{"id":65214,"date":"2018-05-10T05:11:08","date_gmt":"2018-05-10T05:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=65214"},"modified":"2018-05-10T05:11:08","modified_gmt":"2018-05-10T05:11:08","slug":"a-black-student-at-yale-was-napping-in-a-common-area-and-someone-called-the-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/a-black-student-at-yale-was-napping-in-a-common-area-and-someone-called-the-police.html","title":{"rendered":"A Black Student at Yale Was Napping in a Common Area, and Someone Called the Police"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Black Student at Yale Was Napping in a Common Area, and Someone Called the Police<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

A black graduate student at Yale who fell asleep in her dorm\u2019s common room said she had a disturbing awakening this week when a white student flipped on the lights, told her she had no right to sleep there and called the campus police.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the latest in a string of recent episodes across the country in which the police have been summoned to respond to minor complaints involving people of color.<\/span><\/p>\n

As in many of those encounters, including the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks and the questioning of black Airbnb guests in California, the Yale incident was captured in a widely shared video that set off anger online.<\/span><\/p>\n

The graduate student, Lolade Siyonbola, posted a 17-minute recording of her encounter with police officers who responded to the call, and it touched a nerve, with more than 600,000 views as of Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Siyonbola, 34, who is earning her master\u2019s degree in African studies, said that she had camped out in the common room to work on a \u201cmarathon of papers.\u201d On Monday night, she decided to take a nap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, she said, someone came in and turned on the lights, asking: \u201cIs there someone in here? Is there someone sleeping in here? You\u2019re not supposed to be here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Siyonbola said the woman told her she was going to call the police. In a shorter video that Ms. Siyonbola posted, the woman, who is not identified, says: \u201cI have every right to call the police. You cannot sleep in that room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman, who also lives in the dorm, reported \u201can unauthorized person in the common room,\u201d said Lynn Cooley, the dean of the graduate school of arts and sciences, who addressed the episode in an email to students on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several officers responded to the call.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to make sure that you belong here,\u201d a female officer says in the longer video.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Siyonbola produced the key to her apartment and opened the door, and the officers told her they needed to see her ID.<\/span><\/p>\n

After she asked why, one says, \u201cI don\u2019t know anybody from anybody, so I\u2019m here just to make sure you\u2019re supposed to be here, make sure she\u2019s supposed to be here, and we\u2019ll get out of your hair.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Siyonbola relented and handed over her ID.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the officers struggled to verify it, and Ms. Siyonbola appeared to grow more frustrated.<\/span><\/p>\n

At one point, she says, \u201cI am not going to justify my existence here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At another, an officer who identifies himself as a supervisor says, \u201cWe determine who is allowed to be here or <\/span>who\u2019s not allowed to be here, regardless of whether you feel you\u2019re allowed to be here or not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that makes you feel powerful,\u201d she responds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yale Police Department referred inquiries to the university.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe the Yale police who responded followed procedures,\u201d Tom Conroy, a spokesman for the university, said on Wednesday. \u201cAs we do with every incident, we will be reviewing the call and the response of the police officers to ensure that the proper protocol was followed, and to determine if there was anything we could have done better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked if it was common practice to run IDs in such situations, he said it was.<\/span><\/p>\n

Confirming her identity took longer than usual because the student\u2019s preferred name, which was printed on her ID, was different from what was in the university record, a school official said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Late Wednesday, in an email to graduate students, Kimberly M. Goff-Crews, Yale\u2019s vice president for student life, said that she was \u201cdeeply troubled\u201d by the episode and that she and Dr. Cooley would hold listening sessions with students in the coming days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis incident and others recently reported to me underscore that we have work to do to make Yale not only excellent but also inclusive,\u201d Ms. Goff-Crews said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier, Ms. Siyonbola called the police \u201cridiculous\u201d for not leaving after seeing that she had a key and an ID. She said the larger issue was that \u201cthere are <\/span>not consequences to you if you call the police on an innocent person, especially if they\u2019re black.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In her view, it was not an isolated incident at Yale. \u201cI can tell you tons of other minor stories of microaggressions,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Siyonbola, who founded the Yoruba Cultural Institute in Brooklyn, is the author of a book about African history and diaspora migration. At Yale, her research focuses on migration and identity formation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Cooley said in her email that more work needed to be done \u201cto make Yale a truly inclusive place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am committed to redoubling our efforts to build a supportive community in which all graduate students are empowered in their intellectual pursuits and professional goals within a welcoming environment,\u201d she wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Siyonbola said she was disappointed in the dean\u2019s response.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t compassionate,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was very high level \u2014 like we have to do better someday, somehow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She said she hoped this episode and others like it would prompt the administration to take action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what happens every day in America,\u201d she added. \u201cThese things are unfortunate, they\u2019re disappointing, they\u2019re disheartening, but they\u2019re not shocking anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/09\/nyregion\/yale-black-student-nap.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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