Body cameras show tense scene with Delta Upsilon, LBC members

The University of Missouri Police Department logged more than five hours of footage of a chaotic scene outside the Delta Upsilon fraternity involving members of the Legion of Black Collegians this past fall.

The incident landed DU on emergency suspension, and stoked considerable interest from media outlets on the fraternity’s misconduct the last academic semester. LBC members claimed a group of students shouted racial slurs at them on campus, and followed that group back to the DU house on September 28.

DU was eventually suspended by its national organization for two years following investigations into unrelated incidents, including underage drinking and assaults at the house.

ABC 17 News requested the police body camera video the day after the incident. MUPD wrote in its initial report that officers never heard DU members shout racial slurs, but LBC members claim people inside the fraternity escalated the situation by shouting out of windows at them and blasting rap music through speakers.

The body camera footage from eight officers show the emotional scene in as many as 30-minute increments. Faces are blurred due to federal privacy laws concerning students, and the audio occasionally drops when specific names are said. Crying can be heard from an LBC member, as people on all sides try to get a grasp on what happened.

None of the videos show the alleged racial slurs, or reported harassment, but show LBC, DU and MUPD members trying to find some resolution. After asking an LBC member to leave the porch of DU’s home, officers facilitate a discussion between one person identified as the DU chapter president and another LBC member. The DU president said he doesn’t believe any of his fraternity brothers would shout slurs. He said members rushed to the windows when numerous police cars pulled up in front of their home, curious as to what was happening outside.

The LBC member said she understood that DU members would wonder what was happening outside, but that did not excuse them from shouting at students gathered outside.

“If there’s people that can be identified, you’re going to need to handle those situations with those members,” she says in the video.

MUPD Maj. Scott Richardson tells ABC 17 News the case is “inactive,” meaning the agency is no longer investigating a potential crime. The Office of Student Conduct could still hand down individual punishments to students, if any were found to have violated school policy.

Other videos show police and students trying to calm down those on the sidewalk, amidst several people shouting and sometimes joking with one another.

In November, the LBC and DU released a joint statement about a developing “relationship” between the two groups.

“While we know that the work needed to continue developing this relationship will not be easy, we are discussing specific steps and actions our groups can take to educate ourselves and the larger community,” part of the statement reads.