President Connie Ledoux Book sent out this message to the campus community following events at the Alamance County courthouse during which two students were arrested and student journalists were pepper sprayed.
Members of the Elon community,
I want to express my deep concern and dismay over yesterday’s unacceptable events at the Alamance County courthouse. I want you to know that two Elon students who were arrested have been released and the student journalists who were pepper sprayed have not required further treatment.
I am saddened that a “get out the vote” march this weekend turned into a chaotic event where law enforcement officers used pepper spray against citizens, including members of the Elon community.
The continued division and conflict sparked by the Confederate monument in downtown Graham is one of the reasons I joined a group of community leaders this summer in calling for its removal.
It is time for all of us in Alamance County to work together to resolve these issues, to enable the voices of people to be heard in ways that do not result in violence, and to begin to rebuild shattered relationships. The people of Elon University are ready to play a role in this healing process.
As we work together, we must stand firmly for our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to peacefully assemble and ask our government for change. I want to thank Elon student journalists for their work in covering this incident and documenting what happened. They persevered, even when affected by the pepper spray, and they demonstrated the importance of objective journalism in a free society. I also thank the students’ advisors and Student Life staff who reached out to support these students, two others who were arrested, and other Elon community members who were at the rally.
This incident, coming just before Election Day, illustrates the need for heightened caution in the days and weeks ahead. We will continue our efforts to work with the Town of Elon to ensure elevated campus security. If you sense a threat to the Elon campus, please call 911 or 336-278-5555. Also, be sure to subscribe to our E-Alert system so you can receive emergency notices from the university.
We have received new questions about the university’s mutual aid agreement with area law enforcement agencies. There was no mutual aid request yesterday and Elon campus police officers were not involved. A campus committee of faculty, staff and students has been researching the mutual aid issue for several weeks, holding an SGA-sponsored Town Hall forum with students and scheduling a faculty/staff Campus Conversation for Dec. 9. This weekend’s events will be part of the deliberations of the committee as it forms its recommendations prior to the end of the semester.
Our democracy requires all of us to be actively involved in creating a society that is fair and just for everyone. This is hard work, but essential for the future of our nation. I am proud of the members of the Elon community who are engaged in these issues.
Sincerely,
Connie Ledoux Book
President