On Friday, September 3rd, students gathered in front of Millican Hall to rally against the misconduct of the campus police officers that stopped Dr. Jennifer Lisa Vest last month. Despite being held in the hottest hours of the day, the dedicated crowd of students stayed for hours, aided by sunscreen and cases of bottled water.
Students began to show up at ten o’clock in the morning, wearing purple—Dr. Vest’s favorite color—in a show of support and solidarity. Ribbons of purple fabric were tied around everyone’s arms to show love, and everyone was encouraged to wear ties as a sign of intelligence and education to demonstrate that students took the issues surrounding the event very seriously. Signs were made and handed out, voicing the students’ opposition to oppression by authority and telling others to “inVEST in their safety.”

While the students chanted and kept their energy up despite the heat in the morning, the main events began at noon as students were invited to speak about their experiences and perform spoken word poetry. In addition, representatives from NORML@UCF also spoke regarding students’ rights when they are being questioned by police, making important points such as your right to remain silent even when Miranda Rights are not read and your ability to leave if you are not under arrest. The performances of spoken word art—another tribute to Dr. Vest—were extraordinarily powerful and emotional, expressing students’ feelings and opinions in a way only poetry can convey. One piece of Dr. Vest’s was read, an incredibly pertinent poem called “Purple People,” which in describing how the color of our skin or outer appearance does not change who we are inside, perfectly underscored the themes for the day.
An official press conference began at one o’clock, and a few brave students gave statements to the seven news stations there. They spoke of their fear and insecurity that they feel on their campus now that these issues have come to a head, talking about everything from race to sexuality, to their own personal experiences with discrimination, as well as gracefully fielding questions from the reporters. In addition, a petition signed by those present was presented to Dr. John Rick Schell, who represented university President John C. Hitt at the event.

Standing in front of Millican Hall in the middle of a hot Orlando day, the students were able to show the administration of the school as well as the surrounding community how devoted we are to promoting a safe learning environment here at UCF—and the whole rally was only organized in a few short days. The whole event only highlights the commitment of the students in making UCF a better place, and it is the hope not only of the students at the rally, but all fifty-six thousand students at this school that the administration will make that same commitment.
To read the Orlando Sentinel's coverage of the rally, follow the link below:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-09-03/news/os-jennifer-lisa-ves...