Why campus patrols are a bad idea

[This information was distributed around campus in pamphlets over the last few weeks.]

In trying times, a safe and welcoming campus is more important than ever. Currently, mass deportations are underway, DEI is under fire, and human/civil rights are being threatened. Now as much as ever, police are a source of fear and anxiety for many who belong to marginalized communities, including here at BC. Stopping campus patrols is an essential step towards creating a safe and welcoming campus for all members of this community.

We support alternative approaches to campus safety for the following reasons:

Campus patrols do not equal safety. Most necessary police interventions on campus happen behind closed doors where police cannot currently patrol. Additionally, most instances of student misbehavior are better prevented and addressed without an immediate police response. Finally, patrols serve as an excuse for the college not to develop alternatives to policing.

Policing and criminal justice ultimately rely on violence or the threat of violence to achieve its ends. Nonviolent methods to campus safety would:

• Prioritize community building, input and accountability

• Be in line with Bethel’s mission and vision

• Be for all Threshers, not just a “Mennonite thing”

• Be creative, evolving, and effective

Police increase the on-campus risk of:

• Harassment

• Profiling

• Escalation

• Violence

In a country where police violence disproportionately affects people of color (and other marginalized communities), finding nonviolent alternatives to policing is an antiracist practice.