What might otherwise have been a routine interaction between police and party-going students has turned into a cause of tremendous controversy. The arrest of three Oberlin College students last weekend prompted accusations that certain officers from the Oberlin Police Department used excessive force and acted in a racially biased manner.

Early last Sunday morning, at approximately 2 a.m., three Oberlin students were arrested outside of a party on North Main St.

According to Clifton Barnes, public information officer for the OPD, College junior Z.R. was charged with public indecency for allegedly urinating in public.

College senior M.M. was charged with obstructing official business, petty theft, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct for allegedly interfering with Richards’ arrest with repeated and aggressive questioning.

Once arrested, he reportedly escaped from the back of the police car where he was being held and succeeded in temporarily evading officers. This development resulted in the charge of stealing the handcuffs with which he had been restrained.

A.G., OC ’11, was charged with obstructing official business and disorderly conduct.

Barnes said, “She came by and saw [M.M.] being arrested and kept coming over to the officers, swearing and cussing…After repeatedly being told to step back…she continued to come up on the officers… so she was placed under arrest as well.”

A.G. was forcibly subdued by officers and in the process suffered a cut beneath her eye. Barnes said that two police officers were injured as well, one with a strained back and one with a shoulder injury.

The OPD is conducting an internal investigation into the matter, which Barnes said was a routine procedure after any use of lethal or non-lethal force.

“When someone is told that they are under arrest, they are to comply according to the Ohio revised code. She did not comply,” said Barnes, declining to elaborate on how she did not comply since it is an issue currently under investigation.

All three of the students are currently contesting the charges filed against them and all pleaded not guilty at their Tuesday morning arraignment hearing at the Oberlin Municipal Court, which filled the courtroom with student supporters.

As a result of the ongoing litigation, neither the students nor their legal counsels made statements to the press. Nonetheless, key elements in the police account are being strongly disputed by college students.

A video of the arrests was recorded by College senior N.N., a student senator and eyewitness to the event. A.G.’s older sister and Double Degree senior M.G. said, “I watched the tape multiple times. They never said ‘You are under arrest’ to my sister before they touched her.”

The video too has not been made public due to ongoing legal proceedings. M.G. also questioned the amount of force used: “Three police officers had my sister on the ground and she only weighs 115 pounds,” she wrote in an e-mail directed to administrators and faculty, asking them to promptly address her concerns.

N.N. described the circumstances in an e-mail to the Review, “There was obviously no rioting or even a tiny disturbance that could have warranted such a reaction. The police abused their power and authority in this situation and acted irrationally. Certain officers were non-communicative, hostile and had extremely high tempers.”

N.N. made it clear, however, that “at least one officer at the station was very kind and tried to help us with as much as she could.”

In her e-mail, M.G. said, “There is the growing concern amongst the student body, that Oberlin Police officers not only target, but use excessive force against Oberlin College’s students of color. For the past two semesters especially, the consensus amongst students is that not only has the [OPD’s] presence been more forceful, but it is having an extremely detrimental impact on students of color.”

President Marvin Krislov responded with a campus- wide e-mail, stating that he “was distressed to learn about an incident that occurred on North Main Street late Saturday night.” He explained that an outside mediator was being brought in and at the College’s urging, the City was conducting a more formal investigation in addition to the standard internal police investigation.

The arrests have since been the subject of passionate discussion at several public venues, including Monday’s Jena Six Walkout, an open community forum and a “Town Hall” meeting organized by ABUSA at Lord Saunders. The administration and students are encouraging continued dialogue between students, members of the administration and town residents.

Captain Barnes stressed his department’s previous efforts to reach out to and educate College students about the relationship between the OPD and students. “We have tried over the last several years to be involved in orientation. We’ve asked – we’ve been told not to get involved,” said Barnes in an interview.

At yesterday’s open forum hosted by the Oberlin College Dialogue Center, students, faculty, City residents and staff gathered to discuss issues related to law enforcement and student safety. Dean of Students Linda Gates spoke on behalf of the administration’s efforts to address problems raised and Ombudsperson Yeworkwha Belachew responded to concerns about City-College dialogue. Though the details of the Sunday morning incident were explicitly excluded from the discussion, it was clear that the issue was central to it.

Many people present at the event were concerned that the recent arrests are not isolated incidents, but rather related to a history of abuse against people of color by the OPD. M.G. revealed plans to compile records of students’ past encounters with police officers.

Participants also expressed concern about the implicit separation of the College and town involved in mediation, with one town resident even expressing fears of a “potential backlash against minorities in the city.”

Despite the level of controversy on campus and the accusations directed at police, Barnes expressed surprise at the responses the student arrests provoked: “We wouldn’t say this is anything more spectacular than a party gone awry, but only a little bit.”