A small group of students rallied outside the Campus Life Building Tuesday in support of embattled NIU Police Chief Donald Grady.

At times the group swelled to six protesters and waved signs saying “Lynching is Illegal” and “Together We Stand, Forward We’ll Move, Together United With Our Chief.”

“We are working against the removal of NIU Police Chief Don Grady,” said one protestor from the Black Student Union. “We want to let the review committee know that we care.”

The group believes the editorial that ran in the Northern Star on Oct. 8 was a misrepresentation of the police chief.

“The editorial was cowardly with no names and was filled with criticisms with no evidence,” the representative from the BSU, who wished to not have his name published, said.

When asked about the communication concerns raised by the DeKalb and Sycamore police chiefs, the protesters supported Chief Grady’s position.

“He ranks higher than the DeKalb and Sycamore police chiefs because he is a state police officer,” the representative said. “They are in a power struggle with the chief and he doesn’t need to communicate with them.”

The Illinois State Police public information office said there is no connection between the state police and university police departments. NIU’s Kenneth Davidson, the vice president of University Legal Services and general counsel, explained the separation.

“The NIU Police Department is commissioned by the NIU Board of Trustees,” he said. “That is who they answer to.”

According to paragraph 11 of article 30, section 45 of the chapter 110 of Illinois Compiled Statues 685, the Board of Trustees has the ability to appoint police officers in which they “have all powers possessed by policemen in cities, and sheriffs,” with their jurisdiction limited to NIU campuses.

Many of the protesters carried signs claiming that Grady is being attacked based on his race.
“Let’s not kid ourselves, of course this is a race issue,” the group representative said. “DeKalb is one of the most racist towns I have ever been in. There are race issues everywhere, but DeKalb is really bad.”

Allison Warren, senior biology major, disagrees that Grady is being attacked because of his race.
“I think it is wrong to jump to that conclusion,” she said. “The allegations are serious and need to be looked at separate from race.”

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