Correction and Apology: Drexel Police Activity on May 31

To the Drexel Community:

On July 28, we, the co-chairs of Drexel’s Anti-Racism Task Force, posted a statement regarding the Drexel Police activity on 52nd Street on May 31 that we have since learned contained misinformation – an error that we deeply regret. We would like to clear up the facts as we now know them and sincerely apologize to the Drexel community for this breach of trust.

In the statement, we erroneously stated that a Drexel police officer -- who was photographed holding the arm of an individual -- was assisting the individual in obtaining medical aid after a fall. At the time, this is what Drexel’s investigation showed. Upon receiving new information and further looking into the incident, it was determined that the Drexel officer was attending to the individual after he had been handcuffed by Philadelphia Police.

We know that the work of the Anti-Racism Task Force is only as good as the trust the Drexel community has in us to operate in good faith. Please know that we did not intend to mislead the community with our original statement, and we apologize for our mistake and the harm it has caused. As we stated on July 28, Drexel’s police presence on 52nd Street on May 31 will be reviewed further by the Police Review Advisory Commission and will be addressed in the report to the Drexel community following that review.

As leaders of the Anti-Racism Task Force, we pledge to be as open and transparent with the University community as possible – not only when we succeed, but also when we fall short. We encourage you to continue holding us to this standard, and in turn, we are renewing our commitment to have the hard conversations, communicate openly and honestly with the community, admit when we are wrong, and always strive to do better.

Respectfully,

Kim Gholston, Subir Sahu, Aroutis Foster, Lucy Kerman
Co-Chairs, Anti-Racism Task Force