Picketers organize at the School of Social Work to support dismissed student Takara Roquemore
The University of Michigan has faced decreasing minority enrollment since the state passed a constitutional amendment banning affirmative action at state universities. Some black students have also expressed that, once on campus, they do not feel welcome or supported. Last years “Hood Ratchet” party at the Theta Chi fraternity was widely condemned as racist and sexist.
http://www.michigandaily.com/news/theta-xi-issues-formal-apology-party-incident
BAMN helped organize a picket of the School of Social Work on Thursday to protest the University’s lack of support for a student who ran into trouble with Child Protective Services and Ypsilanti Police during a raid on her family home to remove the child of a friend. The organizers described the events as follows;
· Last Thanksgiving, Ta-Kara Roquemore, a black woman student at the School of social work, was brutalized and unjustly arrested by Ypsilanti police who forced their way into her mother’s home without a warrant. The police had come with CPS to take the seven-day-old baby of a friend who was staying with Ta-Kara’s family for safety and support. When Ta-Kara tried to protect the baby and her young niece who was being smashed with the bedroom door by police, the cops twisted her arm and threw her to the ground and took the baby. The police and CPS ignored Ta-Kara’s mother who is a social worker, and her friend’s lawyer who both assured them that the baby was in a safe environment and was being cared for. Ta-Kara went downstairs and the cops followed her, slammed her face down on the ground on top of her mother, got on top of her, arrested her without reading her rights, and dragged her out of the house with no shoes on.
· Ta-Kara was not charged with anything until six months later when she received notice that she was being charged with resisting arrest and obstructing justice. When she told her field supervisor about the charges, instead of living up to its ‘social justice’ reputation and treating Ta-Kara as a valued member of this campus community who was the victim of racist police abuse, the administration has treated Ta-Kara as a criminal and has begun the process of destroying her career as a student and as a Social Worker before she has even had a single day in court and despite Ta-kara notifying the School of Social Work and asking for help for her friend who was being harassed by CPS weeks before she even had her baby. Ta-Kara was told by administrators at the School of Social Work that she would not be allowed to continue at her internship, which was the only requirement she has left to fulfill in order to graduate, claiming she was a “liability to the University and risk to the campus and the students.” Ta-Kara did what any Social Worker should do to defend the rights of their clients against police abuse and discrimination, and defend the rights of children against abuse. Since the incident that led to her arrest, her friend’s child has been placed in a dangerous environment. The brutality of the police, and the University’s re-victimization of Ta-Kara are both part of the same policy of the new Jim Crow against black and Latina/o young people who stand up against racism and refuse to submit second-class treatment. BAMN lawyers have now taken on Ta-Kara’s case and we will be mobilizing to pack the courtroom for her first hearing on November 18th to defend her and win REAL JUSTICE.
http://www.michigandaily.com/news/theta-xi-issues-formal-apology-party-incident
BAMN helped organize a picket of the School of Social Work on Thursday to protest the University’s lack of support for a student who ran into trouble with Child Protective Services and Ypsilanti Police during a raid on her family home to remove the child of a friend. The organizers described the events as follows;
· Last Thanksgiving, Ta-Kara Roquemore, a black woman student at the School of social work, was brutalized and unjustly arrested by Ypsilanti police who forced their way into her mother’s home without a warrant. The police had come with CPS to take the seven-day-old baby of a friend who was staying with Ta-Kara’s family for safety and support. When Ta-Kara tried to protect the baby and her young niece who was being smashed with the bedroom door by police, the cops twisted her arm and threw her to the ground and took the baby. The police and CPS ignored Ta-Kara’s mother who is a social worker, and her friend’s lawyer who both assured them that the baby was in a safe environment and was being cared for. Ta-Kara went downstairs and the cops followed her, slammed her face down on the ground on top of her mother, got on top of her, arrested her without reading her rights, and dragged her out of the house with no shoes on.
· Ta-Kara was not charged with anything until six months later when she received notice that she was being charged with resisting arrest and obstructing justice. When she told her field supervisor about the charges, instead of living up to its ‘social justice’ reputation and treating Ta-Kara as a valued member of this campus community who was the victim of racist police abuse, the administration has treated Ta-Kara as a criminal and has begun the process of destroying her career as a student and as a Social Worker before she has even had a single day in court and despite Ta-kara notifying the School of Social Work and asking for help for her friend who was being harassed by CPS weeks before she even had her baby. Ta-Kara was told by administrators at the School of Social Work that she would not be allowed to continue at her internship, which was the only requirement she has left to fulfill in order to graduate, claiming she was a “liability to the University and risk to the campus and the students.” Ta-Kara did what any Social Worker should do to defend the rights of their clients against police abuse and discrimination, and defend the rights of children against abuse. Since the incident that led to her arrest, her friend’s child has been placed in a dangerous environment. The brutality of the police, and the University’s re-victimization of Ta-Kara are both part of the same policy of the new Jim Crow against black and Latina/o young people who stand up against racism and refuse to submit second-class treatment. BAMN lawyers have now taken on Ta-Kara’s case and we will be mobilizing to pack the courtroom for her first hearing on November 18th to defend her and win REAL JUSTICE.
· The School of Social Work’s treatment of Ta-Kara as a criminal is even more egregious when compared to the administration’s treatment of Brendan Gibbons, the football player who raped a woman student in 2009. Gibbons was subsequently accepted into the School of Social Work and was only ‘separated’ from the University after the story gained national media attention and prompted a federal investigation of the University’s handling of sexual assault.
· Ta-Kara spoke about her case at BAMN’s last public tribunal in October, and reported that after just one day of BAMN organizers passing out fliers publicizing this story at the school about her case, administrators immediately started emailing Ta-Kara to set up a meeting with her. The administration’s quick response shows the impact of student action and exposing the University’s discriminatory policies. But their response is inadequate and is more to cover their own ass than a real show of support.
· Actions speak louder than words. If the School of Social Work really stands for social justice, they can and must show concrete support for Ta-kara by reinstating her as a student with an internship so that she can graduate, and issue a statement of support for her case.
· Ta-Kara spoke about her case at BAMN’s last public tribunal in October, and reported that after just one day of BAMN organizers passing out fliers publicizing this story at the school about her case, administrators immediately started emailing Ta-Kara to set up a meeting with her. The administration’s quick response shows the impact of student action and exposing the University’s discriminatory policies. But their response is inadequate and is more to cover their own ass than a real show of support.
· Actions speak louder than words. If the School of Social Work really stands for social justice, they can and must show concrete support for Ta-kara by reinstating her as a student with an internship so that she can graduate, and issue a statement of support for her case.
RSS Feed
