It's Time to Police Harvard's Police

Inever thought I would have to worry about police harassment when I decided to enroll at Harvard. Harvard's reputation is one of a prestigious university with a deep commitment to its minority students, not some racially hostile, backwoods institution.

But from numerous articles in student publications and from conversations with other Black students, I have learned that the University police are not colorblind. Black students simply cannot rely on Harvard police to serve and protect them.

Early in my first term at Harvard, my proctor told all first-years in my entryway That the Harvard police existed to take special care of us. If we ever got into trouble with the Cambridge police (the "real" police), we were to contact the Harvard police immediately. It seemed like the Harvard police were just like the Office of Career Services or the Bureau of Study Counsel: yet another agency that would give us preferential treatment and spare us from being exposed to the "real world."

My illusions about the Harvard police quickly faded. I read reports in The Crimson and Perspective of students being classified as criminals only because of the color of their skin. Upperclassmen confirmed the validity of these reports and warned me that the police actually discriminated against Blacks. I was told that the police often assumed that certain people were not Harvard students, or even that they were criminals, just because they were Black. When I learned about the Inati Ntshanga case last month I was angered, but not surprised, that it occurred at Harvard.

As a Black student, I have lost faith in the notion that the police will follow their responsibility of serving and protecting me. When I walk back to my dorm from a friend's room at 3 a.m., the police car that circles the Yard is not a reassuring presence. I wonder if I will be the first "suspect" the police grab when they respond to a crime. If the police are so unprofessional that they harass innocent Black students, how can we rely on them to protect the Harvard community as a whole?

But the police have done little to reassure the Black community that they are committed to treating us fairly. Each allegation is countered by a staunch assertion that the police were merely following normal procedure. Instead of apologies, the police offer far-fetched rationalizations for their racist actions.

At the IOP forum discussion about the police on May 2, police chief Paul E. Johnson repeatedly referred to statistics--the numbers of buildings, students and police officers at Harvard--when the real issue was police conduct. He argued that his department's problem was mainly one of perception, blaming the media and suspects who are stopped by the police for confusing proper police procedure with racism.

Johnson refused to admit that there are deeper problems: the procedures and attitudes of his police officers.

To ease tensions between Blacks and police and ensure fair treatment for all students, the police need to acknowledge their part in creating the rift between them and the Black community. The IOP forum discussion was a small step in the right direction. But police must do more then talk. They must convince Blacks through professional behavior that they will no longer be treated as second-class students.

Police officers should receive better training in suspect identification and sensitivity toward minorities. They should be strictly instructed that any racist behavior will be severely punished. Harvard should also seek to hire more minority police officers, and officers with records of discriminatory conduct should be fired.

BSA President Alvin Bragg's call for an ombudsperson should also be heeded. A review board comprised mostly, if not totally, of civilians, also needs to be created to investigate allegations against the police. Under the current system, Blacks are not assured that their grievances will be addressed fairly.

The blame for the current distrust cannot be placed only on the police. The people who control Harvard--the Board, President, and Deans, must be held responsible for controlling the police department. They have the power to demand a high standard of behavior from Harvard police. Racial injustice cannot be allowed to fester at one of America's most distinguished universities.