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.
2423 comments
Marcos A.
03/10/2021 00:09Without a doubt you were racially profiled...no question about it, but why were you targeted ? As a former NYC police officer I worked out of the 26 Pct which covers Columbia and Banard college, in my opinion the problem here is that less than 4 blocks from those schools within walking distance are low housing projects that is mostly populated by black & latinos and is attributed to some of the crime perpetrated against some college students there. It's uncommon to have students committing crime on other students, not that it doesn't happened. Also be advised there are plenty of good people living in the projects ! I'm latino and I grew up in the projects... I WANT TO MAKE MYSELF CLEAR.🤔
Sebastian G.
01/13/2021 00:25Slim wipe the pain off 🤡
Tzvi L.
03/31/2020 20:06Comply or be arrested
Jessica C.
03/20/2020 00:46Ok. So why didn’t he just show his ID when they first asked?
AndyLuz V.
03/17/2020 21:57Drama !
Tom D.
03/13/2020 14:56A simple case of no respect for authority...aside from already looking like an animal!
James S.
03/13/2020 04:20those who defy authority have neither right nor liberty
Barbara M.
03/13/2020 02:54Idiots out for fame .
Vivacious
03/13/2020 02:20Once 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 02:18Security 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 01:52Just 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 01:31I have to show ID when I go into schools . Why shouldn’t you?
Rebecca C.
03/13/2020 01:28Show your ID. No problem
Rebecca C.
03/13/2020 01:27Right
Rodriguez L.
03/13/2020 01:25all 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 01:12Lol 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 01:11Take his house and making homeless he won't have a job probably after you finish suing him
Randy B.
03/13/2020 01:11Maybe you want the food for himself and get your lawyer so how much it cost him personally
Rich R.
03/13/2020 00:08Sorry, 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 23:40Cry Baby ,show your ID and stop using your race as a excuse.