ACBU Critical Issues’ Crossfire presented its second event on 7 p.m. Nov. 4.
Event coordinators, Mackenzie Clauss and major Rachel Bikshorn organized the week’s topic, police brutality.
“I think we got more students this time because it was a topic that was more controversial, and is something students are opinionated about,” senior family and consumer sciences Bikshorn said. “Everyone is pissed about police brutality.”
To provide an environment that was safe, the coordinators said they wanted to establish ground rules: Students must respect each other opinions, not attack each other based on their beliefs or opinions and support their statements.
“This is not a debate,” junior organization communication major Clauss said. “This is a learning experience for everyone.”
The coordinators opened up the event with a video demonstrating high intensity situations policemen and policewomen find themselves in. It also showcased police officers in a positive light.
“The first video was in support of policemen because we didn’t want to be one sided,” Bikshorn said. “It was so powerful to show the cops being attacked, which you don’t normally see in media and why they have to fight back.”
The second and third videos demonstrated police officers using excessive force. A teenage girl from South Carolina was picked up from her chair and thrown several feet by a police officer. The third video captured a young man talking to police officers as they tried to calm him down after a confrontation between him and a classmate, and ended in the police officers throwing him onto the ground.
Along with videos, the coordinators brought in Bradley University Police Department Chief Brian Joschko and Captain Troy Eeten to provide expert knowledge and insight regarding protocol.
“Never; there is never a reason to use excessive force,” Joschko said. “The only reason to use force depends on the level of threat or resistance and whether there is an immediate threat [to others].”
According to Eeten, it’s important for police officers to represent their profession, to answer questions and to be transparent and available.
Throughout the event hands were shooting up as students tried to refute or add to the opinions bouncing around the room.
“I just heard about [Crossfire] in the student center so I decided to come because situations like those are too common,” junior business management major Martin Jackson said. “I wanted to contribute to the conversation by introducing a new perspective on how laws are enforced. I just think the power is unequal.”
The conversation, at one point, was directed to solutions or resolutions in preventing police brutality. According to Joschko, dash cams and body cams provide an overview of an incident provide the whole picture.
By the end of the night students left impacted by the conversation they participated in. Two important ideas rooted in the discussion were the role media plays in portraying police brutality and force as a means for police to control a situation.
“People mention police brutality like it’s an everyday occurrence rather than a few very unfortunate isolated incidents,” Joschko said. “Every profession has a few bad apples, but I can attest that the men and women of the Bradley University Police Department come to work every day with the goal of protecting our students, faculty, staff and citizens.”
