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Report on DPS Assaults at HMB

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 at 8:20 am and is filed under BoT, Gally Protest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Report on DPS Assaults at HMB”

  1. Albert W Says:
    January 16th, 2007 at 11:37 am

    DPS sent a few officers to HMB. they cannot sign well. They took ASL 1 and 2. They failed the courses.. (how come?) and yet they are still on the job. Sending them to HMB because of bomb threats. They failed to explain to the students for their reason to enter the building. Huge confrontation because of communication barriers. I can understand if the police officers are from the city.. but i dont understand that the DPS officers are employed at Gally… They work for Gally for many months or years. And yet, they sent the inepted signed officers to HMB.. failed to calm the students. That’s so sick!! DPS made poor plans. They did not view the students as first class citzens. I had seen the videos, pictures and stories from the students there. Remember Carl Dupree? Like Ridor, I don’t trust DSP. I have seen DPS officers over years… They should not be there. They have to be able to communicate with the students… or get the interpreters. I have seen DPS officers sitting in the office doing nothing.. or chatting with eachother. They should study the ASL books or hire a signing mentor. I am sure it is high turnover there. Not easy to find people to work as police and be able to sign. Get interpreters on call. So serious, especially bomb threats in the building where there were so many students there. Come on!!! DSP and Jordan have no respects for the Gallaudet students. I had hard time reading the report because of emotions.

  2. Mishka Zena Says:
    January 16th, 2007 at 11:58 am

    I am a little disappointed to see the report not completely done. They never contacted me to follow up on that post in my blog. Why not? I have an e mail contact. It makes me wonder how many times they didn’t follow up with others.

    Right, Albert, had they communicates in the first place, all of these would be easily avoided. The investigators commented on the lack of respect shown by students. No wonder. Why should they if the DPS consistently refused to show them respect in the first place? Respect goes both way.

    Also the investigators were shocked to find out that DPS aren’t required to learn ASL.

    It is a sad day when you have students saying they feel safer with MPD than they do with their own security guards.

  3. CyanSquirrel Says:
    January 17th, 2007 at 1:35 am

    Umm…(Raising hand)…

    I beg to differ. It wasn’t a lack of TRUST on the part of the protesters. The report specifically said it was a lact of RESPECT. Two very different things.

    Albert, I agree that DPS officers’ signing skills should have been a priority. Not trusting cops, however, does not give you carte blanche to disrepect, impede, or disobey them, regardless of if you are white black deaf hearing gay straight whatever! You’ll find your behind in handcuffs or worse faster than you can blink. The only reason the protesters weren’t arrested that night was sheer numbers and the lack of a plan on the part of DPS.

    Jennifer

  4. Mishka Zena Says:
    January 17th, 2007 at 7:36 am

    I do need to elaborate on this further. How can respect foster in an atmosphere of profound distrust, especially when one considers that the security guard captain checking the HMB premise that morning was the same one  who contributed to the death of Dupree? Is respect possible when security guards who think of the students so little that they don’t bother learning sign language in order to communicate with them? Over the years, I’ve heard students complaining about the poor attitude and misconduct of DPS staff, even when I was teaching.  Lack of respect begets lack of respect. It is very unfortunate that the DPS  personnel were permitted to exhibit this unprofessional behavior toward the deaf students who cannot commuicate orally. Personally I didn’t have any problem with the DPS but then I can speak and lipread.

    Had the DPS communicated clearly to the students about the bomb threat, this fiasco won’t have happened. The students didn’t know anything about a bomb threat being called in.

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