Fighting for our Right to Party
While I remain a lukewarm Beastie Boys fan I had an experience last week here at EMU that has brought one of their most famous songs to life. I would like to preface the following account with these contentions: Dangerous and out of control parties call for a police presence. Parties that involve minors consuming drugs and alcohol call for a police presence. Parties that involve the eruption of violence call for a police presence. The event that I am addressing was none of the above. Being only five months removed from the loss of a fellow EMU student Keith Cholette, due to a possible drug and alcohol overdose, I certainly understand the need for diligence concerning safety in and around our University. That being said, I find it absolutely ludicrous to break up a well-under- control graduation party in which EMU faculty were in attendance. What is worse is that the police arrested one of the only African-Americans in attendance: while she was walking away, as she was directed.
The party I am writing about took place on the evening of May 1st of this year. It was the graduation party of a friend a few blocks off campus. I am not much of a party person myself but I knew there would be a number of people I would like to see there including one of my favorite professors. Most of the parties I have been to in college are just plain obnoxious. Many of them are so loud it is impossible to carry on or even start a conversation. People are crammed in wall to wall with no room in between- it is easier to write a term paper than try to get from one side of the room to the other. Unlike many of the parties I have been to here in Ypsi this one in particular was quite pleasant.
When the Police arrived at about 1:30am I was having a conversation about the U.N. with two of the teaching faculty here at Eastern. Unless you are John Bolton this isn’t exactly worthy of a call to the local law enforcement agency. And besides last I checked pontification is well within our rights as Ypsilanti residents. The party had died down quite a bit at this point. The band that was playing had stopped about 45 minutes prior when people left the area in which they were performing in favor of finding a place to talk. A quick glance around the room I was standing in revealed two professors, two symposium presenters, and three students in the honors college. While I don’t intend to say these qualifications exclude one from leading a wayward life of crime I am saying that this was not a typical party packed full of freshman and rowdy drunkards. We were a bunch of adults hanging out, listening to music, and talking about our plans for life after college. It was quite civil and rather enjoyable.
When YPD showed up we were told everyone who didn’t live in the house had to leave. The host of the gathering and recent EMU graduate conveyed this message to the partygoers and subsequently everyone began to slowly file out. Here is where things start to get exciting. An EMU honor student, Sakina Hughes approached the officers and asked what was going on. It was a perfectly legitimate question but apparently the officers didn’t like this too much for they wouldn’t even let Sakina go in and retrieve her belongings. She was told that she had to leave but was unable to go in and get her jacket and purse? When her friends were unable to find her things they allowed her to go in and look. When she came back out and was standing on the public sidewalk she was told she had to leave or face trespassing charges. Trespassing on a public sidewalk? When Sakina complied and started to walk away one of the officers grabbed her firmly by the arm and put her under arrest. He was excessively forceful given that there was no attempt to resist or elude the officer.
The entire situation is ridiculous. Nobody at the party was doing anything wrong. We were simply a group of responsible students celebrating the graduation of a friend. The Ypsilanti Police Department website expresses their organizational values to be Integrity, Professionalism, Commitment and Compassion. None of which were present that night. What I witnessed were overzealous officers arresting students for no good reason. It seems that the police department would have better things to do on a Saturday night than arresting students for being black and asking questions.
The party I am writing about took place on the evening of May 1st of this year. It was the graduation party of a friend a few blocks off campus. I am not much of a party person myself but I knew there would be a number of people I would like to see there including one of my favorite professors. Most of the parties I have been to in college are just plain obnoxious. Many of them are so loud it is impossible to carry on or even start a conversation. People are crammed in wall to wall with no room in between- it is easier to write a term paper than try to get from one side of the room to the other. Unlike many of the parties I have been to here in Ypsi this one in particular was quite pleasant.
When the Police arrived at about 1:30am I was having a conversation about the U.N. with two of the teaching faculty here at Eastern. Unless you are John Bolton this isn’t exactly worthy of a call to the local law enforcement agency. And besides last I checked pontification is well within our rights as Ypsilanti residents. The party had died down quite a bit at this point. The band that was playing had stopped about 45 minutes prior when people left the area in which they were performing in favor of finding a place to talk. A quick glance around the room I was standing in revealed two professors, two symposium presenters, and three students in the honors college. While I don’t intend to say these qualifications exclude one from leading a wayward life of crime I am saying that this was not a typical party packed full of freshman and rowdy drunkards. We were a bunch of adults hanging out, listening to music, and talking about our plans for life after college. It was quite civil and rather enjoyable.
When YPD showed up we were told everyone who didn’t live in the house had to leave. The host of the gathering and recent EMU graduate conveyed this message to the partygoers and subsequently everyone began to slowly file out. Here is where things start to get exciting. An EMU honor student, Sakina Hughes approached the officers and asked what was going on. It was a perfectly legitimate question but apparently the officers didn’t like this too much for they wouldn’t even let Sakina go in and retrieve her belongings. She was told that she had to leave but was unable to go in and get her jacket and purse? When her friends were unable to find her things they allowed her to go in and look. When she came back out and was standing on the public sidewalk she was told she had to leave or face trespassing charges. Trespassing on a public sidewalk? When Sakina complied and started to walk away one of the officers grabbed her firmly by the arm and put her under arrest. He was excessively forceful given that there was no attempt to resist or elude the officer.
The entire situation is ridiculous. Nobody at the party was doing anything wrong. We were simply a group of responsible students celebrating the graduation of a friend. The Ypsilanti Police Department website expresses their organizational values to be Integrity, Professionalism, Commitment and Compassion. None of which were present that night. What I witnessed were overzealous officers arresting students for no good reason. It seems that the police department would have better things to do on a Saturday night than arresting students for being black and asking questions.
posted by Griff197 at 3:19 PM
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