St. Thomas students gathered at John P. Monahan Plaza Tuesday afternoon to denounce white supremacy and call for a culture of accountability and respect after signs referring to a “known white supremacist group” were placed on campus.

The event, organized by the university’s multicultural clubs, prompted tears and emotional accounts as students were given the opportunity to share and reflect on racial injustice on campus following some St. Thomas faculty and officials speeches.

Acts of hate and racism have become a trend in the St. Thomas community, as several of the students acknowledged during the rally.

University President Jullie Sullivan, who was in attendance for the entirety of the event and talked to students after, called for the crowd to dedicate the following week to demonstrate to others what they stand for and denounce white supremacism.

The newly installed chief of the U.S. Capitol Police says the force, still struggling six months after an insurrection that left its officers battled, bloodied and bruised, “cannot afford to be complacent.” The risk to lawmakers is higher than ever.

J. Thomas Manger said his force is seeing a historically high number of threats against lawmakers, thousands more than just a few years ago. He predicts authorities will respond to close to 9,000 threats against members of Congress in 2021.

Manger touted changes that have been made in intelligence gathering after the department was widely criticized for being woefully underprepared to fend off a mob of insurrectionists in January.

The events of that day have redefined how the U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies in Washington approach security. Extreme measures put into place two weeks ago for a rally in support of those jailed in the riot aren’t a one-off, they might be the new normal.

Angeline Terry can be reached at terr2351@stthomas.edu.