Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Over 75 Students Protest Ferguson Decision in Walk Out

ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA More than 75 students protested the Ferguson decision in Red Square.
ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA
More than 75 students protested the Ferguson decision in Red Square by joining hands in silence.

More than 75 members of the Georgetown community participated in a walk out staged by the Georgetown University Black Leadership Forum to protest the St. Louis County grand jury’s decision on the Michael Brown shooting on Monday afternoon in Red Square.

On Nov. 24, the grand jury decided that Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

The demonstration, which occurred simultaneously at campuses nationwide, began at 1:01 p.m. EST or 12:01 p.m. CST — the exact time that Wilson’s altercation with Brown occurred. Campuses that participated in the walk out included Stanford University, Harvard University, Washington University in St. Louis and Wake Forest University, among others.

Participants joined hands and stood in a circle while maintaining silence beginning at 1:07 pm. At 1:11 p.m. the crowd began softly singing the hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem, before dispersing.

Members of the Black Leadership Forum declined to comment.

The Walk Out was the first in a number of events planned by the GU Black Leadership Forum for this week’s national Week of Action. Other events include a Day of Action on Wednesday to engage with elected officials about police brutality and a Day of Civil Disobedience and Demonstration on Friday, which is titled Freedom Friday.

According to the Week of Action #GUFerguson’s Facebook event page, “In the wake of the recent events in Ferguson, Mo., and across the nation, the Georgetown University Black Leadership Forum would like to have an open and honest discussion reflecting on the law and justice system in the U.S. as it pertains to race, power, among other issues.”

The Black Leadership Forum previously held another silent demonstration in Red Square on Nov. 25, and Georgetown students engaged in a citywide protest Nov. 24 in which demonstrators marched on the White House to decry the grand jury’s decision.

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  • K

    Kit MarloweDec 5, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    Michael Brown’s tragic death came about while making a pot-infised, red-eyed charge at a policeman, but the invincibly ignorant on and off campus will keep chanting “Hand Up, Don’t Shoot” so long as it affords them something to do other than study or invest a few minutes to learn the facts of what’s happening outside the windmills of their minds.

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  • J

    james AlfanoDec 4, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Did I miss their protest on the 600 black on black shootings in Chicago last year?

    Reply
  • G

    GreggDec 3, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    ahh how i miss the liberal protests and hand holding and all that BS in red square. did you guys save darfur yet? that was the big thing they were trying to do when i was on campus back in 2008. last i checked georgetown has NOT saved darfur but i will keep you posted

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