To all alumni of The George Washington University, 

On April 13, 2023, Interim President Wrighton announced the Board of Trustee’s decision to arm GW Police Department (GWPD). As GW alumni, we oppose this decision which will have negative outcomes on the health, safety, and well-being of the entire GW community and its neighbors.

The Board has failed to prove that they used any data when making this decision. Despite repeated requests from students and faculty to postpone implementation, GWPD plans to arm officers starting in September. 

We hereby pledge to halt donations to the university until GW leadership complies with the requests below.

As alumni, we call upon President Granberg, Board Chair Speights, Police Chief Tate, and Members of the Board of Trustees to do the following:

• Immediately halt any plans to arm GWPD. 
• Open a public community forum to current students and all members of the GW community.
• Shift the feedback process to focusing on whether GWPD should be armed rather than how they should be armed. 

This is an urgent issue of health, safety, and equity. As alumni, donors, and potential donors we share the vision of creating a safe environment for all community members to thrive, but guns have no place on GW’s campus.

We are disappointed that GW leadership chose to not bring this decision to the broader GW community for discussion and input. Additionally, GW has had months to reach out directly to the alumni community since they announced this decision, yet they have chosen not to. We are concerned by this lack of transparency. 

We stand in solidarity with the 150+ students who protested this decision on campus. We stand in solidarity with the 450+ students, faculty, and alumni from the Milken Institute School of Public health and over 700+ community members who expressed their opposition to this policy in writing. We stand in solidarity with all student organizations and community members who are fighting to make their voices heard on this complex and nuanced issue.

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