On Oct. 15, the Dream Chasers held their first meeting. The meeting was headed by Amyre Cain, a sociology undergraduate student at ETSU, and Cesar Gracia, the Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety. There were four people in attendance, including me.
The meeting came together under the intent for a conversation between minority students, people of color and LGBTQ+, and public safety of ETSU. Chief Gracia made it known that he wants there to be trust and unity among public safety and the student population. He feels that it is imperative for this relationship to work so that in cases when public safety has to show up, they are able to discern the concern more easily.
He suggested that the Dream Chasers also look for ways to reach out. One of the suggestions was a cookout with the community next spring, as well as mock interviews. Chief Gracia’s wife has 30 years of experience in HR and he expressed interest in reaching out to the ETSU community to aid in helping prepare for interviews.
Once Chief Gracia had made it known what he wants for the future of the Dream Chasers, Amyre Cain then began to open the floor to a Q&A hosted by her. Although the group was small, we had discussed some of the racially charged incidents that occured at ETSU over the years, such as the Tristan Rettke incident, and other graffiti related incidents at ETSU.
Amyre also discussed the history of police forces in America, and how the creation of the police can be traced back to slave capturers. The conversations held also included mentions of LGBTQ+ issues, such as trans bathroom bills coming from the state legislator, and what public safety’s response would be.
This was only the first meeting, there will be another Dream Chasers meeting on Nov. 12 at 5pm, but the date is subject to change.
