An Open Letter to Brown University President Christina Paxson
Take accountability for the deaths of two students and resign in disgrace
Dear President Paxson,
As President of Brown University, your most important job is the physical security of your campus. You have failed. Under your leadership, two Brown students have been slain and their killer is still on the loose 60 hours later.
We will not let you escape accountability. You are responsible for the deaths of Ella Cook and Mukhammad Umurzokov. Your incompetence is on full display for the world to see. This tragedy is a case study on why “elite” college campuses that obsess over safe spaces have become the most dangerous places in America. We demand answers to the questions below as the suspect remains at large and Brown has not provided any details on his appearance or identity. The time has come for you to resign.
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On Saturday, December 12 at 4PM, a gunman shot and killed two Brown students while injuring nine more. They were in a final exam review session in the Barus & Holley engineering building at the heart of campus. Brown has a $8 billion dollar endowment, $2 billion annual budget, and 800+ surveillance cameras funded by charging students $80,000/year in tuition. You earn a $3 million salary, employ 4,000 administrators, and allocate millions more to the campus security budget.
Why can’t you or the Providence mayor provide any description of the suspect other than a “man dressed in black”? How are a grainy 10-second video and blurry photos the only evidence available?
What did the gunman shout before he opened fire? Why haven’t any witnesses been able to share what he said and what he looks like? Was it “allahu akbar”, as The Center Square has reported?
Why were you on a private flight to DC that day, in the middle of final exams, and unable to answer basic questions about what was going on in that classroom?
On Sunday, December 13 at 4AM, law enforcement detained a person of interest. The media leaked that his name was Benjamin Erickson of Wisconsin. That afternoon, one of the deceased students was confirmed as Ella Cook of Alabama. She served as Vice President of the Brown Republican Club. Despite your rhetoric about diversity of perspectives, only 6% of Brown’s student body and 1% of faculty is Republican.
Was Ella Cook targeted for her political beliefs?
What did you tell her family and the other victims’ families?
Why was the Providence Chief of Police Oscar Perez told to change his wording about the person of interest from “in custody” to “detained”?
On Monday, December 14 at 12AM, person of interest Benjamin Erickson was released. The killer remains at large and you have no leads. Yet Brown and Providence authorities are confident that there is no active threat to the public. The longer he evades capture, the more suspicion you will arouse about a cover-up. Share every detail about what you know when you know it. You and your institution’s last shreds of credibility are disintegrating every hour that you don’t adopt full transparency. The Boston Marathon bombers evaded capture for 100 hours and you are more than half way there.
Why do you believe there is no active threat when the suspect is still on the loose and all educational institutions in Rhode Island have cancelled classes through the holiday break?
If Brown is a gun free zone, how did the suspect use a gun in it and how will you prevent future shootings without further infringing upon the second amendment?
How much has the recent no confidence vote on the Brown police chiefs impacted campus security?
Why did you rush to label this incident as gun violence?
Brown’s mission statement says the university “prepares students to discharge the offices of life with usefulness and reputation”. Your uselessness has permanently stained Brown’s reputation. Two students lost their lives, nine are hurt, and thousands are traumatized.
The other tragic killings that occurred over the same weekend in Sydney and Los Angeles have diverted attention away from you. We will remain focused on your disastrous response in Providence. Retain your records. We will be closely monitoring every move you make during this ongoing crisis.
Your name will be forever disgraced like your former Ivy League president peers Claudine Gay, Liz Magill, and Minouche Shafik. All of you are synonymous with failure and the destruction of centuries of prestige. If you had any sense of honor or decency, you would resign immediately.
Brown’s motto is “In deo speramus” - in God we hope. We hope and pray for Ella Cook, Mukhammad Umurzokov, and their families to find solace in unfathomable grief. We hope that the murderer will be captured and face justice, along with everyone involved in this farce.
And if you refuse to resign, we hope the Board of Trustees will find the courage to fire you. Too much blood is on your hands. May God have mercy on whatever is left of your soul.
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The era of decisive, competent (mostly male) leaders who take accountability is over. Instead our institutions are led by mediocre, entitled drones who are terrified of originality and transparency.
Their role is to sustain the Blob, and to do whatever it wants. Not only is brilliance and bravery not required for this job - they’re disqualifying traits.
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/job-search-part-4