Five people — including four students — were injured in a shooting during Morgan State University’s homecoming in early October. The incident left many shaken and canceled the school’s homecoming plans while the Baltimore police searched for the two suspects in the shooting, one of which was arrested almost two weeks later.
After the Morgan State gun violence incident, many universities — specifically Historically Black Colleges and Universities — began exploring different ways to heighten their security measures.
There were rumors that Morgan State planned to build a wall around certain parts of its campus following the incident, which university spokesman Larry Jones shut down.
The Florida A&M Police Department took extra steps to prevent any similar situations of violence during this year’s homecoming by partnering with other local agencies and security companies, to ensure that all on-campus events had adequate policing.
“Student safety is our number one priority,” interim FAMU Police Chief John Cotton said.
Surely being present is not enough to stop all violence from happening. Cotton gave more insight into the background of the police officers on the job and how much of the campus they can keep their eyes on and cover.
“FAMU has at least 1,500 cameras scattered throughout campus and all officers have attended active shooter training,” Cotton said. While police officers are trying to make sure students are always feeling safe, some students are tired of seeing their own campuses and peers at the suffering end of gun violence.
“Being from Baltimore, it kind of really hits home. I know gun violence is really prominent in the city. And trying to get out of that and be a safer community, we need to come together as a whole,” FAMU sophomore accounting student Justin Thomas said.
Some students focus on why students are choosing to come to HBCUs and the effect that these types of violent acts can have on both students and staff.
“A lot of people come to these colleges and HBCUs to get away from communities like that, so for that to happen on an HBCU campus was disheartening,” FAMU sophomore business student Troed Williams said.
Shortly after the Morgan State incident, FAMU released a statement saying, “We continue to work closely with Leon County and City of Tallahassee authorities to help ensure the safety of our campus and our community. However, it is also all our responsibility to say something if we see something. It is up to us to do what we can to protect the FAMUly.”