The April 27 incident in which some claim campus police used excessive force on a student from the campus' high school has triggered a range of emotions and reactions.

It sparked a protest by the Afrikan Black Historical Commemoration Committee the day after and more than 100 comments on the Xpress Web site -- some claiming brutality and unfair treatment of the high schoolers and some questioning why SF State has a high school on the campus in the first place.

While the university says the Department of Public Safety is aggressively pursuing an investigation in the alleged misconduct of a police officer, it said certain claims made by witnesses were untrue. Christina Holmes, university spokesperson, said a baton was not used to pull the 15-year-old male over a railing in front of Burk Hall, that the student was not beaten while he was pinned down and that the student had attacked a police officer.

Reactions parallel the differing accounts. Some say the treatment and arrest of the high school student was heavy handed and racially motivated. Others say the police handled the situation appropriately. Some have no idea the incident even happened.

The June Jordan Small School For Equity mission statement reads: “Nurturing adult student relationships in a safe, personalized, and vibrant learning environment where students and families feel they belong.”

Yet according to SF State and June Jordan student reactions, the five SF State campus police officers did not foster, “a nurturing or safe environment for students,” when they allegedly used excessive force on a 15-year-old student who was playing rough with his friends during lunchtime. (Police Brutality Claims Cause Protest: 4/28/2004)

“I observed a different reaction from the students who actually witnessed the arrest and the students who heard about it,” said Dickson Lam, a humanities teacher at June Jordan Small School. "The students who saw the arrest looked shocked and in disbelief after lunch. It was obvious that they had been traumatized. A lot of students were shocked that this happened on a college campus.”

June Jordan and SF State students cited racism, age discrimination and police misconduct as the central issues.

“It is very unfortunate to hear what has happened to this student, but the concentration was on his race and it should be on the fact that this is a youth issue and not a race issue,” said SF State senior Michelle Boral, 23, a nursing student.

The incident report in the campus police media log said the boy resisted and obstructed a peace officer after 20 male and female students were involved in a physical fight in front of Thornton Hall. Officers responded, according to the report, and determined a group of students walking toward Burk Hall was engaged in the fight.

Witnesses said an officer approached the 15-year-old and that the teen walked away. Witnesses also said the police used a baton held at the student’s neck to pull him over a railing in front of Burk Hall. The university said that is untrue and that it took four officers to subdue the teen after he allegedly attacked the officer.

“Regardless of the crime, it was excessive because I have heard of other incidents regarding the police and this high school. And what the police need is more sensitivity training towards the youth. ... There is no way that a child can be seen as a physical threat to a cop,” said Eva Miranda, 23, a child adolescent development major.

Many students from the high school are saddened by this event and concerned for their fellow student, who has remained unnamed. This is the first time this first year school year has experienced such a harsh reaction from campus police although Christina Holmes said campus police have responded to 16 incidents at the high school this school year ranging from vandalism to fighting.

“How can the police beat up a 14-year-old boy trying to go to school when people are getting killed everyday in the ghetto,” said Marlesha, a 14-year-old student and friend of the arrested student, “They didn’t need to pin him down or handle him like that. I feel disrespected.” Marlesha requested that her last name be withheld.

But not all feel that the police used excessive force.

Emily Felsenstein, 23, a senior biology major, said the campus police handled the situation appropriately. "My take is that police need to handle safety on campus. I would rather feel safe than for police to be delicate in confrontations and feel unsafe," she said.

There’s not enough information to make a judgment, according to Chris Steinmetz.

“The story is too unclear. There is not enough say from the police, and detainees tend to paint the story to their best interest. I also think that it is better for police to be heavy handed than light handed,” said the 23-year-old senior in international relations.

Faculty members at the high school are trying to collaborate a communication procedure with campus police to ensure that this type of incident doesn’t happen again. Typically at lunchtime, faculty members equipped with walkie-talkies supervise the students in the courtyard at Burk Hall and in the Student Center. DID THIS HAPPEN? This lunchtime supervision procedure will remain the same until the end of the school year.

The June Jordan Small School For Equity, part of San Francisco Unified School District, has held classes for its ninth-grade students on SF State’s campus since September. The students have had some struggles adjusting to high school life on a college campus.

“We’re high school students; we want to play basketball during lunchtime. It is hard to do that here,” said Lashanae, a 15-year-old student at June Jordan Small School For Equity. Lashanae, who requested her last name be withheld, has not had any bad encounters with campus security this year.

The Afrikan Black Historical Commemoration Committee, whose members led the protest against the police last Wednesday, feels that this cannot be the end of the incident. “I live in east Oakland, and I have two children who live there. So I come from this as a concerned parent and faculty member,” said Jamila Ali, faculty adviser for the organization. "If these charges against this student were concrete they would have stuck, but they were dropped. This cannot be the end. We need disciplinary measures (against the police involved) and to see the results."

Marissa Arterberry from SF State's Black Student Union said, “It is messed up. This is a part of everyday life. If it hasn’t happened to you, than you know someone who it has happened to. I think the police discriminated against this student because of the color of his skin. If this had been a white kid they wouldn’t have used such brutality.”

Out of respect for the victim and his family’s wishes, Kate Goka, co-director of the high school, had only one comment on the incident: “We would like to maintain a good relationship with campus security.”

On Wednesday, May 5 the June Jordan faculty and students are holding an invitee-only community speak out about the incident.

“We want to create a safe forum where students can voice their feelings on the incident,” said Matt Alexander, a humanities teacher at June Jordan. “Our primary goal is to keep the students safe.”