Isn't that a little late, what with all the worries about kids and drinking?
"Police response draws anger at Colby College" by Matt Byrne, Globe Correspondent | April 18, 2009
The alleged beating and arrest of two Colby College students by campus security and police, partly captured on video after a school-sponsored dance last weekend, has sparked outrage among students on campus and led college administrators to launch an investigation.
Hundreds of students protested this week and attended a forum at the Waterville, Maine, school to discuss the ramifications of the incident, which saw two students charged with criminal trespass and assault. Students say security was overzealous, while police contend their actions were appropriate.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning after a school-sponsored dance Saturday night. When those attending began leaving about 1:30 a.m., campus security responded to a call of a student in distress at the campus center. Officers found an unidentified student with a medical problem, said David Eaton, a college representative.
When campus emergency medical technicians tried to help, a second Colby student, identified by police as Ozzy Ramirez, 22, attempted to interfere, "first verbally and then physically" with the EMTs, Eaton said. Security restrained Ramirez, Eaton said. A third student, Jacob Roundtree, 21, then approached security, and was also physically restrained while Waterville police were called for backup, Eaton said. Once on scene, the lone Waterville officer called for assistance, which drew officers from five other departments, said Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey.
Police pepper-sprayed Roundtree during his arrest because he would not stop struggling, according to Massey. A student with a video camera captured part of the incident and circulated the footage, which stoked the fiery backlash on campus.
Mark McNulty, 20, a Colby student, said no one is absolving Roundtree and Ramirez of any guilt, but the consensus on campus is that the police conduct was wrong. "They injected themselves into this thing, and maybe they didn't act appropriately, but the security and police response was disgusting," he said.
Student allegations that the officers' actions were motivated by race are unfounded, Massey said. Ramirez is Hispanic, and Roundtree is black.
--more--"
