LDF Issues Open Letter to Colleges and Universities Urging Them to Avoid Calling Law Enforcement in Response to Peaceful Protests

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) issued an open letter to college and university administrators sharing a recent research report from LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI): Police and Protests: The Inequity of Police Responses to Racial Justices Demonstrations, which demonstrated that police were twice as likely to be present, 3.0 times as likely to have an escalated presence (i.e., riot police, state police, or national guard), and 8.0 times more likely to use projectiles and chemical weapons at racial justice demonstrations compared to similar demonstrations unrelated to racial justice after controlling for contextual differences.

The letter conveys that TMI's findings underscore the need for campus administrators to avoid calling law enforcement in response to peaceful protests on campuses, particularly when the protests concern issues of racial justice.

LDF encourages campus administrators to maintain open lines of communication with students, resolve disagreements within the campus through dispute resolution or mediation processes, and meaningfully address students' underlying concerns-tactics that some universities have successfully employed. The letter explains that ensuring the safety of all students on campus includes protecting them from police violence.

Read the full letter here.

###

Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights law organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957-although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.