On early Sunday morning, April 8, the four of us witnessed an event that has left us distraught since. We were walking from different places on Home Ave when we all saw Jose Chapa being slammed onto a Middletown Police Car. We all heard Jose, whose eyes were swollen from mace, screaming in pain and yelling for help. When Jose’s friend tried to give him his hat back the officers threatened to arrest her. We asked an officer where Jose’s glasses were and if he could have them back or have something for his eyes, which the officer ignored.

After Jose was placed in the police car, an officer approached us and we asked him for his name and badge number. He declined and we said, “It’s our legal right.” He replied, “You don’t have any fucking legal rights. If you don’t move off this sidewalk I will arrest all of you.” We asked again for his name and badge number, and he said, “It’s Clark 1288. I work the nightshift. You see this face, from now on, no discretion. The next time I come up here to bust up a party, if I see any of you with a bottle of beer I will fucking arrest you. No discretion!” During these events Wesleyan Public Safety simply stood to the side and observed. When we asked them why they were not doing anything they told us to walk away or else we would find ourselves in the same predicament.

While these events unfolded a group of white Wesleyan males stood on a porch of a house across the street and applauded. Every time a Police officer would yell at us or Jose, the students would clap and cheer. As this group of students left Home Ave., one yelled “Woo, college, pepper-spray!” In addition, a small crowd gathered to watch the events as if it were a show, with no intention of helping.

In this situation we point fingers at Middletown Police and Public Safety and while they should be held accountable we must also consider the actions of our fellow students. Their behavior prevented us from being able to effectively communicate with the police while we were trying to help. Making a joke out of a situation as serious as this one could under no circumstances be excused. What happened was not entertainment. That night our fellow student’s bigotry and prejudice matched that of the officers. We need to take responsibility for our own actions, support our fellow students and occupy the moral high ground that Wesleyan claims to have.

The student body was not the only disappointment of the night. The Wesleyan administration also failed to support its students or take any action to help us deal with the police in an effective and appropriate manner. Public Safety drove Jose’s friends to the police station, but when asked to provide support in dealing with Middletown Police, they declined citing other duties. We found it difficult to reach the deans when they could have lent authority when the Middletown Police already saw us as a group of whiny college students.

All of our actions have consequences and affect other people; we all have a significant role in each other’s welfare here. This event peeled back the illusion of this campus as a supportive and safe place and exposed the ugliness that exists. If similar moments occur in the future, we hope a better Wesleyan will emerge.