UPDATE: Leftist TX students continue to demand police off campus
Students at the University of Texas at Austin again protested against police presence on campus earlier this month.
The university experienced a disrupted orientation event and controversy over its alma mater due similar issues around claims of racism.
Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a local chapter of a national organization, recently protested against alleged police crimes and racism at UT Austin’s Littlefield Fountain against alleged police crimes and racism.
The September 9 protests are part of an ongoing effort by several student organizations on campus to force the university to change several campus practices which activists claim marginalize students of color and make them feel unwelcome on campus.
As Campus Reform reported earlier, another UT Austin group named “Cops Off Campus” disrupted the “Gone to Texas” welcome week event to make demands that the university defund the police department.
Relatedly, Austin students recently filed a lawsuit over the university’s alma mater, “The Eyes of Texas,” which some students claim has a legacy of racism and makes Black students feel marginalized.
An internal investigation conducted by UT Austin determined that although the song had been performed at minstrel shows, the song itself does not have a racist origin.
[RELATE: UT-Austin instructor doubles down on claim that Republicans want ‘ethnic cleansing’]
Alexander Vargas, a member of Young Conservatives of Texas, told Campus Reform that SDS’s efforts to remove police from campus are misguided.
“We appreciate the presence of UTPD has on our campus. Especially considering the homelessness issue on campus.” he said. “The notion that we need to get rid of, defund police is asinine. I don’t see any viable solutions coming from them. Their solution to me seems more anarchistic than anything.”
UT-Austin has increased the police budget, which has been a source of frustration for left-wing activists on campus. On February of 2020, UT Austin announced a $8 million increase in police funding in response to an uptick in crime in the surrounding area.
[RELATED: Campus police departments in US provide crucial student programs, support to communities]
SDS activists bemoaned this police budget increase during last Thursday’s demonstration.
The outlet Fight Back News reports that SDS member Soaring Falcon said, “Instead of increasing UTPD funding by $8 million, the university should use that money for things like creating a scholarship fund for Black students, or increasing funding to UT’s Black Studies department.”
Vargas told Campus Reform that he did not think UT Austin has an issue with racism.
“The people who are trying to find something where there is none are just trying to be outraged at something,” he said.
Campus Reform reached out to the UT Austin SDS chapter; this article will be updated accordingly.
