Howard University students stormed a campus building and have occupied it for four days after student Tyrone Hankerson, Jr. allegedly scammed the school out of over $400,000 in financial aid money, which he reportedly invested in some pretty pricey clothing, according to Fox 5 DC.
Howard University fired Hankerson, who denies stealing the money. But the students protesting aren’t just asking for some transparency into the school’s resource allocation. No, take a look at some of these demands.
“We demand the immediate disarming of campus police officers and the formation of a Police Oversight Committee controlled by students, faculty, staff, and off-campus community representatives.”
Oh, well, I’m sure nothing could go wrong there. It’s not as though Howard University has the highest crime rate among mid-sized American campuses, for instance. The students also want their oversight committee to review and advise police policies and manage complaints filed against campus police officers. Make no mistake; these demands aren’t being done to bolster accountability or transparency. No, these demands reek of petty vengeance and, if conceded by the university, will lead to more crime and less accountability on the part of the people actually guilty of wrongdoing in the vast majority of investigations, that is, the students.
The protesters also “demand that students have the power to democratically influence the decisions of the administration and the Board of Trustees by way of popular vote.” And this isn’t just a poll, no, they’re asking to propose and revise policies, as well as “propose and ratify all appointments.”
This is like me going into McDonald’s, tasting the chicken tenders and saying “hey, I don’t like these. Here, give me the fryer. I’ll show you how it’s done.” No, if I don’t like McDonald’s food, I simply go to Wendy’s, where not only the chicken tendies are better, but also the tweets. I mean, this is just basic purchasing power. If you don’t like Howard University, pick a different college.
