Was it excessive or was it appropriate.
Thursday was a cold and rainy day here in Iowa City. One student, Justin Walker, went to class that day wearing his sweats and a ski mask. What did he end up with? Depending on who you ask he either got what he deserved or police brutality and banned from campus for 5 months to boot.
Was it the smartest thing to wear? Maybe not. Does his choice of clothing make him less of a person, void of basic rights? Definitely not.
The article about this written in The Daily Iowan paints a very contrasting picture to what Steven Parrot, University Relations put out in a press release regarding the incident.
Read both, and you decide what you think is right.
********************
To members of the University community,
We are sending you this news release to keep you informed about safety and security incidents on campus.
University of Iowa News Release
April 26, 2007
UI Police Question Student After Classroom Incident
University of Iowa Police took an undergraduate student into custody and questioned him following an incident in a classroom today over the noon hour. As of mid-afternoon, police were still reviewing the possibility of filing charges following consultation with the Johnson County Attorney's office.
The student held for questioning is Justin Walker, a junior from Hazel Crest, Ill. His local address is 1546 Fifth Street, Coralville.
According to UI Police, the student entered the auditorium in Macbride Hall wearing a hooded jacket. When he sat down and took down his hood, he was wearing a ski mask that covered his face. He did not remove the ski mask. That action led another student to leave the room and call police just after noon.
UI Police responded immediately and called Iowa City Police for backup. Officers from the Johnson County Sheriff's Department also assisted at the scene.
Walker apparently left Macbride Hall during that time, but he returned later and was recognized by officers on the scene. He was questioned first at the scene and later taken to UI Police Department headquarters at 12:57 p.m.
Phillip Jones, UI Vice President for Student Services, praised all the law enforcement officers for their quick response.
"We are pleased that this incident ended well, he said. The student who called the police immediately did the right thing, and police followed the appropriate procedure by responding immediately with sufficient numbers to conduct an investigation expeditiously."
"Given the circumstances of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech University, we simply cannot tolerate actions that even appear to be threatening," Jones added.
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Comments: 5
But I don't think his behavior warranted the 'tackling' he got from the police either.
something you might find interesting...I was sent an email from a friend who reported that this guy was acting "hinky" and "suspicious" and wouldn't talk to anyone when he was in the classroom..... It seemed afterwards that he was aware of the the furor he was causing but he simply didn't care. I wonder if it was a frat boy prank (hell week is upon us I believe) or if he was "dared" to do what he did? If you hear who diid the tackling let me know...I can't seem to find who it was, security or ICPD....