2008 Woodie Awards
SGA strikes resolution
Representatives clash over proposed Snelgrove legislation
Kaitlin Buckley
Issue date: 11/10/04 Section: News
After the initial shock of Emerson student Victoria Snelgrove's death from a "less lethal" projectile at the riots following the Red Sox' ALCS victory, the repercussions were felt immediately throughout Boston's closely-knit college communities.
Opinions quickly surfaced from the tensions students felt about the relationship between the police and college students in general.
These varying reactions were more than evident at the emotionally charged Student Government Association meeting held on Oct. 28, which was completely dedicated to discussing a proposed resolution calling for an investigation into the actions of certain members of the Boston Police Department regarding Victoria Snelgrove's death.
Co-sponsored by senior representative Dan Monahan and freshmen Class President Sean Scanlon, the proposal was met with equal parts passionate encouragement and determined skepticism from SGA and members of the student body that chose to attend the open meeting. Emotions running high during this meeting and another held on Nov. 2 were only a part of the reason why the resolution's sponsors mutually agreed to withdraw it from the legislative table.
The students present at the Oct. 28 meeting were almost completely split on the issue of an investigation. Strongly opinionated defenders of both the police department and the college students provided a dialogue from which there would be no simple conclusion.
Some students faulted the actions of the college students at the celebration gone awry, stating firsthand that they were acting recklessly.
"When you gather in a group like that," stated student Jared LaPore, "it causes intimidation."
Others, such as Molly Stark Dean, saw the resolution as a form of protection from reckless police behavior towards college students, "This is not just about Victoria. This is about all of us," Dean said.
Among the members of the student government, the Oct. 28 meeting ended in raised voices and walkouts.