryan to come de-escalate the situation and engage with campers.”
But Ryan was convinced students did not want to talk.
“They sent a set of demands Friday," he recalled. "We responded with a note inviting further conversation, and after thirty minutes in red ink they replied, ‘Bu#@%#&*!” That gives you a sense of the unwillingness and lack of interest in engagement.”
Professor Ogunnaike thought the whole episode was due to political polarization. In fact, he said, everyone should oppose the killing of civilians.
“More children have been killed in Gaza in the last few months than in all the wars of the last four years combined. Whatever your politics, this is simply unacceptable. We should not and must not continue business as usual. This calls for protest. “
Ryan and Longo spoke to the faculty senate’s executive committee on Thursday – a largely supportive group of about 15, and the full senate will meet today to discuss the situation. Some professors are already calling for a censure of President Ryan, while others feel he should step down. One long-time faculty member said he had not seen this level of anger from fellow professors since the board of visitors fired and re-hired UVA President Teresa Sullivan more than a decade ago.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
