On September 12, a Safety and Security officer from St. Catherine University brought his personal firearm on campus and accidentally shot himself in the shoulder, but rather than coming forward with the truth, the officer blamed an African American man in a hoodie. Tuesday’s forum on Race, Security and Moral Panic lead by Criminal Justice Professor Jason Sole offered a space for students to discuss their reactions on the incident.

Senior Tottiana Duffy was one of the two student leaders that facilitated the event, and felt that it was productive.

“I would say it was very impactful to be in a room full of people who had similar concerns as my own. It gave a space for students to be able to express themselves in a safe environment, and talk about some of the issues that stemmed from the event that took place at St. Catherine University.”

Junior Gabrielle Brown, the other student leader running the event, also agreed that having the space to discuss the issue was important.

“Having spaces for individuals to be vulnerable is important and necessary, especially for groups that are marginalized. Having the opportunity to  be authentic about being a POC (person of color) in all white spaces during these harsh times is essential for unity amongst our community.”

The forum began with participants going around in a circle and explaining their reactions. Words like annoyed, angry, sad and frustrated, were frequently used among the group.

Brown says that she feels sad about the incident, but comforted by the fact that she can confide in her Hamline community.

“My reaction to the incident in its entirety is sadness in the fact that to blame a black body in America seems to be default. After having this raw conversation with my peers I feel lighter knowing I can go to my community for support.”

After sharing reactions to the shooting, Hamline Safety and Security officers read a statement from the Head of Safety and Security, Andrea Vircks, as she was  unable to attend the event.

The statement addressed the safety and security side of the situation, contemplating how the Safety and Security officers working at St. Catherine’s must have felt during the situation. This created some backlash from the participants of the event, as they were hoping that she would touch more on the racial component of the situation.

Vircks said that she was surprised that there was a negative reaction to her statement, and that she was misinformed about what kind of statement she should have issued to the forum.

“There was a misunderstanding of the perspective the organizers wanted me to contribute to the conversation… I would have liked to be there in person to clarify,” Vircks said.

Vircks said that she deeply regrets not being present in order to explain her statement, and didn’t mean to cause any harm.

“I wish I would have been there; I regret and I’m sorry that the reflection that was shared caused mistrust and harm, because trust between me, the officers and the community is of the utmost importance,” she said.

Vircks also commented that what happened at St. Catherines’ not representative of her or her department at Hamline.

“I do not condone the officer’s action, not reflective of me, my values or beliefs, or the officers here; we don’t support racial profiling or stereotyping; we don’t support it, condone it, justify it in any way.”

After discussing Vircks’ statement for a while, the event ended with a poem read by junior Drake Singleton. This poem summarized the complexities and emotions surrounding race in difficult times filled with racial discrimination.

 What’s the actuality of reality?

By: Drake Singleton

What’s the actuality of reality when the real remain unspoken

Loss of truth remains problematic in perception

Always know this

What’s your perception

How do you perceive

How do you believe

When this world is constantly throwing lies

How do you perceive

How do you believe

Does it take real eyes to realize

That deep down inside

You can’t hide your true emotions

Although the lies may not be present I think it’s time to open

A little white lie

Turned to a world wind of fire

Trees burst and erupt into flames

Almost as if something backfired and went

horribly wrong

What’s the difference between glory and ahhs

Turn the news channel it’s just more of it on

Headlines associated with a black man’s face usually depicts the image in which can’t help our case

But rather gain a negative perception so when you see my face

That you see more than just my race but the words that are captioned underneath  …thug…gangster…criminal…

Every day I walk out the front door mentally preparing myself to endure these thoughts and even words from others only shown by their faces…

Blank stares..

Looks of disgust…

Fear in the eyes of some..

But most importantly the feeling of being looked past because you just don’t fit the “ideal” image of what it is to be “ideal” in America……….unless you’re fitting the description…

Perception feed through a straw called media gives large influence to the thought of what is ideal or the thoughts that we perceive

But..

What’s your perception?

How do you perceive?

How do you believe?

What’s the actuality of reality when the real remain unspoken

Give us truth rather than perception

Just so tired of the hatred and neglection that it just makes it easier for us to take the blame

Even if it’s a fake story the news reporter won’t have to endure the flames

What’s worse than the pain of actuality that or is it the pain of perception that we call reality

Courtesy of Drake Singleton