Two White male students at the University of Connecticut were arrested after a video surfaced which showed them repeatedly yelling racial slurs outside an apartment complex. The students were charged with ridicule on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race. They were released pending a court date.
The announcement of the arrests came just hours after students gathered to protest and march outside the Student Union.
In a statement, the university chapter of the NAACP wrote: “As representatives for students of color on this campus, we are on high alert. If the university does not adequately address and handle these occurrences of racism appropriately, it will create a culture in which racism is tolerated and normalized.”
Thomas Katsouleas, president of the University of Connecticut issued a statement that read in part: “It is supportive of our core values to pursue accountability, through due process, for an egregious assault on our community that has caused considerable harm.”