President Martha Garcia held the first President’s Forum on April 9, to discuss the school funding the college police with semi-automatic AR-style rifles.

The forum began at 2:30 p.m. and housed roughly 150 audience members. Brenda Martinez, a student at Mt. SAC, was invited to speak prior to increased police technology and firearms being introduced into the conversation. A victim of an on-campus assault, Martinez spoke highly of the police and campus staff for their support as they escorted her to and from classes.

“There have been two mass shootings per day since 2020,” Campus Chief of Police Kelli Florman said during her presentation. “Five hundred three in the last year alone.”

“This was the justification why the AR-15 rifles, black and white police vehicles, body cameras, new computer systems and tasers were imperative to the overall safety of Mt. SAC students and faculty.

Each of the six sworn police officers would be given a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, which would be located in a locked compartment between the front and passenger seat of the police vehicle. Off-duty officers would store their weapons inside the campus safety building. According to Florman, 26 nearby colleges have similar weapons or are planning to transition to using them.

Although no exact cost was stated, acting Vice President Shannon Carter assured the audience that all funds would come from the existing budget and that the school remained in “ongoing negotiations.”
“We will not move forward without the support of the board of trustees,” President Garcia said before opening the forum to questions and statements from about 25 students and seven faculty members, many of whom came to the microphone a number of times.

“People with firearms have to be met with firearms. Period,” stated Officer Florman after being asked if there were any other non-lethal alternatives, such as rubber bullets or tasers.
Many students spoke out against the suggestion of putting AR-15s on campus, and it wasn’t long before people began to speak over one another.

One student helping to maintain order in the forum was student trustee César Tlatoāni Alvarado, who spoke on several occasions in order to share his opinions, give alternative solutions and maintain peace.

“This decision would be contradictory to a healing environment,” said Alvarado. “We need common sense gun support, not reactionary solutions.”

Students became increasingly agitated after President Garcia offered no response to an emotional speaker who shared his personal experience with gun violence and why he was against heightened weapons on campus.

This led to a student shouting to Garcia, “Aren’t you going to respond to that?”
One student who spoke a number of times was Malik Abdelmati, a member of Core Club on campus.

She spoke directly to President Garcia, bringing into question whether or not the school system was truly democratic.

“If 50,000 students voted against AR-15s on campus, would you listen to your students?” Abdelmat asked.

President Garcia withdrew from the podium and left the meeting at 5:47 p.m., leaving acting Vice

President Carter to answer any remaining questions from the audience. Some students yelled names such as “loser” or “shame on you” at the president as she walked out the backdoor.

Although many students present at the meeting spoke adamantly against further weaponization of the campus police, not everyone shared the same opinion.

“I think about a security guard getting AR-15s,” said one student. “I think it can potentially be an amazing idea, especially if the security guards are really well trained and go through a very thorough background check just to ensure the safety of everyone.”

“Democracy isn’t easy but the conversation is necessary,” Alvarado said as the meeting came to a close.

A Board of Trustees meeting will be held on April 16 at 6:00 p.m. in Founder’s Hall to continue the discussion of whether or not there is a place in Mt. SAC for these weapons.

Vice President Carter concluded the meeting by reminding the audience that the next President’s Forum will be held May 6 and invited the conversation to continue at a later date.