March 9, 1995
But we do.
In this urban environment, we trust authorities to do their best to help us feel safe.
But as the facts of the Feb. 21 arrest of Quddus Archie unravelled before us, our safety bubble slowly deflated.
Was Quddus a threat to our safety?
If so, the University Police Department shouldn't have waited five days to call his parole agent.
If not, he now stands in prison for no reason. Worse, we have one less voice on this campus.
With the loss of that voice we can only speculate his side of the story.
It is probable that the argument Quddus had with his English lecturer on Feb.16, in his mind, had been resolved in the meeting he had with her on the morning of Feb. 21.
At least she said it had, and wanted no further action taken.
So why was his parole agent called?
Quddus is an activist at SF State, an elected student official. He is, what many people call: confrontational.
He is here to learn.
There was no complaint filed against him. He did not pose a threat on this campus. There was no reason to revoke his parole and in effect, arrest his education.
This situation called for protocol where there was none. As a result, a student's freedom was sacrificed.
Has the campus been a safer place since Feb. 21?
No.
In this case, the UPD assumed a threat felt by no one else. In the end, it was Quddus' safety that was violated.