The College Fix

Police and UNT have not given details on the subject despite multiple requests

Students and major commentators have criticized the University of North Texas for the arrest of a former student who refused to leave a job fair.

The College Fix has sought to get further information on the arrest in the past three weeks from UNT police personnel David Causey, Jeremy Polk and Ramona Washington but none have responded to requests for comment or the police report.

“While ‘fascists, armed white supremacists and homophobic ‘preachers’ are allowed to come to our ‘open campus,’ a Black man has been arrested for being Black in public,’” flyers posted on campus read, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

“UNTPD arrested an innocent Black student in front of the student union,” others read.

“I’m currently registered as a student, I’m just not taking classes right now. I took classes last semester … I was at a job fair,” the arrested individual said in the video.

The student last took classes in the fall 2021 semester according to a statement from the university to the Denton Record-Chronicle. 

The videos of the arrest on September 21 have been viewed on Twitter more than 1.3 million times and the popular liberal Young Turks channel also covered the controversy.

just watched @UNTPolice unlawfully arrest a Black student trying to attend a job fair on campus, claiming he was “trespassing” despite having a student ID number. 1/3 @stevanzetti pic.twitter.com/YfqMn3gNlk

— cricket (@cricketsrogue) September 21, 2022

“When officers arrived, organizers of the event indicated that there was an individual creating a disturbance. Officers talked to the individual and asked him to leave the event. The individual continued to create a disturbance and was arrested related to this. No force was used related to this arrest,” the UNT Police wrote in a statement on Twitter on September 21.

At 12:06 pm UNT Police Department was called regarding a disturbance at an event inside the UNT Union. When officers arrived, organizers of the event indicated that there was an individual creating a disturbance. 1/2

— UNT Police Dept. (@UNTPolice) September 21, 2022

“Even if @UNTPolice’s claim that the man caused a “disturbance” is true, *and* if he was indeed not a student (he is) there is no way to spin this that doesn’t come down to racial profiling. had it been a white man causing a disturbance the police would not have been called,” according to cricketsrogue, the Twitter user who had posted the arrest.

“UPDATE: unlike every other listed event in @UNTPolice’s 60-Day Crime Log, the item about this arrest omits any information about whether they cleared him, how it was addressed, or that he was arrested at all. notice the empty column on the right,” cricketsrogue tweeted.

UPDATE: unlike every other listed event in @UNTPolice's 60-Day Crime Log, the item about this arrest omits any information about whether they cleared him, how it was addressed, or that he was arrested at all. notice the empty column on the right.https://t.co/53WVJ8px0f pic.twitter.com/IrYaHpJyqe

— cricket (@cricketsrogue) September 22, 2022

Nonprofit posted bail for the unidentified man

The Denton Bail Fund released a statement September 26 saying that they paid the bail for the arrested man and he would be released.

“Using donations sent from around the country, we were able to pay the $2,500 for the UNT student’s release today!” the fund tweeted. “It may take several hours for the jail to process the release. We will reply to this tweet once he confirms he is out. Thank you again for your support.”

Using donations sent from around the country, we were able to pay the $2,500 for the UNT student’s release today! It may take several hours for the jail to process the release. We will reply to this tweet once he confirms he is out. Thank you again for your support. https://t.co/CFZl0iki1C pic.twitter.com/Y809vsuMvS

— Denton Bail Fund (@DentonBailFund) September 26, 2022

Two pictures they posted on Twitter showed payments of $1,000 and $1,500.

The College Fix asked the Bail Fund two weeks ago for comment on why it prioritized this case and to be connected to community members for further insights. It has not received a response.

MORE: Investigation dropped into Purdue cop’s arrest of black student

IMAGE: cricketsrogue/Twitter

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter