by Jordan Wiggins
Around 12:45 a.m. on March 18, third year University of Virginia student Martese Johnson was beaten by Virginia ABC Police after being refused entry into a bar with what police at the time thought was a fake ID. After being beaten until he was bloody, Martese was then arrested by the police and charged with resisting arrest, obstructing justice without threats of force and profane swearing or intoxication in public. Martese has become one of the latest in a string of civil rights cases.
Martese Johnson is far from the thug that the police mistook him for. He is the only black student on the honor committee at University Of Virginia. He is an excellent student and helps in the community. Johnson is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
The attack on Johnson could be characterized as unprovoked and extreme. The entire incident was caught on camera and the force that is used by the officers can clearly be seen. Many witnesses have came forward and said that Johnson did not resist any form of arrest or questioning from the officers and that he attempted to fully comply with all of their requests.
Students on the campus on University of Virginia are taking the situation with Johnson anything but lightly. On the night of Wednesday, March 18, the students held a peaceful protest in Johnson’s honor. About 1,000 students attended the rally with plans to protest in peace to help urge for justice for the situation. During the protest, Martese stood up to say a few words to his fellow cavalier student family. He told the crowd “I beg for you guys to please respect everyone here, we really are one community.”
One person who did not make a statement to the crowd, however, was the university’s president who only spoke to a few different reporters before leaving the scene.
With the mainstream attention that the situation is getting, it’s even attracted the attention of the governor and the state legislature. The governor has called for an official investigation to be conducted into the situation. The two officers who arrested Johnson have been restricted to administrative duty until the investigation has been completed.
Spartan Echo 