Fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha, more informally known as Pike, along with Winthrop University administration, were the targets of a protest that took place on Thursday night where protesters sought to address a number of sexual assaults in which Pike brothers were said to be the perpetrators. Talk of accessibility issues experienced by differently-abled students was also had.
The protest was initiated by Winthrop University Students for Change and took place at 9 p.m. Protestors were asked to wear black in order to “take back the night,” according to WUSFC member Ami Hughey.
At the start of the protest, in the organization’s list of demands, WUSFC called out WU officials such as Interim Dean of Students Anthony Davis, Assistant Dean of Students Miranda Knight and Vice President and Chief of Staff Kimberly Faust for an alleged mishandling of sexual assault cases involving Pike.
“I personally felt and feel now that the issues being protested over, mainly the topic of silencing survivors and the lack of accessibility at Winthrop, have been forced to be quiet,” said student protester Dwayne Kirkland. “I felt that the protest was successful in making [sexual assault and lack of accessibility] so loud that they couldn’t be ignored, put off, or swept under the rug.”
At around 9:30 p.m., protestors marched from Byrnes Auditorium to the Pike house which was roughly five minutes away. Participants chanting “Winthrop employs abusers,” “Winthrop sides with rapists” and “Winthrop blames the victims” could be heard as the crowd marched down Alumni Drive.
The protesters arrived at the Pike house and continued to chant in front of the house. Officers from the Rock Hill Police Department and from campus police were present about halfway through the protest.
While tension was in the air, no one was injured and no arrests were made. Pike brothers were inside the house during the protest and no one emerged from the house while protesters were present.
The Johnsonian reached out to Pi Kappa Alpha on Oct. 8 and they have yet to comment on the Oct. 7 protest.
“Here’s the truth: No amount of proof is ever going to be good enough for Pike, so long as one of their own is being accused of rape or covering up rape,” said WUSFC organizer Milo Wolverton. “They don’t want proof. [Pike] want[s] survivor[s] who speak out against them to shut up and go away so they can perpetuate rape culture on campus in peace.”
WUSFC has vocalized that they are not going to stop protesting until change happens.
“We’re not going to stop until it is safe, or we’re going to make sure nobody comes here,” Grayce Kellam, WUSFC member, told FOX 46 Charlotte, who was also covering the event at the start of the protest. “It’s as simple as that. We’re not going to be silenced anymore.”
