Jim Crow on Campus

In this episode of "Jim Crow on Campus," investigative reporter Erin Corbine tells the story of an anonymous Facebook page, Concerned Students of SUNY Canton, that tracks racism in the SUNY Canton University Police. Additionally, we hear from attorney Diane Exoo, who talks about students' constitutional rights, and why police in New York can't legally stop you on the street for smelling like marijuana.

Reporter Erin Corbine tracks the story of Dashawn Walker, a rising sophomore at SUNY Canton. Dashawn thought a pair of flippers and a snorkel had been abandoned, so he told one of his friends, Andre Lynch, that he could take them. When Dashawn found out the gear wasn't abandoned, he and Andre returned the items. But when University Police got involved, Dashawn was made homeless, despite his pleas for a hearing from the administration. Meanwhile, Andre faced a court case.

In this episode of Jim Crow on Campus, reporter Erin Corbine sits down with “Ashley.” Ashley, who’s using an alias out of fear of retaliation from police and the administration, is a senior at SUNY Canton. She sheds light on her experiences involving University Police. In this episode, we gain insight into the officers’ strategic circumvention of the Fourth Amendment - the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. What does it mean to have these rules not apply? For many students like Ashley, this is a daily reality at SUNY Canton. Before her departure, she reminisces on a warning she left for her family: “I told my parents, I do not feel comfortable. If anything ever happened to me, don’t call University Police.”

What happens when students of color are policed by all-white cops? Welcome to SUNY Canton, a technical college of 3200 students in upstate New York. It’s located in Canton, the county seat of St. Lawrence County, a county that’s just 2.7% Black and 2.3% Latinx. But at SUNY Canton, two-thirds of the students who live on-campus are Black and Latino. It’s like a pocket of NYC in the backwoods of rural New York. In this episode, reporter Erin Corbine talks to student Tyreek Alicea about navigating life on campus as a student of color. [Image by Alex Soto]