Eastern Michigan Athletics
Unified Statement from EMU Leadership
5/29/2020 8:08:00 PM | General, Engagement
To the Eastern Michigan University community:
Most of us have watched over the past few weeks, in horror, disbelief and anger, a series of racial incidents, including the brutal death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. There is no place in our society where these incidents make sense and they illuminate the institutional and systemic racism and discrimination that is woven through the fabric of our nation. Incidents like these, even in our own backyard, provide moments to stand firm, and speak loudly and clearly, that hate and discrimination are not acceptable. We join with many others in condemning the individuals and actions that caused George Floyd's death and in firm denunciation of hate and violence that continue to confront our communities. We hope you each join us in this stance against injustice everywhere.
Public universities have served as community anchors during times of crisis. As institutions of truth, justice and learning, it is critical that we be part of the solution and not further the inequities, injustices and racism that continue to plague our world. We can only imagine the hurt, anger, and fear our Black students and employees feel. We stand in solidarity with them and recognize that caring deeply is not enough.
Grounded in Eastern Michigan University's mission are our core values including respect for all individuals, inclusiveness, and responsibility. Our guiding vision embraces our role as a public institution anchored in and serving our community. We know we have much work to do, and at times fall short in living these values, but these values and commitments are in our breadth of work and service every day, no matter our role. All of us must look internally and work collectively to root out the inequities and injustices that continue to manifest. No matter how difficult it gets, or the setbacks and shortcomings we experience, we will continue to remain steadfast in fostering inclusive excellence throughout Eastern Michigan University.
James M. Smith, Ph.D., President
Rhonda Longworth, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs
Steven Bryant, Director of Diversity & Community Involvement and Chair of the President's Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
To the Eastern Michigan University community:
It is with a heavy heart that I address you all today. Like so many in our community and the nation, after watching the video of George Floyd's death, I am deeply saddened and disturbed. We are again seeing another senseless death of a Black man at the hands of law enforcement. Four officers, one unarmed handcuffed black man, on the ground, and the response from one officer was to kneel on Mr. Floyd's neck to the point that he suffocates. The response of the other officers on the scene was to stand by and allow it to happen, even stopping those citizens that tried to speak up. These officers' actions are indefensible.
Unfortunately, we know that this is not the only incident of police brutality targeting Black men and women. We know that much of the nation's trust in law enforcement is understandably shaken or even gone. Please know that we too are angry. We too are frustrated. We too are hurting and we too will not defend these officers' actions. We stand with the community against racism and police brutality, and we stand for police accountability.
We know we have a moral and legal duty in law enforcement to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, victim, witness, suspect, or defendant, with dignity and respect. We are not above the law and all of us are accountable for our actions.
Our department is dedicated to breaking down barriers between police and the students we serve, and we will continue to work on developing relationships with our students and campus community to learn how we can improve safety on campus. We will not tolerate anything less than a safe and inclusive campus for people of all backgrounds.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis is tragic, and all incidents of police brutality need to end. This incident renews our commitment to act professionally in all situations, and to continue participation in effective training for all of our personnel. Our main objective is and always will be keeping Eastern Michigan University students, faculty, and staff safe.
Bob Heighes, Executive Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police
Most of us have watched over the past few weeks, in horror, disbelief and anger, a series of racial incidents, including the brutal death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. There is no place in our society where these incidents make sense and they illuminate the institutional and systemic racism and discrimination that is woven through the fabric of our nation. Incidents like these, even in our own backyard, provide moments to stand firm, and speak loudly and clearly, that hate and discrimination are not acceptable. We join with many others in condemning the individuals and actions that caused George Floyd's death and in firm denunciation of hate and violence that continue to confront our communities. We hope you each join us in this stance against injustice everywhere.
Public universities have served as community anchors during times of crisis. As institutions of truth, justice and learning, it is critical that we be part of the solution and not further the inequities, injustices and racism that continue to plague our world. We can only imagine the hurt, anger, and fear our Black students and employees feel. We stand in solidarity with them and recognize that caring deeply is not enough.
Grounded in Eastern Michigan University's mission are our core values including respect for all individuals, inclusiveness, and responsibility. Our guiding vision embraces our role as a public institution anchored in and serving our community. We know we have much work to do, and at times fall short in living these values, but these values and commitments are in our breadth of work and service every day, no matter our role. All of us must look internally and work collectively to root out the inequities and injustices that continue to manifest. No matter how difficult it gets, or the setbacks and shortcomings we experience, we will continue to remain steadfast in fostering inclusive excellence throughout Eastern Michigan University.
James M. Smith, Ph.D., President
Rhonda Longworth, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs
Steven Bryant, Director of Diversity & Community Involvement and Chair of the President's Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
To the Eastern Michigan University community:
It is with a heavy heart that I address you all today. Like so many in our community and the nation, after watching the video of George Floyd's death, I am deeply saddened and disturbed. We are again seeing another senseless death of a Black man at the hands of law enforcement. Four officers, one unarmed handcuffed black man, on the ground, and the response from one officer was to kneel on Mr. Floyd's neck to the point that he suffocates. The response of the other officers on the scene was to stand by and allow it to happen, even stopping those citizens that tried to speak up. These officers' actions are indefensible.
Unfortunately, we know that this is not the only incident of police brutality targeting Black men and women. We know that much of the nation's trust in law enforcement is understandably shaken or even gone. Please know that we too are angry. We too are frustrated. We too are hurting and we too will not defend these officers' actions. We stand with the community against racism and police brutality, and we stand for police accountability.
We know we have a moral and legal duty in law enforcement to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, victim, witness, suspect, or defendant, with dignity and respect. We are not above the law and all of us are accountable for our actions.
Our department is dedicated to breaking down barriers between police and the students we serve, and we will continue to work on developing relationships with our students and campus community to learn how we can improve safety on campus. We will not tolerate anything less than a safe and inclusive campus for people of all backgrounds.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis is tragic, and all incidents of police brutality need to end. This incident renews our commitment to act professionally in all situations, and to continue participation in effective training for all of our personnel. Our main objective is and always will be keeping Eastern Michigan University students, faculty, and staff safe.
Bob Heighes, Executive Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police
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