Students gathered outside on the University of Virginia campus.
On Wednesday night, less than 24 hours after University of Virginia student-leader Martese Johnson was
brutally beaten by local law enforcement, thousands of students gathered together to express their collective frustration that one of their peers was unjustly and brutally beaten by local law enforcement.
Initially planned as an indoor gathering, the crowd quickly grew so large that students moved it outdoors to the expansive atrium. It quickly filled up there too. Peaceful but passionate student leaders spoke on their anger, pain, and frustration. Still visibly wounded Martese Johnson, already a beloved leader on campus, came out briefly to speak words of peace and encouragement to his fellow students.
Ultimately, a great deal of the pain and shock that the students felt and expressed comes because a reasonable expectation existed that the greater problems of society would not so harshly visit one of their own. The assault of Martese Johnson by local law enforcement shatters many myths and stereotypes about just who law enforcement is willing to beat or kill and reveals just how ugly the problem truly is.
See the video and photos of the assault below.