December 12, 2014
Last Thursday, a 200-person group compromised of students, faculty members and staff gathered at the crosswalk on Martin’s Way to protest the recent non-indictments of the officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner and to stand in solidary with victims of police brutality. The event was called “Student Walk-Out and Die-In Protest,” and students were invited to participate via Facebook.
The event description on Facebook called for students to walk out of their classes or other commitments at 2:00 pm and meet at the Map on Martin’s Way for a “die-in” at 2:20 pm in which everyone would lay on the ground to show solidarity with people of color who have been killed by police.
Jorett Joseph ’15 and Naomi Tsegaye ’16 spearheaded the planning of the event. “Towards the end of break Jorett called me and we talked about how upset we were with what was going on in Ferguson,” Tsegaye said. “I had the idea of a Walk Out and she had the idea of a Die-In. We collaborated and thought it would be best to do both.”
Students began arriving at the Map at 1:50 pm with signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “Hands Up Don’t Shoot,” “I Can’t Breathe,” “Indict America” and “I Could Be Next!,” among many other potent messages. Tsegaye and Joseph gave opening remarks. “It is 2014, and today we are holding a die-in,” said Joseph. “In th1960s, we were holding sit-ins. We need to come to terms with the state of our country. These strange fruit are no longer hanging from trees. These strange fruit are in the hands of our police.” Students were then invited to lay in the street, on the sidewalk, or anywhere else they were comfortable for the “die-in” portion of the protest, which lasted four and a half minutes to symbolize the four and a half hours that Michael Brown’s body remained in the street after he was shot.
Gabe Rivas ’16, who held the megaphone for Joseph and Tsegaye during their opening remarks, admitted that he initially did not plan on attending the protest. Although Rivas saw the non-indictments as terrible injustices, the verdicts did not surprise him. “It’s a reality that I, along with just about every person of color that I know have been facing for our entire lives,” Rivas explained. “When it comes time to speak about those injustices and institutional racism with my peers here at Hamilton, the apathy and ignorance I’ve witnessed and heard have discouraged me from wanting to even voice my opinion, because I don’t want to put up with the ignorance I feel I’m bound to face…[I] feel like if I were to voice my opinion, especially at Hamilton, it would be a hopeless endeavor. So I just go about my business and try to avoid and ignore any comments from ignorant students, faculty and social media.”
When Rivas stopped to say hello to Joseph and Tsegaye before the protest began, however, he ended up helping them fix a broken megaphone. “After Naomi and Jorett’s speeches, I was beginning to feel empowered, not only by their words, but also by the large crowd who had gathered to participate in the walk-out,” Rivas said. “I can honestly say, that was one of the first times I felt empowered and supported with regard to my views on racism in this country at Hamilton.”
After the four and a half minutes of silence, students, faculty and staff moved into the crosswalk of College Hill Road, repeating, “Black lives matter,” “Brown lives matter,” “No justice, no peace, no racist police,” and other resistance chants. “We planned on taking the protest to the street and shutting it down,” Tsegaye stated. “We wanted as much power as we could have. We wanted students to understand that they own the school.”
After several minutes of occupying the crosswalk and stopping traffic on College Hill Road, Kirkland Police were called in to break up the protest. The protesters remained resolute, refusing to clear the road and be silenced. Eventually, the Kirkland Police Department called for backup from the State Police. Administrators and faculty members spoke to the protesters, warning them that police might resort to arrest in order to clear the road.
Once State Police were called, Sidney Wertimer Professor of Philosophy Todd Franklin stepped into the street to address students. He applauded their efforts at making a statement, but urged them to consider the potential serious consequences of their actions.
Director of Campus Safety Francis Manfredo negotiated with State Police to redirect College Hill Road traffic to Griffin Road. “I was happy the students were able to vent their frustration and have their voices heard during yesterday’s protest,” Manfredo said. “My primary concern at Hamilton is the safety and well-being of students and community members. I was grateful to the participants for making it a peaceful and meaningful event.”
Tsegaye was thankful for Manfredo’s efforts in the protest. “He was concerned for our safety and did everything he could,” Tsegaye said. “Initially, I personally found the State Police to be rude. However, once faculty and administrators stepped in, their attitude changed.” To Tsegaye, faculty members were the most influential and helpful people at the protest. “They were not afraid to step in and protect us from getting arrested,” she remarked.
Faculty who attended the protest came from a variety of disciplines, and several vocalized their support for students’ action by speaking in front of the crosswalk or even leading some resistance chants. Associate Professor of Africana Studies Nigel Westmaas held a sign that read, “Hamilton Faculty Need to Speak Out.”
“There are faculty and students on this campus who hold and express a sincere but false notion of education as value free, nonpolitical, and restricted to the classroom,” Westmaas said. “Sometimes the best education is outside the classroom and in the streets.”
“A moment is not a movement,” Professor Franklin noted. “As many students were taking a stand, one lone student—a white male—decided that he would…step through people lying on ground as opposed to taking a path around them.”
However, Franklin remains hopeful that this moment can turn into something greater for the Hamilton community, stating that the student who walked through the protest “was one, we were many—let this reality strengthen the resolve of all to stand up and step forward in solidarity with everyone devoted to recognizing and respecting our shared humanity.”
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