More than 100 faculty members at California State University at Long Beach have signed a letter backing Steven Osuna, a Latino associate professor of sociology, who has accused the campus police of racial profiling.
Osuna said campus police refused to let him back into his own office when he accidentally locked himself out of it. The officer said he was following campus policy. “[N]umerous white CSULB faculty members have shared that campus police have opened their office doors, in some cases without ever asking for identification,” the letter said.
The letter also said, “it is equally important to note that Dr. Osuna is an internationally renowned scholar, a highly decorated teacher, and a successful mentor of CSU students with expertise in the areas of critical criminology, racism, policing, and criminalization.”
The Statewide University Police Association, which represents officers at Cal State, sent a letter to the university’s Board of Trustees, accusing Osuna of misrepresenting what had happened, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Osuna tweeted in response: “The Statewide University Police Association (SUPA) is saying I should be investigated for ‘dishonesty and malicious intent’ for speaking up against racial profiling. This is clear intimidation and an attempt to silence my union and I.”
