UMD campus safety measures clash with Black student leaders' demands

UMPD auxiliary vehicle parked at Preinkert Drive on Feb. 14, 2024. (Razak Diallo/The Black Explosion)

Public safety measures announced by President Pines meant to address campus tensions conflict with some of the demands made by Black student leaders.

Pines’ introduction of “immediate next steps” in an email sent on Nov. 27, 2023, addressing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, contradicts the commitments made to Black student leaders defined three years ago, causing concern among the Black community.

The two commitments in conflict with the new policy are to “reevaluate and reduce the excessive funding to UMPD publicly” and to “end the militarization of UMPD and sanctioning safe residential halls by removing armed police and decreasing their presence,” as stated in the “University Partnership on Critical Issues Defined by Black Student Leaders.” 

Despite the dashboard launching nearly three years ago, the statuses of these issues state, “in progress”. 

The University of Maryland Police Department has increased its visible presence on campus, augmented campus patrols, and expanded additional staff to its auxiliary police unit. The policy change by the university is reportedly in response to the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia. 

However, the new campus safety measures have generated friction among Black students. 

Thadean Thomas, a senior journalism major at the university, has encountered the new auxiliary staff since the implementation of the expansion.

Thomas said that real police officers replacing auxiliary staff could endanger the Black community on campus.

“I don’t think that’s the direction we should go into,” she said. “It’s mostly Black men our age stopped by police officers.” 

“You have to think about the safety of the students,” said Mason Minus, the president of the Black Student Union. “You also have to think about the students who are at risk of being racially profiled by the police.”

“There have been students on campus that have already been racially profiled even before the increase of police,” he said.

To properly address the entire UMD community, Minus said the university would need to protect all groups of students, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. 

“I hope that all people are being protected, and not just specific people on this campus,” Minus said. “Some individuals are safer than others because of the color of their skin.”

Minus said he understood the call for increased police because of the state of the community amid the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“I recognize that we're in a period right now where there is cultural angst,” he said.

However, Minus said there was a contradiction concerning the critical issues and requests to decrease UMPD's presence. “If you're saying specific things to the public and doing the complete opposite, there's a problem.”

In response to the concern, the university said, “Much progress has been made on the [memorandum of understanding] between UMPD and Student Affairs on mental health and students who are in distress, as well as a student advisory board.”

UMPD ensures community policing training, covering diversity and inclusion and fair and impartial policing, Lt. Rosanne Hoaas said. 

To continue to foster connections with the UMD community, UMPD co-hosts community events in partnership with Stamp along with Lights On!, a program “aimed at healing relationships between communities and law enforcement agencies,” she said. “The safety and security of our community is always our top priority.”

Connor Perkins, a junior media and communications major, said the contradiction was clear and that the community would have benefitted from communication about the university’s goals and changes in direction.

“I don’t know if it’s fair to say that, because it’s contradictory, it’s a step they shouldn’t have taken,” Perkins said. Instead, he said that the administration could’ve acknowledged the contradiction.

Minus also said that there must be more transparency between the administration and students when addressing changes in goals.

“I'm more confused and interested to know why there hasn't been more of an effort to talk to the public,” Minus said. “As leaders, it's important to ensure that you're talking to those you're trying to lead.”

The dashboard launched in March 2021, was created after the increased social unrest and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

According to the page, the university will “continue to work with students to understand the genesis of concern.”