Several civil rights organizations, including Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Atlanta Justice Alliance, the Georgia Muslim Action Committee and The Rainbow Collective, released a statement Friday denouncing Emory University’s reaction to the protests and supporting students who demonstrated on campus.
More than 20 protesters, including 15 students, were booked in the DeKalb County Jail after Thursday protests at the university. Gatherings were primarily focused on the quad and participants were chanting, beating drums and holding signs.
Emory requested help from the Atlanta Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol after campus police “issued multiple warnings at different intervals advising individuals in the encampment that they were trespassing on private property and instructing them to leave,” a school statement said.
The nearly 20 civil rights organizations that cosigned on a press release stated they were “appalled” by the university’s choice to bring law enforcement to campus.
“Historically, there is a rich tradition of protest and engagement on university campuses. Rather than violently suppressing speech, our institutions should be proactively holding space for students, faculty and community members to safely express their views, engage in dialogue and participate in the democratic process,” the release reads.
The organizations wrote that protesters were standing up against “authoritarianism” and were met with “rising authoritarianism” as officials tried to disband peaceful protesters through detainment.
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