Several hundred UNC students gathered at the steps of the Wilson Library Wednesday to rally in support of student-led campaigns against racism and police violence.

UNC protest April 24, 2019. Photo via Sam Bermas-Dawes.

It was a nice, sunny day as the rally began. Nearby Polk Place was full of students milling around on the grass, and prospective student tours were walking around nearby.

Organizers published a list of their demands online, which include asking interim chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz to forbid police from carrying guns, chemical weapons and tasers to protests on UNC’s campus. Organizers also demanded UNC launch a community-led investigation into campus police conduct.

Following speeches from student organizers, rally-goers marched onto Franklin Street where they briefly blocked the intersection of Columbia and Franklin.

The rally follows events on campus in recent months that have led to what one UNC student at the protest Wednesday called, “a tense atmosphere.”

Organizers are critical of the way UNC Campus police handled a group of  pro-Confederate demonstrators who came on campus in mid-March. At least one of those demonstrators had a handgun, in violation of a state law banning firearms on university grounds.

Protests have continued on the campus following the toppling of the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam last August.

Guskiewicz convened a commission on campus safety in response. The commission will meet monthly during the academic year, Guskiewicz said, and once over the summer. The first meeting is scheduled for May.

During the protest, a window was broken at South Building, home to UNC administration offices, as protesters attempted to deliver a list of demands to Guskiewicz.

UNC vice chancellor for university communications Joel Curran issued the following statement regarding Wednesday’s protest:

We have heard the concerns about the ways UNC Police have handled recent campus demonstrations and public safety events, and we are addressing them.  

Interim Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz recently formed the Campus Safety Commission to provide feedback about police on our campus. He has also asked an outside security consultant to review recent public safety incidents. We welcome the voices of everyone on our campus to share their experiences and make recommendations.  

We value and support free speech and civil discourse as we work to strengthen the relationship between the police and the community. However, breaking windows does not represent these values. It endangers the safety of people and is not acceptable. We are grateful no one was injured. 

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