On college campuses, students stunned by 'demon' description of Michael Brown
In police officer Darren Wilson's grand jury testimony, he described Michael Brown as 'Hulk Hogan' and a 'demon.' On US college campuses and on Twitter, many students were stunned and outraged by the grand jury decision.
In police officer Darren Wilson's grand jury testimony, he described Michael Brown as 'Hulk Hogan' and a 'demon.' On US college campuses and on Twitter, many students were stunned and outraged by the grand jury decision.
When Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, a black teenager, spoke of the moments just before the shooting, he described a David-vs.-Goliath battle 鈥� with himself as the little guy.
鈥淲hen I grabbed him, the only way I can describe it is I felt like a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan 鈥� that鈥檚 just how big he felt and how small I felt just from grasping his arm.鈥�
St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch released Officer Wilson鈥檚 grand jury testimony to the public last night after Mr. McCulloch announced Wilson would not be indicted.聽
The officer鈥檚 characterization of the size difference between himself and Mr. Brown 鈥� Brown was reportedly about one inch and 80 pounds larger than Wilson 鈥� has sparked outrage across the country. Some, like John Marshall of TalkingPointsMemo.com, point to the phrase as showing the 鈥渁lmost infantilized way鈥� Wilson refers to himself. 聽In calling Brown a 鈥渄emon,鈥� Mr. Marshall notes, Wilson dehumanizes the teenager.
After last night鈥檚 decision, many Twitter users have posted their response under hashtags such as #blacklivesmatter. And some campus rallies have echoed the sentiment.
From Los Angeles聽to the District of Columbia,聽student protests have largely stood against the grand jury decision. And some individuals are pushing back against Wilson鈥檚 description of the events surrounding Michael Brown's death.
When Lamar Richardson, a senior at Columbia University, read Wilson鈥檚 testimony, he says that he felt disgust and disbelief.
鈥淭o dehumanize him, to equate him to a demon 鈥� it reflects the large-scale notion of the state of black people in America,鈥� Mr. Richardson says in a phone interview.聽
Richardson, who studies psychology and sociology at Columbia, says Wilson鈥檚 statement read like 鈥渁聽fabricated web of lies."聽
鈥淲hat 18-year-old boy would see someone in uniform and completely disregard that and taunt him?鈥� he asks. 鈥淔or that to be taken seriously by a legal system 鈥� come on. If I were to be shot and killed, what would they say about me? Would my death be warranted?鈥�
Ezra Klein at Vox reported both discrepancies and consistencies between Wilson鈥檚 testimony and the facts of the case.
Last night, Richardson says about 200 people held a two-hour rally in the middle of the Columbia University campus 鈥� chanting, sharing their stories. He says he recalls similar campus events each year, including one honoring Trayvon Martin.
But this time around, he says, the injustice feels different.
鈥淚 literally have never felt like this before,鈥� he says. 鈥淭oday it鈥檚 just a new low.鈥�
About 100 people held a vigil near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill鈥檚 campus on Monday evening. And today, students wearing all black left class at noon to converge at the Pit, a courtyard by the student union.
Aaron Epps, a first-year student at UNC, says in a phone interview Tuesday that some 200 students walked out of class. While he says that students have not dissected Wilson鈥檚 testimony, at the vigil Monday evening, students spoke about what it meant to be a black student at UNC and in America.
鈥淭he decision just made me feel like I was next,鈥� he says.
Mr. Epps was with his a cappella group, Harmonyx, when the grand jury decision was announced in St. Louis Monday night. The group is a subgroup of the university鈥檚 Black Student Movement.
鈥淲hen the decision came out, it was just like, a complete halt,鈥� he says. 鈥淓verything just stopped. We were just sitting there.鈥澛�