The following letter was sent by President David Wilson to the Morgan community regarding the protests that have happened on campus today:

Dear Campus Community:

As all of you know by now, last night the Grand Jury in the Ferguson, Missouri case returned a decision not to charge the police officer who took the life of Michael Brown.  That verdict shocked a large swath of the world, and its reverberations are being heard here in Baltimore, and on the campus of Morgan State University.

Earlier today, I joined a group of our students in a peaceful protest because I felt that the message sent by the verdict suggested that, unfortunately, some lives in our country matter more than others.  I urged our students to protest peacefully, and I do hope that they will heed that advice.

Later today, I met with several student protestors outside of Truth Hall and reiterated my support for a peaceful protest.  I left the campus around 2:30 p.m. for an off-campus appointment, and while away from the campus, about a hundred-plus students came to my office in Truth Hall to share with me their concerns with regard to policing issues within the City of Baltimore.  While I was not there, Dr. Kevin Banks, Vice President for Student Affairs, did meet with them on my behalf, and we agreed that we would reach out to the Baltimore City Police Department and seek to set up a constructive dialogue between the Police Department and student leaders.   We have already begun to work on making such a meeting happen.

Let me continue to urge all of our students at Morgan to speak out for injustice when you see it or encounter it, and to do so, always, in a peaceful and respectful manner.

Sincerely,

David Wilson
President
Morgan State University