Police Called In To Georgia State University Classroom After Black Students Arrive Late
Category: News & Politics
Via: sister-mary-agnes-ample-bottom • 2 years ago • 30 commentsBy: Alexandra Jane
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Another day, another incident of inexcusable harm done to Black youth at the hands of authorities. This past week, police were called on two students on the Perimeter campus of Georgia State University when they arrived late to class. On Wednesday evening, TikTok creator and college peer, Bria Blake posted about the incident in full. In the video which now has over 356,000 views, Blake recounts the story of how students, Taylor and Kamryn were asked to leave the classroom after arriving two minutes tardy.
According to Blake’s retelling, the students entered the classroom while the door was still open, made their way to their seats, and proceeded to pull out their class items to take lesson notes. It was at this time that they were asked to leave due to their tardiness. The students refused to leave the classroom stating that they “paid to be there.” The professor, named by Blake as Carissa Gray then left the class and returned with two armed campus police officers.
While there have been no official statements released by Gray or the students, Georgia State University did say that they are “looking into the situation.”
“We are looking into this matter and how it was handled by the faculty member. Campus police arrived after being called by the faculty member and immediately de-escalated the situation between the students and faculty member,” the school said in a statement. “Clearly, no crime had been committed so there were no arrests.”
To some, it may come as a shock that Ms. Gray, a professor in GSU’s english department, is actually a Black woman. There is an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) expectation for Black people to understand the gravity of calling in police on other Black people. More than any other racial group, we’ve seen first hand the dangers we face in our interactions with authority. While some believe that there is never an incident where the cops should be called in, I would say most would agree at the very least, that there need not be police interference when there is no threat posed. In the case of these two students simply refusing to leave their seats after arriving late, there was never any threat of violence.
“Stuff like this cannot keep happening to Black youth in America,” Blake said in the video. “Stop weaponizing the police against Black people.”
Tags
Who is online
269 visitors
The acid test for this story is that it probably wouldn’t even be a story had it happened to white kids.
That said, I’m never surprised by the nonsense coming out of academia in the US anymore. Not in the least.
Not directly related but a college story that comes to mind. Our campus cops pushed a vote to be able to carry guns. It went down like 95 to 5 with us students.
No one wanted those tools carrying.
I had the same when I went to college. Show up on time or don't bother coming. That applied to everyone. Made it a good policy to be on time; or at least have several friends in every class to copy notes from. I always took a hand held tape recorder to classes with several blank tapes (No cell phones to stream video then). Made me very popular with everyone in class.
Mind you that was only for students. Had more than a few professors show up 15 minutes; or 1 even an hour late for a 3 hour long class. Rule was you waited until someone got off their asses in administration to tell you that the class would be delayed or canceled. You couldn't leave on your own; otherwise were marked absent w/o excuse when the prof finally rolled into class. Even had a few that never showed; and admin didn't send anyone. When the class is from 6pm to 9pm during winter; and during bad weather that pissed more than a few people off.
One year in undergrad, our computer literacy instructor was going to be out of town during an exam. So she had another professor from the department proctor the exam. He didn't arrive until 30 minutes into the class. Many of us left 25 minutes into class. We were given zeros for the exam, and some of us protested. I was one. He told me that he operated based on the chapel clock (Methodist-run college). The thing is, he was late according to that, too. By all four faces of the chapel clock, which didn't agree with each other, and which couldn't be seen from that classroom, anyway. And as late as he got there to start the test, many people wouldn't have been able to finish in the remaining class time, and would be late or absent for their next classes.
Bottom line was, he screwed up, and couldn't admit it.
The actual instructor let us make up the test.
Wait 5 minutes for instructors, 10 for assistant professors and 15 for full professors was the rule when I was in college
I wish we could have gotten that rule.
Admin always wanted classes to run unless for sure the prof wasn't going to show.
I honestly don’t remember ever having an issue with absent profs. Had one who had narcolepsy. He told students at the beginning of his classes if he feel asleep they could leave after 5 minutes.
happened a few times. Really weird that narcolepsy ....
Racial issues must be pretty much over if this a national story.
You know they are trying hard to spin racism with "Another day, another incident of inexcusable harm done to Black youth at the hands of authorities."
They also wait til the end to mention that the professor was black and there is some rule about blacks calling authorities on another black.
All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk!
"To some, it may come as a shock that Ms. Gray, a professor in GSU’s english department, is actually a Black woman."
'Nuff said. I suspect there is more to this story than we're being told
Perhaps these two are habitual offenders.
If they are late again,
and the cops are brought in again
somebody is going to be looking
Re-Tardy
Snort!
First sentence:
Another day, another incident of inexcusable harm done to Black youth at the hands of authorities.
Inexcusable harm? What a load of baloney. The two students were late to class. To make matters worse, the two students continued their disruptive and inconsiderate display as they took their seats. When they were asked to leave, they refused, stating, "We paid for this class." Well guess what? The rest of the students attending class that evening paid for it, as well. Rather than waste the rest of class time arguing with the two self-entitled knuckleheads, Prof. Gray took the quickest and most logical way out and brought in campus security. But that's not the part that bothered me. The part that bothered me was the author's interpretation of the situation.
Stuff like this cannot keep happening to Black youth in America,” Blake said in the video. “Stop weaponizing the police against Black people.”
What in the AF? Prof. Gray didn't bring in the Brute Squad from Precinct Whup-ass, she brought in campus security to deal with a situation that was likely to continue for the remainder of class. Skin color had nothing to do with it; the student's continued shitty behavior did.
On a personal note, I had a prof who was off-the-chain annoyed by anything and everything. Two seconds late? Get out. Whispering? Get out. Paper rustling? Get out. Yawning? Get out. Arguers and/or second offenders were automatically dropped from the class. This fool was even annoyed by a hearing-impaired student who brought her own sign language interpreter. But as captain of the aircraft, if he wanted you out, you were out.
Is the video around?
I would have to see that first.
In a way this does bother me. If I am going to pay 60 to 100 grand, damn right I am not getting kicked out for being two minutes late one day.
Fuck that.
If you are paying 60 to 100 grand show up on time and have a little consideration for the others that paid 60 to 100 grand.
It bothers me a bit, too.
I had a professor who consistently showed up to lecture late, then consistently dismissed us late. It was a required class for my major, and only one section was offered per semester, so there was no way to take another class or schedule it at a different time.
If she dismissed us late, that made some of us late to our next class. And forget trying to use the restroom before your next class, so some instructors (not most, fortunately) were upset if a student left during lecture to attend to calls of nature. None of us were trying to be disrespectful to our other instructors, but we were between a rock and a hard place. I was lucky enough that my next class was in the same building, but not everybody was.
TBH, the professor disrupted her lecture more than the late students did.
I can see your point yet honestly I don't see what harm it would do if they came in and sat down.
That is why I wanted to see the video.
I can see professors having this as a rule. I remember some classes where it seemed people were walking in for the first 5 or 10 minutes of the class. That can get pretty disruptive especially depending on the class size and the class subject.
The fact that none of this information (or a video) was part of the article suggests the author had an agenda and didn't think the details would support it. The first sentence of the article also suggests that the author had an agenda.
IMO as long as the rule was known and everyone was treated equally when they broke the rule the professor has cart blanche. The students don't have to agree with the rule to be expected to follow it.
Two words: Geology Professor. Need I say more?
I guess I'm looking at it like this: I had classes that were on opposite ends of campus (especially core classes), and I still made it to class on time, even if just barely. I'm pretty sure it was their continued disruption that irked the professor. Plus, it was an evening class. Translation: It was probably their only class of the evening, and parking wasn't the hassle it could have been during traditional class times. It's also possible that they thought they could get away with their late arrival and continued disruption for obvious reasons... I'm on the professor's side on this one.
Two students coming in together late screams "screwing around" to a teacher. If I were late, I'd enter like a mouse and look repentant. If the teacher looked at me, I'd silently mouth the word sorry as I took my seat. I wonder how these two entered ? Laughing like they were five minutes early I'd guess.
Me too!!!!!
The crazy thing is very reason the police needed to be called is the same exact reason an interaction between these kids and the police might end badly. They Refuse To Do What Authority Figures Tell Them To Do! The Professor told them to leave and they refused, of course the Professor is going to do something she can't just let them get their way. If I were the professor I would have told them "if you leave now you can come to the next scheduled class, if you insist on staying I will have you removed and you not be allowed back in this class ever". Although if I were the Professor I wouldn't be a hardass about two minutes as long as it wasn't a habit but this article is propagandic so the two minutes was probably really ten.
Listening to myself above, I am thinking that college age kids would act like adults.
I should know that is not always the case...Haha