Dear Mr. Roth,
Five years ago, when I was a senior at Wesleyan, I was arrested by the Middletown Police Department and charged with “Inciting Injury,” a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years in prison. I also got a nasty bruise on my cheek when I was thrown to the ground during my arrest. I can honestly say that my greatest offense was being rude to the police, and without a supportive family and a good lawyer I would still be dealing with the repercussions of that improper arrest and the trumped-up charges that followed.
I find it important to let you know about this, because when that incident happened I was disappointed by the University’s response. President Bennet and other administrators seemed eager to sweep everything under the rug to minimize the negative effect that press coverage of the event could have had on the University’s image. While I acknowledge Mr. Bennet’s obligation to protect the University’s reputation, I always felt that the Middletown Police Department’s actions were so egregious that the University had an obligation to the affected students to offer some sort of support for what we were going through. We never got that support.
On a personal level, my memories of Wesleyan will always be tainted by that response, and I can’t imagine that I will ever support the University, financially or otherwise. Far more importantly, I now see that Wesleyan sent a message to Middletown that misbehaving police would be tolerated and that students would not be supported. The stories about last night all seem to point to maverick police who are free to be so bold and irresponsible because they know that there will not be consequences for their actions. I am sure that some of the same officers were present for both of these incidents, and remember what they got away with five years ago.
Please don’t make the same mistake as Mr. Bennet. You owe it not only to current students, but also to the future students who could be victimized by the MPD to take a strong stand and ask for a review of the most aggressive officers.
It terrifies me to think about what these officers might do if they are further emboldened by University inaction.
Sincerely,
Alex Magliozzi
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