BUZZ
Reed College is ‘effectively condoning the violence,’ former director of community safety says
A former director of community safety at Reed College expressed alarm about the administration’s actions this week after he lost his job for helping the FBI locate an alumnus accused of a violent crime against a federal officer.
Gary Granger issued the warning in a statement this week after the Portland, Oregon college announced that he had been fired, Oregon Live reports.
Granger described the college’s action as a “forced ‘early retirement’” in a statement on X, shared by independent journalist Andy Ngo.
“As an ‘at-will’ employee, I can be fired for no particular reason, including being dismissed due to ‘disappointment’ by donors who contribute to the college,” which he accepts, he stated.
“However, when the President of Reed College — or any higher education institution — views withholding directory information as more important than conducting the most effective possible investigation of a violent crime, we should all be alarmed,” Granger stated.
In July, the college opened an investigation into Granger’s actions after he gave information to the FBI about an alumnus “apparently without a subpoena or warrant,” The College Fix reported at the time.
“Reed has established protocols and values, and we are initiating an investigation into this action and its impact on our standards and our community,” college President Audrey Bilger stated at the time. “Reed prioritizes the privacy and rights of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and all members of our community.”
However, Granger stated this week that when the FBI agent contacted him in June asking for information, he shared it “in accordance with the College’s policies and long-standing practices.”
“In July, when the suspect was arrested, their parents and other college alumni immediately begged the College’s president to intervene in some way. When my role became known, I was blamed for violating the suspect’s privacy — and for the arrest,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the president “refused to condemn — or even mention — the act of throwing a rock into another person’s face, effectively condoning the violence through her silence,” Granger stated.
An employee of the college for 15 years, he said the letter ending his employment did not mention any violations of the institution’s policies or privacy laws.
“Instead, the college claimed that my help in investigating a violent crime caused ‘harm to … the College’s reputation … and expressions of anger and disappointment from the public members of the broader Reed community, many of whom the College relies upon for funding …’” Granger stated.
The alumnus in question, Robert Jacob Hoopes, 24, of Portland, allegedly threw a rock at a federal officer during a June 14 protest outside an ICE detention center in Portland. The officer sustained an “approximately 2-inch gash” over the eye, according to a July 28 criminal complaint.
Hoopes is charged with “aggravated assault of a federal officer with a dangerous weapon” and “depredation of federal property in an amount exceeding $1,000.”
Previously, Patrick Eddington, a senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties for the Cato Institute, told The Fix that it is not clear that Granger did anything wrong. Eddington served as a military imagery analyst at the CIA under three presidential administrations.
“If Granger gave the FBI data on Hoopes that was in a Reed College alumni directory or similar publication that was fairly readily available, I tend to doubt that either Granger or the college would be in violation of Oregon’s Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,” Eddington told The Fix.
MORE: Reed College investigates security chief for giving FBI info on anti-ICE alum
