Gay, ex-Cumberlands student speaks out on Kentucky police intimidation
Jason Johnson, the former University of the Cumberlands student who was forced to leave school for noting his sexual orientation on the social networking site MySpace.com, speaks out today in a letter to the editor in the Lexington Herald-Leader concerning the Soulforce Equality Ride events at his former school in March (past related posts):
ANOTHER VIEW: POLICE GAVE MARCHERS GRIEF
The article in the March 29 Herald Leader (PDF) about the events surrounding the Soulforce Equality Ride stop at the University of the Cumberlands is one of the most ridiculous pieces of journalism I have read in quite some time.
The police officers from Williamsburg and the surrounding counties were by no means cordial to any members of Soulforce, and they never “bent over backward” to accommodate our needs.
The police officers attempted to board the private property of Soulforce by getting on the bus, without permission, repeatedly harassed Equality members, arresting Jake Reitan because he bent to tie his shoe, thereby pausing on the sidewalk.
Some officers said that small groups of riders could stand and talk to students while others rudely told riders to continue to walk. As a tax-paying citizen of Kentucky, I, along with the riders, who are taxpaying citizens of this country, are the employers of those police officers.
We have the right to freely assemble and to protest when appropriate on any public grounds. That is guaranteed to us by the First Amendment, which apparently needs to be reread by the police officers who verbally berated riders who came in the name of peace to bring a message of hope and equality.
Jason Johnson
Lexington
The two students arrested at The University of the Cumberlands for “failure to disperse” on a public sidewalk have had their charges dismissed after donating $100 to a local charity.
Technorati Tags: Jason Johnson, University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, Lexington, Herald Leader, Kentucky, Soulforce, Equality Ride
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
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