DATE: January 31, 2023
TO: The SUNY Old Westbury Community
FROM: Timothy E. Sams, President
RE: How do we respond to the death of Tyre Nichols?
Tyre Nichols’ death at the hands of Memphis Police is part of the historical, unyielding, frightening, exhausting and dispiriting pattern of murders of Black Americans. Over the past few weeks, we got a resounding NO to our persistent question, “will the seemingly endless murders of Black people at the hands of a few rogue 'peace officers' ever end?” We have also come to realize that, despite how well-documented and known these events are today, our society may soon settle back into its “normalcy” as though this never happened.
More disturbing is that, because Nichols’ murder did not directly affect many of us, most will not skip a beat in their lives over this matter. While I am frustrated at having to believe this is the case, it reminds me of how important the enduring mission of Old Westbury is.
In the forward of the text used by all incoming first-year students in their FYE classes, The Ethics of Engagement: Educating Leaders for a Just World, I note that meaningful liberal arts education has the power to make the impossible possible. Here at Old Westbury, we must resist the urge to settle back into normalcy because we cannot see how to solve the social scourge of police brutality. Our posture during these moments must always be shaped by our commitment to purposeful liberal arts that is shaped by our enduring thirst for justice.
As a microcosm of broader society, our institution can be bedeviled by such appalling acts. However, in our pursuit of the Beloved Community, we must vigilantly prevent such occurrences from befalling us. This is especially so because of our decades-long commitment to being a haven for those whose communities faced such events, yet they are continuing their pursuit of excellence through education. In this regard, over the past year a committee of students, faculty, and staff including our University Police Department comprised a Community Policing Committee. Together, they began to craft a framework that combines the need for the safety and security of our campus with a resolve that our brand of community policing must reflect our ethic of care for our students and all community members. I am happy to say that I am expecting a draft proposal for the campus’ Community Policing Plan in the coming weeks. While there will be much to deliberate before the proposal becomes policy, we hold great hope that we can become an example within higher education for how an institution can provide safety for all its members, especially when upholding the law.
As the Committee worked on the proposed policy they also partnered with our Community, Action, Leadership and Learning (CALL) program to provided deliberative space around policing and restorative justice, in a manner that reflects our resolve and commitment to peaceful and nonviolent police interactions. Recent activities include a Community Policing and Procedural Process and Restorative Justice program sponsored by CALL; a dialogue on Transforming Communities – Challenging National Identity and Bias to Create Stronger More Cohesive Communities; and a CALL Colloquy involving a 9/11 Flag Ceremony, 9/11 fun-run, and the OW Student Walk-the-Talk Bi-Annual Peace Summit.
While it is great to highlight some of the work that we have been doing to eradicate unjust policing, we must continue our resolve to help the rest of the world to imagine the world that we imagine for ourselves. I encourage all of us at SUNY Old Westbury to not retreat to “normalcy” but to engage at deeper levels in the work of bringing greater justice to our nation.