Student activists are calling on the UW Police Department to remove a “thin blue line” flag in its offices, after a social media photo revealed the “Blue Lives Matter” symbol hanging prominently in the department’s office.
The “thin blue line” on such flags has become associated with the pro-police movement that has arisen over the past six years in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The single blue line flag came to prominence in 2014 in tandem with the growing “Blue Live Matter” movement, which arose to support law enforcement after several officers were killed in response to the murders of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. The flag has since become a fixture at Trump rallies and far-right events, and is widely regarded as a symbol of racism and white supremacy.
Some students, including members of the student government, have called for police to be removed from the University of Wisconsin campus as part of a larger effort to diminish the power and importance of policing across the nation.
Student activist and founder of the Instagram account @BIPOCatwisco Djamal Lylecyrus said he feels the flag represents UWPD’s stance on current racial issues.
“Their use of that flag is a blatant disregard for everything that I’ve been fighting for,” Lylecyrus said. “It just shows where they stand. They are still standing at the same place, and they’re not really willing to work with students and move forward if that were even like what we were looking for.”
In a statement released Tuesday, UWPD Chief Kristen Roman defended the flag, noting its history.
“The ‘thin blue line’ phrase and associated imagery date back decades. To many within and outside of the police profession, it symbolizes a commitment to public service and the countless selfless sacrifices willingly made to honor that commitment, up to and including laying down one’s own life to protect the lives of others,” Roman.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the term “thin blue line” dates back to an 1854 battle during the Crimean War. However, its use in reference to law enforcement was only a semi-recent development, used first in 1922 by New York police commissioner Richard Enright and popularized in the 1950s by former Los Angeles police Chief William Parker.
The specific imagery seen in the UWPD photo, though, is a recent phenomenon, dating back just six years. The flag is often seen displayed at Trump rallies and white supremacist rallies, including appearing alongside the Confederate flag in the 2017 Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally.
In her statement, Roman wrote that “the imagery of the thin blue line has evolved to mean different things to different people.” Students like UW-Madison BIPOC Coalition cofounder Juliana Bennett remain skeptical.
“If it does mean different things to different people, and if it means something harmful to someone, then maybe it’s not a good idea to have it up,” Bennett said.
Another student and Chair of the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), Matthew Mitnick, denounced the department’s flag as outright racist.
“It is endorsing white supremacy,” he said. “It’s indicating that they refuse to validate and acknowledge that black lives do matter, that every concern that is being expressed, it’s basically just invalidating all of that. And it’s upholding and enforcing the white supremacist ideology of police departments. And is it just a direct threat. It’s trying to remind BIPOC students the level of control UWPD has over them.”
In the same statement, Roman noted, “the department is in the midst of our Racial Equity Initiative, which aspires to establish formal, community-guided accountability metrics with respect to racial equity at UWPD.”
“If it means white supremacy. If it means racism. If it means hate to people, then why are you going to put it up, and in the same statement say that you are in a racial equity initiative,” Bennett said. “If you’re in an equity initiative it is certainly failing.”
Lylecyrus, Bennett, and Mitnick all urged UWPD to remove the flag.
“If UWPD actually wanted to work on the relationships with students of color on this campus, then that wouldn’t be a very difficult task for them to uphold,” Lylecyrus said.
In a statement to Madison365, UWPD Communications Director Marc Lovicott said, “no action has been taken on the installation display.”
According to Mitnick, this is not the first time UWPD has acted “inappropriately” on social media.
Last month, Mitnick, using his personal Twitter account, tweeted his support for defunding UWPD. This was then followed by a reply from the official UWPD account, which questioned the consistency of his opinions, his own regarding defunding MPD, and the ones held by ASM.
In our first two meetings with ASM leaders, @matthewmitnick_ told us more than once that it was not ASM’s aim to defund or abolish UWPD. This certainly goes against Matthew’s own stated position. 🤔 #mixedmessages
— UW-Madison Police (@UWMadisonPolice) October 12, 2020
“I think them calling me out was intentional…it was a way to deflect from what other people were saying directly about their experiences with the department,” Mitnick said. “And it demonstrates also to students if you speak out against UWPD and you hold any sort of leadership positions, this is what they’re going to do to try to intimidate and silence other students from doing the same thing. And even with that they literally violated their own social media policies. It’s completely inappropriate for a police department.”
Looking forward, Bennett demanded that Vice-Chancellor Laurent Heller, who directly oversees UWPD, take action in the name of racial justice.
“It’s sick that Laurent claims to care so much about diversity, equity, and inclusion and yet doesn’t speak out against the hateful institution, UWPD, that he oversees,” Bennett said. “How is any BIPOC person supposed to walk into UWPD and feel safe, looking at that flag? How are they supposed to trust you UWPD, when they protect these white supremacist systems. They’re like, ‘well, we need to gain your trust,’ well how about you try to earn our trust.”
Some students, including members of the student government, have called for police to be removed from the University of Wisconsin campus as part of a larger effort to diminish the power and importance of policing across the nation.
Student activist and founder of the Instagram account @BIPOCatwisco Djamal Lylecyrus said he feels the flag represents UWPD’s stance on current racial issues.
“Their use of that flag is a blatant disregard for everything that I’ve been fighting for,” Lylecyrus said. “It just shows where they stand. They are still standing at the same place, and they’re not really willing to work with students and move forward if that were even like what we were looking for.”
In a statement released Tuesday, UWPD Chief Kristen Roman defended the flag, noting its history.
“The ‘thin blue line’ phrase and associated imagery date back decades. To many within and outside of the police profession, it symbolizes a commitment to public service and the countless selfless sacrifices willingly made to honor that commitment, up to and including laying down one’s own life to protect the lives of others,” Roman.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the term “thin blue line” dates back to an 1854 battle during the Crimean War. However, its use in reference to law enforcement was only a semi-recent development, used first in 1922 by New York police commissioner Richard Enright and popularized in the 1950s by former Los Angeles police Chief William Parker.
The specific imagery seen in the UWPD photo, though, is a recent phenomenon, dating back just six years. The flag is often seen displayed at Trump rallies and white supremacist rallies, including appearing alongside the Confederate flag in the 2017 Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally.
In her statement, Roman wrote that “the imagery of the thin blue line has evolved to mean different things to different people.” Students like UW-Madison BIPOC Coalition cofounder Juliana Bennett remain skeptical.
“If it does mean different things to different people, and if it means something harmful to someone, then maybe it’s not a good idea to have it up,” Bennett said.
Another student and Chair of the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), Matthew Mitnick, denounced the department’s flag as outright racist.
“It is endorsing white supremacy,” he said. “It’s indicating that they refuse to validate and acknowledge that black lives do matter, that every concern that is being expressed, it’s basically just invalidating all of that. And it’s upholding and enforcing the white supremacist ideology of police departments. And is it just a direct threat. It’s trying to remind BIPOC students the level of control UWPD has over them.”
In the same statement, Roman noted, “the department is in the midst of our Racial Equity Initiative, which aspires to establish formal, community-guided accountability metrics with respect to racial equity at UWPD.”
“If it means white supremacy. If it means racism. If it means hate to people, then why are you going to put it up, and in the same statement say that you are in a racial equity initiative,” Bennett said. “If you’re in an equity initiative it is certainly failing.”
Lylecyrus, Bennett, and Mitnick all urged UWPD to remove the flag.
“If UWPD actually wanted to work on the relationships with students of color on this campus, then that wouldn’t be a very difficult task for them to uphold,” Lylecyrus said.
In a statement to Madison365, UWPD Communications Director Marc Lovicott said, “no action has been taken on the installation display.”
According to Mitnick, this is not the first time UWPD has acted “inappropriately” on social media.
Last month, Mitnick, using his personal Twitter account, tweeted his support for defunding UWPD. This was then followed by a reply from the official UWPD account, which questioned the consistency of his opinions, his own regarding defunding MPD, and the ones held by ASM.
“I think them calling me out was intentional…it was a way to deflect from what other people were saying directly about their experiences with the department,” Mitnick said. “And it demonstrates also to students if you speak out against UWPD and you hold any sort of leadership positions, this is what they’re going to do to try to intimidate and silence other students from doing the same thing. And even with that they literally violated their own social media policies. It’s completely inappropriate for a police department.”
Looking forward, Bennett demanded that Vice-Chancellor Laurent Heller, who directly oversees UWPD, take action in the name of racial justice.
“It’s sick that Laurent claims to care so much about diversity, equity, and inclusion and yet doesn’t speak out against the hateful institution, UWPD, that he oversees,” Bennett said. “How is any BIPOC person supposed to walk into UWPD and feel safe, looking at that flag? How are they supposed to trust you UWPD, when they protect these white supremacist systems. They’re like, ‘well, we need to gain your trust,’ well how about you try to earn our trust.”
