Dartmouth College Protest: Black Lives Movement Demonstrators Storm Library, Allegedly Assaulting White Students
A group of Black Lives Matter protesters at Dartmouth College reportedly invaded the school’s library, hurling obscenities and even assaulting white students in a protest that is gaining national attention.
The protest took place in the wake of tensions at colleges across the nation. In Missouri, students upset over a series of racist incidents on campus led a protest against president Tim Wolfe, who they said had refused to listen to their pleas. Wolfe ultimately resigned after the school’s football team vowed to sit out this weekend’s game.
Protests have now spread to other campuses, with students calling on their universities to increase diversity among faculties and to be more responsive to the needs of minority students.
But none appear to be as aggressive as the Dartmouth College protest. The school’s newspaper, the Dartmouth Review, recounted the incident.
“Black-clad protesters gathered in front of Dartmouth Hall, forming a crowd roughly one hundred fifty strong. Ostensibly there to denounce the removal of shirts from a display in Collis, the Black Lives Matter collective began to sing songs and chant their eponymous catchphrase. Not content to merely demonstrate there for the night, the band descended from their high-water mark to march into Baker-Berry Library.”
“F*** you, you filthy white f***s! F*** you and your comfort! F*** you, you racist s***!”
The report claims the protesters marched through the first floor, confronting a number of students. They also opened the doors of study spaces where students were studying for exams. Those who tried to close doors or refused to join the protesters were harassed further, the report noted.
“Students who refused to listen to or join their outbursts were shouted down. ‘Stand the f*** up! You filthy racist white piece of s***!’ Men and women alike were pushed and shoved by the group. ‘If we can’t have it, shut it down!’ they cried. Another woman was pinned to a wall by protesters who unleashed their insults, shouting ‘filthy white b****!’ in her face.
Many students spoke out on social media after the Dartmouth College protest, saying the Black Lives Matter protesters were out of line and doing disservice to the cause they tried to take up.
Dartmouth Protesters Assault Students While Screaming Racial Threats https://t.co/mUSzSVyRUl pic.twitter.com/7YxkSFytAE
— The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 15, 2015
Dartmouth College has a history of race-related tension. Last year, students held an overnight sit-in at the offices of the president, demanding action on a so-called Freedom Budget that would address concerns over diversity, sexism, and the atmosphere for minorities.
The budget called on the university to hire more racial minorities as faculty members, implementing gender-neutral housing and bathroom options, and addressing allegations of sexual assault in the Greek system.
“None of those points are just thrown in there because we thought they should be there,” Jillian Mayer, a Dartmouth senior, said at the time (via the Huffington Post). “People spent a lot of time building this Freedom Budget. I am not willing to prioritize certain things over others when all of these issues work towards the same goal.”
Dartmouth College is not the only Ivy League institution roiled by protest. Yale University has also seen a widespread demonstration, with students asking for a budget increase of $8 million for cultural centers dedicated to Asians, blacks, Hispanics, and American Indian students, the Daily Caller noted.
Columbia University has also seen a rise in protests, with demonstrators reportedly adopting some of the aggressive tactics of Dartmouth.
Columbia students say they feel pressure to join rallies in support of protests at Missouri and Yale https://t.co/wmYY6ETN1A
— New York Post Metro (@nypmetro) November 15, 2015
But the demonstrations have also earned much criticism, including those who question the heavy handed tactics of some of the protesters. The protest at Dartmouth College has earned particular scorn, with many saying the Black Lives Matter protesters may have caused more harm than good by alienating potential allies to their cause.
[Picture by Darren McCollester/Getty Images]
