back

Columbia Student Speaks Out About Racism

This is the moment a Columbia University student was pinned down by a public safety officer after he refused to show his I.D. 🤔He sat down with Brut to talk about the viral video and racism on college campuses.

Columbia Student Speaks Out About Racism

This Columbia University student is making a point about racial bias after being pinned down by campus security. Alexander McNab was leaving a dance practice by a student group that he participated in at Columbia and had seen somebody posted on Facebook that there was some extra food from an event on the other side of the street on Barnard’s campus, which is affiliated with Columbia. He goes into the library building and the food is still there, and the public safety officer comes in and says he had to show me I.D. and refused to do that. They asked him to leave the building. I said I'm not going to do that and then that's around when the video starts.

McNab refused to hand over his ID fighting for his rights, because of his experience with racial bias at Columbia. He decided to use the situation to prove a point about such experiences among students of color. Firmly believing that it's a pattern in the lives of many other students on campus. And it's not something that's a pattern that is equitably distributed by certain students who have to deal with this more than other students public safety officers at Columbia-Barnard tend to focus more on black students black and brown students.

The viral video of the incident has now been viewed thousands of times. Barnard and Columbia later released statements expressing regret about the incident of inequality. But McNab says the only reason action was taken is because of the evidence. Escalating the interaction that we were having from a verbal interaction to a physical interaction — spectacular visual media. That's why it went viral and that's why I've been talking to everybody and getting everybody's attention and re-sparking widespread conversation about these issues on campus.

Brut.

05/05/2019 6:00 PMupdated: 05/06/2019 1:11 PM
  • 2.4m
  • 3.4k

And even more

  1. 7:41

    The life of Ava DuVernay

  2. 4:43

    Elijah McClain's case under fresh scrutiny amid protests against police brutality

  3. 5:36

    5 Gen Z leaders working to improve democracy with Civics Unplugged

  4. 3:24

    TBT: Martin Luther King on riots

  5. 3:01

    Sister of Black trans woman Riah Milton speaks out after her death

  6. 3:25

    Rutger Bregman on his viral tax speech in Davos

2482 comments

  • Tzvi L.
    03/31/2020 20:06

    Comply or be arrested

  • Jessica C.
    03/20/2020 00:46

    Ok. So why didn’t he just show his ID when they first asked?

  • AndyLuz V.
    03/17/2020 21:57

    Drama !

  • Tom D.
    03/13/2020 14:56

    A simple case of no respect for authority...aside from already looking like an animal!

  • James S.
    03/13/2020 04:20

    those who defy authority have neither right nor liberty

  • Barbara M.
    03/13/2020 02:54

    Idiots out for fame .

  • Vivacious
    03/13/2020 02:20

    Once you show ID if the police still go all ham on you then you now have a full case against them.

  • Hector N.
    03/13/2020 02:18

    Security guards in many instances are either retired officers who can’t seem to be able to live a normal life after their retirement and miss being in a position of power or frustrated wannabe’s who didn’t qualify to be cops. Either way is a very dangerous situation to be in when it comes to people of color.

  • Sergio D.
    03/13/2020 01:52

    Just show your ID simple as that!! If you don’t have anything to hide you should be good..🤷🏻‍♂️ people love confrontation smh

  • Gary G.
    03/13/2020 01:31

    I have to show ID when I go into schools . Why shouldn’t you?

  • Rebecca C.
    03/13/2020 01:28

    Show your ID. No problem

  • Rebecca C.
    03/13/2020 01:27

    Right

  • Rodriguez L.
    03/13/2020 01:25

    all this people saying. he should of just showed his I'd. isn't that what an I'd is for to show it when asked for it...if you aren't doing anything wrong they have no reason to stop you plain and simple... maybe they aren't asking everybody and maybe they're just asking black and brown ppl. so that being said they just being racist.

  • Steven L.
    03/13/2020 01:12

    Lol man with all rape on campus just have your id around your neck and get hair cut bro so whats your point

  • Randy B.
    03/13/2020 01:11

    Take his house and making homeless he won't have a job probably after you finish suing him

  • Randy B.
    03/13/2020 01:11

    Maybe you want the food for himself and get your lawyer so how much it cost him personally

  • Rich R.
    03/13/2020 00:08

    Sorry, he looks like a homeless man. That's a private school. Show your ID, comb your hair, and beat it. Was the cop nice, no. But hop in the shower dude.

  • Mike W.
    03/12/2020 23:40

    Cry Baby ,show your ID and stop using your race as a excuse.

  • Emi P.
    03/12/2020 23:21

    Look I get it.. but this guy looks homeless.

  • König D.
    03/12/2020 23:20

    I show my ID at my college all the time .. everyday when I enter and I also swipe it when I enter a diff department.. just show your id