A police officer at the University of Virginia was forced to resign after students claimed that he used his vehicle’s PA system to shout “Make America Great Again” on the evening of Donald Trump’s surprise victory over Hillary Clinton.
Student protesters demanded the removal of the officer from his post on the grounds that he abused his authority as a university officer. The incident allegedly occurred at 1:50 AM, as the result of the election became more apparent and students had begun to make their way back to their dorm rooms.
“I was disappointed to learn of reports that UPD personnel allegedly used the public address system in their vehicle inappropriately following the results of the election in the early morning hours on Wednesday,” UPD Police Chief Michael Gibson said in a Nov. 10 email response to concerns over the incident.
The University of Virginia hosted a candlelight vigil for students who were traumatized by the results of the election. “Last night, an individual who ran a campaign of racism, homophobia, xenophobia, islamophobia, and authoritarianism was elected president of our country,” the event’s Facebook page said. “We invite you, our community, to process this pain together and discuss future action.”
According to The Cavalier Daily, University of Virginia’s student newspaper, student protesters interrupted the Board of Visitors meeting on Nov. 11 to demand that the offending officer be fired.
The university says the officer took responsibility for his actions and resigned.
