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The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

VIEWPOINT: Reform GUPD Practices

VIEWPOINT%3A+Reform+GUPD+Practices

Reporter Kurt Bardella works for Our Daily Planet, is a former Republican turned Democrat and also hosts a country music website called the Morning Hangover. However, that’s not why I know Kurt Bardella.

I know him as the reporter who was accosted by the Georgetown University Police Department on the first day of the Climate Forum 2020, Sept. 19.

My friend and I received press passes to attend the climate change forum and arrived at Healy Hall by 7:30 a.m. to get them. Doors did not open until 8:30 a.m., though, so we waited on the stairs outside Gaston Hall.

At the time of the incident, I knew him as an Our Daily Planet reporter and later described him to my friends as a person of color who was wearing jeans and a “Friend of Our Daily Planet” T-shirt. I only learned his name after he tweeted about the traumatic incident that I and others witnessed. 

While we were waiting, we saw Bardella jog up the stairs without a press or staff badge, not noticing the four to five GUPD officers trailing him. As Bardella attempted to explain that he was staffing the event, an officer grabbed his arm and Bardella broke free. Chaos ensued. 

We saw the officers pin Bardella to the floor, knocking his glasses off while yelling at him to stop resisting. They put him in handcuffs and only asked if he required medical attention after the fact. Although someone from MSNBC vouched for him, he was still arrested for assaulting an officer. He was eventually released from custody, but whether or not he will face charges is still unclear. 

In that moment, I felt the urge to run away, vomit or both. I felt helpless because not only was I paralyzed by fear, but also if I intervened, I would likely get caught in the crossfire. 

GUPD’s action of pinning down an unarmed man feels grossly disproportionate to what was a misunderstanding. Maybe Bardella could have been more cooperative in complying with their requests, but nothing he did warranted such a harsh and violent response. 

Police aggression and brutality may be a harsh reality that many live in, but that does not mean we should tolerate it. Reading stories of police brutality will always painful, and witnessing them is always traumatizing. 

GUPD has a history of racial profiling and police brutality — in the past, several students of color have reported that they have been stopped to prove their university status while on campus. This is why when, a little over a year ago, someone had suggested arming GUPD, people of color across campus became worried for their lives. 

These incidents of police brutality and harassment at Georgetown are not isolated, but rather symptomatic of the larger systemic racism that exists within America. When I was growing up, I was always taught to be wary of police officers and to comply with their requests, even when it seemed excessive. For people of color like myself, this was the only way we could protect ourselves. I carried this lesson with me when I came to Georgetown to avoid any tense confrontation that could lead to my arrest. 

While the Georgetown administration cannot do much to mitigate police brutality incidents across the United States, it can retrain GUPD in conflict resolution. In a university that values people for others and a community in diversity, we must do better to make all people of color feel safe on this campus. Visitors and students alike should be able to be on campus without having to worry about being stopped arbitrarily by GUPD.

Bardella’s tweets about the incident have since gone viral, and I am now working on a witness statement to help him pursue legal action. Although the incident was and continues to be a source of pain for me, I am writing this article in hopes that it will help Bardella gain closure. 

Before we talk about arming police officers on a campus where that has never been warranted, we should tackle the real issues of unnecessary aggression and racial discrimination that exist within GUPD.We must promote strong security on campus while improving the physical and mental safety of students who currently feel unsafe in their presence. Unfortunately, Bardella is not the first to have had such an unpleasant interaction with GUPD. However, if constructive institutional reforms about conflict management are made, he can be the last. 

Varsha Menon is a junior in the School of Foreign Service.

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  • R

    Rational Hoya 2021Oct 1, 2019 at 10:51 pm

    Are you accusing black cops of forgetting that they have ancestors who were slaves? Please check your privilege. In trying to defend poc your comment is radiating racism.

    How ahistorical and offensive to the African American people–these cops are working class disadvantaged minority citizens with children who are just discharging their duty. Your comment accuse police of color who YOU DON’T KNOW of being racist is itself racist because you are painting some cops with a broad stroke of a brush.

    This was literally not an issue of race but of protocol, training, and following directive. You cannot lapse in judgment and evade the police when the next POTUS is sitting in the building.

    Reply
  • R

    Rational Hoya 2021Oct 1, 2019 at 10:45 pm

    Literally African American cops arrested a non-compliant non-black poc reporter and someone still manages to pull the race card.

    This is a problem of protocol, training, and following directive–not race.

    Reply
  • C

    ConnerSep 28, 2019 at 3:37 pm

    Exactly, Based Hoya! I feel misled. Was GUPD’s approach here disproportionate to Mr. Bardella’s actions? Yes. But please do a little research on racial profiling and police brutality. Maybe start with those phrases as search terms. Because you obviously have seen nothing. I do believe Mr. Bardella should be considered a person of color because, well, he is. However, let’s not throw that term around too much. The reality is that Asian-Americans have a much greater socioeconomic, educational, and general social status than do Black Americans. Do they experience discrimination? Certainly. But it doesn’t have nearly the same legacy as it does for Black Americans-—at least in the United States.

    Reply
  • Y

    Yellow PersonSep 28, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    Hey,

    Very confused by your comment. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like your assumptions stem from the belief that people of color are, by definition, incapable of being racist… which is just not true. Likewise, I do hope you know Asians experience racism, and this is coming from someone whose “color is yellow.”

    Secondly, for you to say that “Asians are very law-abiding” and “rarely have problems with cops” is also problematic, to say the least. Clearly, the fact that you can make these oversimplified statements points to a larger issue about racial stereotyping.

    The whole point of this article was to show that Bardella did NOT break the law, nor was there any legitimate reason for him to be “manhandled.” As a Korean American or as anybody of any minority group, growing up and living in America means learning to question if any instance of injustice (whether it’s something as egregious as this or a microaggression) is a result of deeply ingrained racism. Who are you to decide whether a person is justified in the way they feel?

    While I can see how this article seems to equal this specific situation with white-on-black police brutality (which I agree is a separate issue), it is unfair for you to label this honest account and reflection of an incident as “fake news” and a “scam.”

    The fact of the matter is, this is a case of authority figures mistreating a person of color — trust me, I can spend all day telling you stories about times this has happened to me. Let me know if you wanna chat!

    Reply
    • B

      Based HoyaOct 2, 2019 at 11:17 am

      I have no assumption that people of color are incapable of being racist. We know for a fact they are capable of racism by the racist ways many non-Whites treat White people and the hate many non-Whites have for Whites. It is rather, non-Whites who make the claim that they can’t be racist. I’m glad you agree with me. Non-Whites can be very racist.

      I disagree with you about the whole point of the article. It wasn’t to show that Bardella did NOT break the law (FACT CHECK: Bardella did break the law b/c Georgetown is a private school and can control access, and GUPD has the authority to stop folks and ask them questions), but to demonize Whites, which is why it was mentioned that Bardella is not-White, but the race of GUPD was left undiscussed.

      In America you don’t have to question every instance of injustice as the result of ingrained racism. Sadly, too many minorities have been brainwashed to think this way and it is hurting you and causing you mental problems. If someone of another race is rude to me I can blame racism or just assume the person is having a bad day or a jerk. Too many minorities, however, blame everything that happens to them on White racism. Did I not hear you say something because I was distracted and talking to someone else? That’s no me racistly ignoring you, it’s me not knowing you said something. But you feel the need to assume to this is racist. It shows an internal problem you have. I feel sorry for you that you’re burdened with this problem. But it is not my fault or the fault of White people, but rather, the propaganda you have internalized.

      By the way, your “Who are you to decide whether a person is justified in the way they feel?” can easily be changed to “Who are you, Yellow Person, to decide whether I can or cannot judge someone in the way they feel if the way they feel is inappropriate and wrong?” We all do this to others all the time. Even you. Try a less weak argument next time.

      Finally, I stand by my comment that it is fake news and a scam. The fake news is that this was a Whites harming a person of color. The scam was the narrative Varsah is trying to push.

      We should also question whether Bardella was mistreated. Considering the dishonesty in not mentioning the color of the GUPD officers, we should question whether their actions were inappropriate in reality, as opposed to Varsha’s interpretation. After all, Georgetown is private and Bardella has no inherent right to be on private property.

      I would be happy to chat more with you. I would like you first to do some research on anti-White racism.

      Reply
  • B

    Based HoyaSep 27, 2019 at 9:31 am

    What’s interesting is that is supposedly a racist action against “people of color,” by GUPD, and yet, the officers were also people of color, something the fake news in this opinion piece doesn’t tell you.

    Also, Bardella’s color is yellow . . . he’s Asian. And Asians are very law-abiding (Bardella being an exception), so they rarely have problems with cops.

    This article is scam.

    It’s meant to make you think white supremacist GUPD officers manhandled a black man.

    The reality is some black GUPD folks manhandled an Asian.

    Reply
    • C

      Confused HoyaSep 28, 2019 at 12:03 am

      Hi- police of color can still perpetuate institutional racism (to break it down- POCs can be racist).

      Also Asians are people of color, so this article still stands

      Reply
      • B

        Based HoyaOct 2, 2019 at 11:01 am

        I’m glad you acknowledge non-Whites can be racist. This is a fact, but many non-Whites deny it.

        This article is racist, by the way, because it is meant to blame White people and engender hate towards them.

        Kind of like that black girl in Virginia who last week said three White boys cut her dreadlocks. Turned out she lied.

        One interesting thing to come out of it was the headlines. In the initial reports the race of the boys was trumpeted. When it turned out it was a hoax, they were no longer White boys and she was no longer a black girl, but instead they were “Virginia boys” and a “Virginia girl.”

        Same scam there as in this piece by Varsha.

        If Varsha was fair she would have acknowledge that the “person of color” was being manhandled by police who were also “people of color.” But she left that fact out, and solely harped on a “person of color” being treated poorly.

        She deliberately wanted you to think this was White people oppressing someone who is not White. That is dishonest and corrupt. It displays Varsha’s hatred and racism toward White people.

        But it is not surprising. People in the media do this all the time and will do anything they can to blame everything on White people, even if Whites are not involved in anyway.

        This is why we have racial divides now. Because of all the hate and fear that is created by the anti-White hate that pervades our culture.

        I will pray for Varsha in the hopes that she learns to love people regardless of skin color. Choose a better way to live Varsha. Please don’t let your hatred of Whites cause you to increase the division in our society. Please remember to next time be honest in your reporting.

        Reply