I was on the Quad during the rally. I did not attend the rally, but, like many students who saw the signs up on campus, I was curious. So I made it a point to walk by and see what the rally was for. (Incidentally, turnout probably would have been better if the signs around campus told people the purpose of the rally.)
The first person I ran into was one of my professors. He's a well-educated man, but he couldn't figure out what the rally was about. So I went up to the police officer that Bekele was talking about. The officer, who was polite and respectful to students attending the rally, said he didn't know what the rally was about because the speakers kept jumping from one topic to another -- there seemed to be no agenda. Then the officer said the magic words, "I'm here for the same reason you are -- I saw the signs and was just curious."
So the officer was there because he was curious. It was not evidence of bigotry at the university, and to say that it was is childish and opportunistic. And it's not fair to that officer. The fact remains that while we tend to rightfully question Campus Police's professionalism as a law enforcement organization, one should not base his or her opinions on the presence of one officer at a rally. And the speakers at the rally shouldn't have used the officer's presence as a means to push their agenda -- especially if they didn't know why he was there in the first place.
George G. Demetriades Jr.