ENGLISH TRANSCRIPT:

Apologies for not adding who the White privileges have practiced the code of silence, enduring verbal attacks, physical attacks and harassment targeting Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Deaf communities.

In response to Dominic “Dom” N. Lacy, Gallaudet University’s Chief Operating Officer’s (COO)’s video: Creating a New Paradigm for Public Safety on Campus: 

 

I wrote this morning, and decided to use this to translate in American Sign Language (ASL) to share important message. It is very rare of me to use the script, I typically “express” on my own without script. Meaning my eyes would be bit distracted at times. Raw message.

I watched Dom’s message on a video, I find this video very soft, where is the real COMPASSION, UNDERSTANDING, LISTENING, EXPERIENCE? You know why? Dom was a product of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), transferring to a university setting, but Communication Service for the Deaf is business setting. Completely different models.

As for the University, must be honesty, responsibility, to recognize racial bias, systemic racism, deep-rooted university experience. It seems that Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) makes executive decision on the Gallaudet campus, you decide whether Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) is in control of Gallaudet University affairs. This message by Dom is very soft language. Not strong enough.

Dom might be a former student at Gallaudet University, but in the administration ranks, MUST have lots of experience, honesty, no gimmicks or political bullshit. Two responses from COO’s video that needs to be challenged:

Dom’s words:

“How can members of the university community trust the Department of Public Safety to keep them safe at Gallaudet when they do not feel secure in their relationship with DPS?”

Dom signed “not so great”—how did he know? Did he really in touch with members of the Gallaudet University? Where is honesty in that language? No bullshit.

Trust, which denotes language-based prejudice and discrimination, is also an acceptable way to term White privilege’s misguided ideology of centralizing the minority into power-majority society at large on a so-called equal basis.

In such interactions, fear becomes invisible but makes no mistake. It is also, truthfully, “keeping them safe” is invisible. How did Dom know? Lack of trust is sweeping under the rug and not to be penalized. DPS is predominately White.

This is a COO who misses the whole point of DPS’s invisible ‘power-hunger’ and fails to acknowledge systemic racism at every level. His response lacks the merit of judgment and ignores the real problem by holding White privilege responsible for systemic racism. Honesty is the best policy.

In Dom’s words: “With this, we will not tolerate police brutality on our campus or in our community and beyond…such excessive force by police is particularly reprehensible given its disproportionate impact on the black community and people of color.”

The DPS system is built on the consequences of crime and punishment. Yet, DPS and Ted Baran, DPS Chief disseminates sensationalized news reports, but what if everything we thought we knew sent out the same message: that it is OK to dehumanize the trust of members of the university community.

Can we hold Ted Baran fully accountable for crime and punishment?

Dom’s words:

“It is also clear to me that we have work to do to continue to unpack the power and privilege that comes with a badge and uniform.”

This is the reason to defund the DPS. Two strikes. This is the second time in many days that a Gallaudet employee did not use “white” privilege. Laurene Simms who is Chief Bilingual Officer (CBO), and Dominic Lacy, Chief Operating Officer (COO). A powerful argument for the White privilege is the evidence of white guilt who were given free pass instead of naming it “White privilege”

There are drawbacks to all forms of White privilege, which have practiced the code of silence, enduring verbal attacks, physical attacks, and harassment of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Deaf community.

Those who have reported such crimes have found the DPS lacking interest and failing to take such attacks seriously. As a result, DPS brutality is largely under-reported. Lack of reporting and holding DPS accountable could be a fear of being misunderstood and mistreated. Facing stigma daily.

The power of a badge is about ignorance characterized by a constant suspicion, in the time of crisis, it is the DPS who hold out, by our very nature, denying academic freedom and constitutional rights, for three critical reasons:

1) It is necessary for the DPS to be defunded.
2) It is necessary for Gallaudet University.
3) It is necessary for the quality of trust and removing all biases.