GW armed campus cops to protect DC students from high crime rates. Students called the decision 'racial violence.'

Students at George Washington University (GW) in Washington D.C. are up in arms about the university’s recent decision to arm campus police officers. But students upset with the decision are “acting from political ideology,” says Alan Henney, an independent D.C. crime reporter. 

GW administrators made the decision to arm campus police officers in response to heightened gun violence in the country, said University President Mark Wrighton in an April 13 announcement.

“After more than a year of careful consideration and deliberation, review of safety data and best practices, and input from experts, the Board of Trustees has directed the university administration to develop an implementation plan for arming specially trained GWPD supervisory officers,” the announcement reads. 

[RELATED: Temple University president resigns amid campus crime and safety crisis]

Following the announcement, GW’s Students Against Imperialism called for a protest on its Instagram account. 

The post reads, in part, “GW is arming GWPD, a private police force thats [sic] CONTINUES to assault and harm students. This is an attack on black and brown students … GW stands firm against the institutions of racial violence and we demand as a unified movement - NO GUNS FOR GWPD.”

The protest took place on April 17 at Kogan Plaza, an outdoor space on campus, according to the post. 

“When I went to GW back in the 1990s, it was in no way this political!,” Henney told Campus Reform. Arming police is not doing enough, he noted. 

While the announcement implies that the officers are being armed for active shooter situations, “[o]ther threats are more likely,” Henney said.

Members of the GW community could be robbed, carjacked, or even hit by stray bullets from shootouts between rival gang members, which are all happening “frequently,” Henney continued. 

As his Twitter feed shows, the number of stories involving murders, stabbings, carjackings, and robberies in D.C. is endless, and many of these incidents have directly affected college students and campus communities. 

Here are just a few examples: 

Here is more on last night’s robbery of the woman at Capuchin College at the Catholic University of America... Three female robbers, again. @CatholicUniv https://t.co/ivFp4CUq36 pic.twitter.com/wdHlJFbX5o

— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) April 7, 2023

HOWARD STUDENT CARJACKED AT GUNPOINT --- Howard Plaza Towers, 2251 Sherman Ave NW DC. Taken was a black 2011 Infiniti with Pa tags. A white Toyota Camry followed. @HowardU pic.twitter.com/4jt0jk5oWJ

— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) April 19, 2023

Incredible video/audio from last night’s SHOOTOUT at 17th St and D St NE DC in #KingmanParkDC #RosedaleDC. Amazingly nobody was hit, only an auto. This sounds like a warzone... @theHillisHome @Anc6B10 pic.twitter.com/pyE7JKv25K

— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) December 17, 2022

GW students have been targets as well. 

In February, GW students were warned about armed robberies of individuals wearing jackets from the high-end outwear brand Canada Goose. “These jackets are very expensive, and our community members should be mindful while wearing them, even in very public spaces,” the warning read. 

Washington Problems, a social media news and meme community, shared the warning on Twitter:

Looks like GW students are getting robbed for their Canada Goose jackets pic.twitter.com/KlNKvRsBxG

— Washingtonian Problems (@WashProbs) February 2, 2023

Henney concluded, “The problem is that many young males who are robbing and carjacking people on the streets of the city each day are armed with both handguns and rifles.” 

[RELATED: WATCH: Campus crime is surging, ‘eleven students were taken hostage at gunpoint’]

The university, accordingly, is taking steps to protect the campus community, including the decision to arm campus police officers.  

According to the D.C. police department’s website, overall crime is up 25% in 2023 year-to-date over 2022. Homicides are up 24%, sex abuse is up 51%, and arson cases have risen by 500%.

Students Against Imperialism have been contacted for comment, but has not yet responded. This article will be updated accordingly. 

Follow Jared Gould on Twitter