COLLEGE STATION, Texas — A protest being hosted by Black Lives Matter B-CS was expected to happen on Saturday, August 15 but organizers said they were told by the university they could not gather on campus.
Netta Caston, co-founder of Power to the People, a local organization and one of the organizers of the protest, tweeted a message to her followers, saying Texas A&M is now attacking the group's constitutional rights. She said a university representative told her she could not have the protest on campus due to the state-wide COVID-19 restrictions.
"It's like they're using COVID-19 as a way to keep us from gathering peacefully," Caston told KAGS News Saturday. She said people who come to demonstrate wear masks and that the safety of each person there is her top concern. Caston said she even turned the planned protest into a "religious gathering" but the university allegedly shut her down once again.
Protesters from both sides of the Sul Ross debate gathered at the statue Saturday in an effort to make their voices heard, including Caston, despite saying she was canceling the protest.
Earlier this month, Texas A&M announced its protocols when it comes to groups gathering on campus during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. The university said it would continue to follow the state mandate that limits outdoor gatherings to more than 10 people.
Texas A&M officials told KAGS News Saturday that as long as people do not gather in groups of more than 10, they will not be asked to leave. If people wear masks and socially distance, they will not be asked to leave.
They stated in an email sent out to students that groups wishing to exercise their freedom of speech and are anticipating more than 10 people gathered, they must follow this guideline:
- All other student organizations and/or persons must receive mayoral/county judge approval* (per Governor Abbott’s executive orders GA-28 and GA-28 Amended) prior to beginning the UCEN reservation process or appropriate reserving authority.
The mandate remains in place until Sept. 18. Read the full statement here:
It is not believed the group applied for a permit to gather for 10 or more people, a university spokesperson told KAGS News Saturday. On August 13, College Station Mayor Karl Mooney gave the power of approving a permit back to Texas A&M, citing the president has the best access to the information to approve gatherings on university property.
Caston told KAGS News she canceled the planned protest, despite feeling as if her rights, as well as those who wished to come and be heard, were being violated. She gained supporters on social media, especially after she tweeted she was going to the administration building at 6 pm.
"This is my whole life," Caston said. "This means so much to me."