By Police1 Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A poster hung in a dorm at Missouri State University has caused an uproar on social media after it claimed police protect white male privilege, News-Leader reported.
The “Check your privilege” diversity campaign posters resurfaced in a residence hall 18 months after their inception. The posters each feature a statement and boxes below to check off what “privileges” the reader is afforded.
The one that directly addressed police read, “If you’re confident that the police exist to protect you, you have white male privilege.”
Backlash quickly erupted on social media. Several users condemned the school and used the hashtag, “#MyLiberalCampus.”
Absolutely pathetic that @MissouriState would approve and promote a message of this magnitude. Absolutely pathetic. pic.twitter.com/LbJ3V4SHDx
— Austin Paxton (@Paxton323Austin) April 30, 2016
The university’s president, Clif Smart, released a statement about the incident, saying comments on social media were “inflammatory” and “question our support of our police force.”
“At Missouri State, we encourage free speech and healthy debate. The impact of race, religion, disability and sexual orientation on our lives and certain actions of police officers in impoverished urban areas are all important topics to think about and discuss at our university,” he said. “...we value both our students and their free speech rights and we respect and appreciate the important service the Springfield Police Department provides to our university.”
The campaign was sponsored by the university’s Residence Hall Association (RHA) and the Student Government Association during the 2014-2015 school year. The group released a statement on Twitter and said they wanted to encourage “clear, civil dialogue.”
“RHA is thankful to have our (MSU) public safety and Springfield Police substation serving our halls and our campus and we have never meant for any ill will to reach either of these groups,” the association wrote.
Officials were unsure of how the posters from the 18-month old campaign resurfaced. They have since been removed.