Detroit Equity Action Lab questions role of police, asks for greater transparency, accountability of Wayne State University Police Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 13, 2018

Contact:

Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL)

(313) 577-3620

detroitequityactionlab@gmail.com

DETROIT—Outside of the Wayne State University Law School on Nov. 13, 2018, where the Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) is housed, Wayne State University Police (WSUPD) arrested an elderly Black man, who was seeking legal help, after receiving a distress call by Law School staff who felt threatened. A group of officers forcefully restrained the man in front of the main entrance to the building on W. Palmer Street. Due to the large number of officers present, a crowd of students, faculty, and staff had gathered to observe the interaction. DEAL employees were among those present, and one employee posted a video recording of the tail end of the incident on social media. Based on our observations and the resulting video, what transpired is troubling and calls into question whether and when such police actions and protocol are appropriate.

WSUPD released a statement to the campus community saying that officers acted within their protocol and treated the man with respect. Whatever the protocol may be, it is difficult for us to reconcile the level of force employed with authentic notions of respect and dignity. According to our employees’ accounts of the situation, the man was unarmed and peacefully asserting his right to be there. Despite this, a WSUPD officer approached the man from behind with handcuffs while he along with four other WSUPD officers surrounded the man and then restrained him to the ground.

This incident raises several questions. While we appreciate the importance of members of the University community feeling safe, there need to be deeper discussions of what real sources of safety are and how they can be actualized. We imagine that many people observing the incident, particularly students of color, did not feel more safe. We must consider whether there are better ways to address problems like these that do not entail the police, but rather include other options, such as employing other trained professionals. If police are present, we must consider whether the presence of such a show of force inevitably leads to escalation rather then de-escalation.

Then, there is the ever-present question of race. It is no accident that so many of these incidents involve people of color. We must consider whether a white individual would have been treated in the same manner, either in the nature of the perceived threat or in terms of the aggressive measures used to assert control. Wayne State University is in a majority Black city that aspires to maintain this proud distinction. The University should aspire to be national leaders in finding constructive alternatives that are not always predicated on the threat and use of force.

We also need to ask questions about greater accountability and transparency around the University. According to our research, the Campus Safety Advisory Council, the body that is supposed to be responsible for handling citizens’ complaints, is no longer in operation. Furthermore, although the WSUPD has wide jurisdiction throughout the city, and all the responsibilities and authorities of the Detroit Police Department, the WSUPD is not subject to the oversight of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners. Taken together, this general lack of oversight presents a troubling picture of a department with great power, but little accountability to the campus community or general public. We need more accessible, transparent, and effective means for people to report unjust policing practices on campus. We need to consider how we can have constructive conversations about these issues and the effects this particular incident has had on students, faculty, and the larger community.

Some steps forward are obvious. Wayne State University should operationalize the Campus Safety Advisory Council. The University should make sure that there are clear and readily accessible means for citizens to file complaints against WSUPD. Finally, the University and the City of Detroit should include WSUPD under the oversight of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners.

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The Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) raises the profile of racial justice issues, connects community experts to build collective power and amplifies the voices of Detroiters. DEAL connects community experts working on the ground to fight structural racism in Detroit. Through collaborative research and analysis, DEAL builds a shared understanding of how structural racism functions in Detroit and how it can be dismantled using a racial equity lens. Through media and communications strategy, DEAL transforms the narrative by centering racial equity in conversations around and coverage of communities of color.