The recent murders of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo by police officers continues to prove that police and the “criminal justice” system only protects and serves those that are white, straight, and male. This callous disregard for human life is so ingrained in American society it has become normalized to see Black and Brown bodies murdered by the state physically, then having their characters murdered to make the police look good. 

As it relates to UMass Amherst, it has been 5 days since Daunte Wright was murdered and Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy has not released a statement denouncing the murder or steps the university will take to ensure Black lives are respected, cared for, loved, heard, seen, and more on this campus. At the Showing Up for Asian and Asian-American Folks forum, he spoke a little about his experiences with racism, then suggested students that are victims of, or witnesses to, hate crimes call the UMass Police Department. This tone deaf response is on brand for the chancellor, seeing as how every email he sends in the aftermath of a tragedy has similar elements: sympathizing with victims, naming on-campus resources, saying how the UMass community has to “come together” to fight against the underlying causes of what led to the tragedy he addresses. 

That is not enough, however. For the Chancellor and the members of the Senior Leadership Team to back up their words, they must reallocate funds that UMPD gets to CMASS, the Cultural Centers, the Stonewall Center, CWC, UHS, CCPH, Men and Masculinities Center, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, and the Veteran Student Resource Center. More police, access to military-grade weaponry, increased patrols and more are not the answer. If Black lives, and the lives of all minorities on and off-campus, truly matter, then the upper administration will begin work to abolish UMPD.