Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Editor's Picks
Editor's PicksListRace

7 Instances of Police Brutality That Prove Even College Campuses Are Hostile Environments for Black Students and Professors

Posted byBy Taylor Gordon | Published on: CommentsComments (1)

police brutality on college campuses

University of Virginia Honors Student Slammed Into Pavement

Thanks to social media, there was no way law enforcement was going to keep the brutal attack of Martese Johnson undercover. Images of the honor student’s face covered in blood quickly circulated the Web over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. It was later revealed that it took 10 stitches to close the gash across Johnson’s head that he received after an Alcoholic Beverage Control agent slammed him into the pavement despite several eyewitness reports that the student wasn’t causing any trouble. The entire attack happened just a few steps away from the University of Virginia campus and caused school, state and local officials to call for an investigation into the incident.

dr_jahi_issa_arrest

Delaware State Professor Arrested, Abused for Leading a Protest

Dr. Jahi Issa was forced to spend roughly three years in jail for simply leading a student protest at Delaware State. He was finally exonerated back in January after a judge agreed he was exercising his First Amendment rights. In addition to being arrested for simply leading a protest, Issa was roughed up by police and had to be taken to the hospital.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top