Sixteen years ago, an eyewitness saw the most tragic incident that ever happened in the history of Gallaudet University - the incident that resulted in a death of a deaf student-activist by the actions of the campus security on the scene. After learning all the facts of the incident, It had shaped the eyewitness' fundamental views of the world: ignorance begat murder.

The eyewitness was inside the Gallaudet football team locker room getting ready to work out in the weight machine room before suiting up for the football practice. It was a cold November day. He walked outside of the Old Hughes Gym building to stretch out and to get the feel of the weather, only to be interrupted by a sheer commotion going on at the entrance of another building - the old Ely Center* - across from Old Hughes Gym*.

He saw all the campus security arriving on foot or by security cars, immediately rushing into the entrance area and stopping just inside the area, voices bellowing (he had an hearing aid on at the time) and struggling movements. He was perhaps standing a good, maybe approximately 50 feet away from that entrance area. Yet the doors blocked out the entire view of the campus security doing something about inside but a large window just above the doors provided the eyewitness a better glimpse of the commotion. He saw maybe 3 or 4 guys were down on something or someone, then all of sudden a female campus security walked out of the entrance area all upset and crying.

Then the Washington Metropolitan Police dept vehicle showed up, then another a moment later. The eyewitness was being crowded around by other student-football players trying to get a good view but this guy got a better one. He saw two legs being held down by campus security people and he asked the student-football players that did they know what was going on? One suggested that he heard about a student had a fight with a professor and that professor called the security on him.

Then, suddenly, two campus security guys walked out of the entrance area apparently very upset about something going on inside, one was arguing with another. One of the student-football players managed to spot two people doing something like CPR on what seem to be a man laying flat by the stairs, partially crowded around by few campus and DC police officers talking and standing around, doing nothing.

One female campus security took notice of a small crowd of student-football players, including the eyewitness, standing on the dock of Old Hughes Gym building and approached them, asking them to stay away and stay inside the machine weight room but the guys ignored her. Her signing was awkward and confusing. The eyewitness saw other people trying to get close to the entrance area but turned away by campus security, yet one student rushed to get inside, angrily insisting the campus security to let him in but they refused his request and try to arrest him if he persists. That student angrily stormed off, tried to rush around on the other side of the building and disappeared from the view.

An ambulance showed up on the no parking zone and two paramedics rushed in to the entrance area. One campus security walked out all upset, crying and saying something that was too incomprehensible to hear from the distance. One of the football coaches just showed up and told the guys to get inside and get ready for the football practice but it was still a good 30 minutes away. The eyewitness told the coach what really happened over the entrance area and pointed him out the commotion, he was informed by another student-player a name of the man the campus security apparently held down and attempted to CPR: Carl Dupree.

The name didn't register with the eyewitness who have never heard of the guy before. He had no real idea what all the commotion was about except that Carl Dupree had a beef with a professor and the professor called campus security to escort him out. He didn't learn of all the facts until after the football practice was over, then the subsequent investigations, the media's reports, the coroner's report, the lawsuit filed and prosecuted in the court of justice - sadly unpunished. That very unfortunate incident have left him with a grim impression of the world that ignorance was begetting murder and still is to this day.

That eyewitness was me.

Carl Dupree was the father of four children, a lifelong deaf activist who sought for better sign communication for the faculty and personnel staff of the university with the deaf students. After the argument with a professor, he was on his way to meet his wife and his children at the old Ely Center when he was stopped and roughly detained by the Gallaudet campus security. His wife and children would never see him again.

On Oct. 25th of this year, after a long drive from Columbus to Washington, DC, stopping by Gallaudet to check out the protest. I just happened to attend a GUFSSA gathering for the presentation of the special guest speaker: a handsome young man by the name of Carl Dupree Jr.. I couldn't believe my eyes... this Carl Dupree Jr. all grown up, I recalled seeing the Dupree family with the young Carl Dupree Jr. 16 years ago in person (but never met them) after the incident. Fate have certainly brought me to see his emotional speech and I ventured downstairs to where Carl Dupree Jr was milling about after his speech. I came upon him, introduced myself as the eyewitness who saw the commotion surrounding his father and expressed my condolences to him and his family in person, finally after 16 years.

The Gallaudet campus security has to have a better sign language communication - most of these people were former police officers who have a tendency to lag far behind on sign communication training that they don't bother to make efforts to improve and treat the campus security jobs as the least risky and partially stress-free profession (like a night security guard working at a very low-risk building... yawn). They have to improve for the good and well-being of the students and everyone working at or visiting the university.

*sigh*

Another eyewitness' account, just much closer to the incident than mine

Carl Dupree died 16 years ago - the story

Carl Dupree - the ultimate victim of audism

* = Old Hughes Gym have been torn down in late 1990s to become the site of the Student Academic Center and the old Ely Center was vastly renovated to become the Student Union Building.