In recent weeks, Brandeis students have raised their voices along with countless others across the country in protest of the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and the subsequent lack of grand jury indictment for each of their killers, who were both police officers. Brown and Garner have become symbols of the many other black men and women in America killed by unnecessary police violence. 

The response of students here has taken several forms, including, but not limited to, taking part in vigils, both on-campus and off, and joining with groups like the Brandeis Black Students Organization. On Dec. 1, students staged a die-in event, where hundreds of community members “walked out” of their regular everyday activities with hands up and lay down on the Rabb steps in solidarity with Ferguson, Mo. and other communities affected by police violence. This was part of a larger national walkout protest called “Hands Up, Walk Out.”

This editorial board commends and stands with all students who have organized and participated in demonstrations or protests. We adamantly support civic action related to the recent deaths, as well as protests of police brutality toward black people in general.

We also commend the University for its support of student action and, by extension, its support of the dire need of discussion on the issue. Rarely do we see the University so unequivocally throw its support behind student activists. Through its arrangement of an on-campus vigil about the events in Ferguson and a discussion with Dean of Students Jamele Adams about the ruling in Garner’s case on Thursday, the University has shown that it is committed to providing spaces for students to mourn, protest or talk. Additionally, the University provided buses to a vigil in Boston last week following the Garner decision, further showing an unusual but laudable commitment to putting resources behind advocacy on a political issue.

In particular, Adams has shown a deep commitment to the issue. 

In an email to the student body on Thursday, he eloquently expressed his rationale for why the greater community must be engaged.

“Black Lives Matter without question, nor dispute,” Adams wrote. “The human affirmation sentiments of that statement are representative of many in our community, to the same degree that all lives matter. 

“I see myself in the faces of each black male lost in this way and in the hearts of their parents, as my own mother continues to tell me to be careful, realizing it could be me.”

Adams is not alone in his disappointment with these rulings. The recent nationwide outpouring, both on social media and on the streets, shows the deep resonance of these issues with the American people. And the empirical evidence shows reason for the mass concern; the shocking statistics on hand demonstrate that both police brutality and police action occur at disproportionately higher rates against black people. 

Between 2010 and 2012, young black males were 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by the police than white males of the same age, according to an Oct. 10 analysis by ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit news organization focusing on investigative journalism.

ProPublica’s statistics also quantify police shootings in terms of race. For example, in Oakland, Calif., black people are statistically more likely to be shot by the police. Between 2004 and 2008, of the 45 officer-involved shootings in Oakland, 37 of those shot were black, roughly 82 percent. In comparison, according to the most recent census, only about 28 percent of Oakland is black or African American. 

The data also supports the thesis of a clear and present problem with how we as a country adjudicate the police forces, as police officers who commit acts of violence against people are charged, convicted and incarcerated at abnormally low rates. 

Data from FiveThirtyEight.com—a statistical analysis and model forecasting website—shows that the law enforcement officer conviction rate lies at only 33 percent, less than half of the 68 percent conviction rate of the general public. And where 48 percent of those general public defendants are incarcerated, only 12 percent of those law enforcement officers are put into prison. Law enforcement officers, naturally in a position of power, are for whatever reason being allowed  to perpetuate a cycle of violence, with minimal judicial repercussions. 

This public policy enigma must be addressed in a meaningful way, and placing the issue at the forefront of discussion is the necessary first step. 

Coming from a place of naivete as college students, this editorial board will not assert a solution to the problem. Yet we urge the Brandeis community to continue to be engaged and active in pursuit of edification on the matter. Moreover, the University should continue to be part of the rapidly expanding nationwide movement—from individuals who want to involve themselves on a personal level, to the highest and broadest reaches of the institution. The institutional support that Brandeis has shown to student activists is certainly a good start, but it is the next steps that really matter.

We are lucky to be members of the generally safe and sheltered Brandeis community; yet we would be culpable to merely sit on the sidelines, watching the country advocate and protest from a distance. Brandeis owes it to its students, black or otherwise, to continue its commitment to open discussion cultivating the promotion of positive change in all areas where change is needed. The societal issues of race are no different.