Dartmouth College Blue Lives Matter Display Vandalized With Black Lives Matter Posters
A Dartmouth College Blue Lives Matter display was vandalized when unidentified students hung Black Lives Matter posters over the bulletin board created to honor National Police Week. The campus Republicans group was given permission to hang the items honoring police officers, yet the school reportedly refused to remove the anti-police protest banners after they appeared at the student center.
The Dartmouth College Blue Lives Matter display hung at the campus student gathering spot for just one day before the Black Lives Matter posters were used to cover the bulletin board, the Dartmouth Review reports.
Dartmouth College Republicans endured a three-week review process in order to get the Blue Lives Matter display approved. The morning after the bulletin board was created, heated debate about the effort to honor fallen police officers began on social media.
Black Lives Matter Activists Tear Down Pro-Police Display at Dartmouth Collegehttps://t.co/NXS8IR1LXY pic.twitter.com/XRmmsxPlWH
— Blanche V. Mercaldi (@tammytabby) May 17, 2016
According to the Dartmouth Review report, one social media user had this to say about the Blue Lives Matter National Police Week display at the campus student center.
“In case recent news about inclusivity and diversity had you fooled, Dartmouth is still racist. Located in the student center atrium.”
Exactly why honoring police officers is considered racist remains unclear. Approximately every 61 hours, a police officer if murdered in the United States.
At least one of the Black Lives Matter posters vandalizing the Dartmouth College Blue Lives Matter display said, “You cannot co-opt the movement against state violence to memorialize its perpetrators. #blacklivesmatter,” according to the Dartmouth Review.
When officials from the New Hampshire college told the 20 or so Black Lives Matter protesters who stood in front of the Blue Lives Matter display that they had violated campus policy by taking down the approved bulletin board, they still reportedly refused to move or take down their posters, the Washington Times reports.
#BlackLivesMatter Activists Tear Down #BlueLivesMatter Display at Dartmouth College https://t.co/LTAyUr47Nk@gretapic.twitter.com/dswT7nwThR
— FoxNewsInsider (@FoxNewsInsider) May 17, 2016
Dartmouth College Republicans President Michelle Knesbach had this to say about the Blue Lives Matter display being vandalized during an interview with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News.
“Later that day [after the Blue Lives Matter vandalism] we talked to the administration and there were a lot of mixed signals. By 5 p.m. we were told we were not allowed to replace our display because throughout the day 25 Black Lives Matter protesters were standing in front of the display. Not only did they cover our display, but they also covered all of the other billboards in the student center with Black Lives Matter posters.”
Knesbach went on to say the Black Lives Matter group posted photos of the Dartmouth College Republicans with the words “Sons of Old Dartmouth” written across the images.
According to Michelle Knesbach, Dartmouth College officials across various departments consulted with each other before deciding the Blue Lives Matter display could not be replaced in the student center until 2 a.m. after the facility had closed, noting security concerns when making the ruling. College officials are believed to have feared an altercation between the campus Republican group and the Black Lives Matter protesters who had refused to disperse.
About 48 hours after the Blue Lives Matter display vandalism had occurred, the Dartmouth College Republicans received a letter from the school administration condemning the Black Lives Matter attack on the student center billboard.
What do you think about the Dartmouth College Blue Lives Matter display being covered up by Black Lives Matter protesters and the reaction of school officials?
[Image via Edward Fielding/Shutterstock.com]
