White lecturer at UTSA called police on black student allegedly for having her feet on seat
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Officials have launched an investigation into the possible discrimination of an African-American student after a white lecturer was recorded on a cell-phone video having police remove her from a classroom -- allegedly, according to witnesses, for having her feet on the seat in front of her days earlier.
Many are saying this is the latest in a string of incidents in the United States of white people calling the police on black people who are seemingly going about their normal lives. Many of the incidents have been recorded on cellphone videos and have exploded on social media.
The latest incident occurred Monday in a biology class at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Taylor Eighmy, the school's president said in a statement to ABCNews.
"While the facts aren't fully known regarding the incident, our Office of Equal Opportunity Services is already conducting an investigation into possible discrimination," Eighmy said.
Eighmy said a second "inquiry regarding the academic management of the classroom" is being conducted by the university's interim dean of the College of Sciences.
"Beyond this particular incident, I am very much aware that the circumstance represents another example of the work we need to do as an institution around issues of inclusivity and supporting our students of color," Eighmy said in his statement. "This concerns me greatly, and it's incumbent upon us as an institution to face this head-on. It's something that we need to address immediately as a university community."
After a classmate's video of her went viral on social media, the student who was removed from the class addressed the controversy on Twitter.
"Upon entering class I was told I needed to leave or would be escorted out by officers, I never disobeyed the student code of conduct. Not once," wrote the student, tweeting under the handle @FavoritePaigeee. "A police report is being filed ... this is just the beginning. Thanks for your support!"
Apurva Rawal recorded video of the incident with his cellphone and posted it on Twitter, writing, "So this happened today in class, a girl had her feet up and the professor called the police after calling our class uncivil."
The video showed the lecturer at the back of the class talking to three police officers, who then walked to where the student was seated and asked her to leave. Without objecting, the student gathered her belongings and walked out of the classroom.
