BUZZ
‘Loud noises are not neutral,’ professor says
A professor at the University of Washington said that loud noises could “retraumatize” illegal immigrants after whistles were passed out on campus to alert people to nearby Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
“I wanted to share that a group of Hispanic/Latine and immigrant-serving nonprofits in Maryland have brought up some important points related to the use of whistles and issued a joint statement warning local protesters to stop using whistles during ICE encounters,” assistant professor Ana Dueñas wrote in an email, according to Seattle Red.
The professor also stated that “Loud noises are not neutral, and can retraumatize individuals.”
She sent the email to the American Association of University Professors email listserv as well as her fellow faculty.
Another professor, Diane Morrison, responded stating, “These concerns also prompt me to suggest that in this volatile time it would behoove all of us to learn about/refresh our understanding of tactics of non-violent resistance, and our commitment to it.”
A third professor, Nora Kenworthy, also chimed in to say that efforts to oppose ICE will not be perfect.
“…that is because citizens are being forced to defend themselves against a highly volatile, militarized, and aggressive force in their communities with little more than community organizing tools and tactics,” she wrote.
She added that ICE agents, rather than the protesters, are the ones making situations “dangerous.”
Last week, hundreds of anti-ICE protesters, including students from the UW’s Students for Democratic Society chapter, briefly occupied an administration building on campus as part of a nationwide “ICE Out” day, Fox 13 Seattle reported.
The protest aimed to pressure university administrators to sever all ties with ICE and refuse to provide information to the federal agency.
Last month, UW community members panicked over rumors that ICE may be on campus, The College Fix previously reported.
Rumors started after someone asked during a meeting how to respond to fears about the federal law enforcement being near the university.
Students at universities across the country are also protesting ICE’s involvement at their schools.
ICE recently withdrew from participating in an Arizona State University Law School event following a student-led petition.
Another student-led petition at George Washington University Law School, signed by 1,200 students and groups, called ICE a “fascist organization.”
However, the school refused to disinvite ICE from its career fair.
MORE: Catholic university warns against using word ‘illegal,’ too ‘stigmatizing’
