Following racial profiling of two Native Americans at the Colorado State University in April, American Civil Liberties Union has asked the university to make amendments to its campus police training requirements and policies.
In a letter written to the university, the union has asked its Police Department to provide additional training to its officers in responding to bias-based reports.
On April 30, two natives Kanewakeron Thomas Gray and Skanahwati Lloyd Gray, while touring the Colorado campus, were stopped, detained and searched by the police due to their appearance.
“My boys were publicly humiliated and told that their looks alone make them suspicious characters. As a mother, I was horrified to hear they were pulled away from a CSU tour because of someone’s misplaced and racially motivated fears,” Lorraine Kahneratokwas Gray, whose family is represented by the union, said.
“We are all disappointed, not only with CSU’s meager response, but also with their false promises to right this wrong. I hope they fix these policies so other parents do not have to wonder if their children will be safe and welcomed on campus.”
The union has further decided to launch a fully fledged campus campaign, “Living While Black,” to counter the cases of racial profiling on the campuses.
Under the campaign aimed at institutions who have their own police, the union will provide administrators with modern policies and resources and toolkits to students who want to play a role of catalyst in the change.