Thread by @crohlv

CROH would like to introduce you to Alan Swartz, a police officer working for @KutztownU with a habit of sharing his racist, transphobic, & anti-Muslim views publicly online. Stick around for the 🚨Action Step🚨 at the end of this 🧵 & help KU students get rid of this officer. /1

On Feb 3rd, Kutztown University Activists (KUA) released a trove of bigoted posts from Swartz's FB profile. Content included support for white supremacist teenage murderer Kyle Rittenhouse & content invoking racist "lost cause" historical revisionism. /2 inclusivehistorian.com/lost-cause-myt…

Another post is riddled with content demeaning the trans folks, immigrants, and abortion rights. Additionally, Swartz posted anti-Muslim content, including conspiracy theories about progressive congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. /3

Conspiracy theories falsely defaming progressive Muslim women such as Omar and Tlaib are common refrains among the xenophobic far-right in the so-called United States. /4 splcenter.org/fighting-hate/…

Additionally, Swartz's posts displayed his belief in a false conspiracy peddled by the fascist MAGA and Patriot movements; namely, that the coup attempt these groups carried out at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021 was a false flag operation. /5

Nearly every person who breached the Capitol were right-wing, & reporting by major publications and independent journalists alike has proven that the coup was planned and orchestrated by far-right individuals & groups. /6 

Now moving to KU's Timeline of Inaction. On Feb 8th, KUA formally requested a meeting with admin to address the public bigotry of Alan Swartz. Then on Feb 10th, @KutztownU Pres. Kenneth Hawkinson responded, denying the request, citing he "cannot discuss personnel matters." /7

To be clear, this is a cowardly bureaucratic side-step. As Pres. Hawkinson well knows, this is not a small rule violation. This is a revelation that the students of KU have (since at least 2012) been under the thumb of an overt bigot. /8

The investigation was completed on February 3rd, 2021. It was carried out by the students. That Swartz remained employed by KU on February 10th was already an egregious failure to meet the safety needs of the students. Yet weeks went by, and still *crickets* from admin. /9

In response to the continued employment of Alan Swartz, KUA organized a political action to draw attention to their demands. On March 10th -- 5 weeks after Swartz's bigotry was revealed -- KUA held a march that ended in a rally at Stratton Admin Building. /10

At the rally, a mic was open for students to voice their opposition to Swartz's employment at @KutztownU. The students also advocated for a new, permanent accountability board comprised of students, faculty, & staff, with the power to recall bigot police in the future. /11

The fact that Alan Swartz posted these messages publicly indicates the extent to which he not only believes in this content, but also that he holds no fear of retaliation. The university’s silence on this issue validates his position. /12

The role of police is not to defend community members. The role of police is to defend property -- in this case, uni property -- & repress any social movement which would challenge the hierarchies that are required to maintain racial capitalism. /13 nytimes.com/2005/06/28/pol…

Swartz's racist, transphobic, anti-Muslim, conspiracy-deluded mindset is not the exception. It is the mindset required to enact the role of police officer in our current social and political conditions, and still be able to sleep at night. /14 plainviewproject.org/about

As The Plain View Project has made clear through their published research, racist, anti-Muslim, and misogynistic attitudes pervaded virtually every police department they looked into. Most of the officers identified in their research remain on the job. /15 billypenn.com/2020/06/30/phi…

US policing is structurally racist & classist, from its roots in slave patrols & strike breakers through the militarized forces that patrol our neighborhoods today. KU Police will remain bigoted & inhumane even if Swartz is removed from the department. /16 theconversation.com/the-racist-roo…

Not because of the "goodness" or "badness" of individuals in the department (though that does exacerbate things), but simply because of the role police play in our society. /17 plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/his…

This larger problem detailed above will require unprecedented political organizing to address. But right now, in this circumstance, it is utterly unacceptable for KU students to be monitored by an individual who openly mocks their racial, gender & religious identities online. /18

It is impossible for students to be safe when a bigot with power over their lives holds them in contempt based on their very existence. This is not just theoretical. The following student allegation implies that Swartz’s personal beliefs do affect his conduct at work. /19

The KUA IG page documents allegations of uncaring, inhumane & prejudicial treatment from KU Police. These stories illustrate how the content that Swartz posted online is not an isolated case but rather the default culture of the entire department. /20 instagram.com/stories/highli…

Through silence & inaction, university admin continues to tacitly endorse the deeply bigoted views of their employee. Every day that passes while Alan Swartz remains employed by KU is another reminder of the uni's complicity in maintaining white supremacy. /21

CROH Lehigh Valley stands in solidarity with the members of KU Activists in their call to terminate Alan Swartz & also with their demand for a new, permanent accountability board so students have the power to protect their peers from bigoted officers in the future. /22

🚨HELP THE STUDENTS🚨 by signing their petition here. /23 change.org/p/students-hol…

And follow them on Instagram for updates on their struggle against campus police and university admin. /24 instagram.com/kuactivists/

Follow the link in our bio to read CROH's full article on Alan Swartz. Law enforcement doesn't keep us safe. #WeKeepUsSafe /25