Morgan State University announced plans to build a wall around its campus. The new security measure comes after a campus shooting that left five people injured and forced the cancellation of the remaining Homecoming events.
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Last week, gunfire erupted on the northeast Baltimore campus as students walked from the coronation ceremony to the coronation ball. The campus was placed on lockdown and students were ordered to shelter in place. Five people were injured, four of which were students. Police say the ones injured were not the intended targets but that there may have been more than one shooter.
Certainly, students and staff demanded answers as to how easily multiple shooters were allowed to walk through campus. In a town hall Tuesday, University President David Wilson introduced the new security measure of building the wall, explaining the goal is to “eliminate unfettered access” to the school’s campus. The wall would extend off the existing barriers by an additional 8,000 feet and encircle the majority of the campus.
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University officials said significant security upgrades were underway before the shooting, but they’re now moving forward with more urgency. In addition to the wall, other potential upgrades include installing more metal detectors in campus buildings, exploring weapons detection technology, increasing police patrols and building additional security guard booths. Wilson said the anticipated total cost is more than $22 million.
The announcement also comes after the school demolished a “spite wall” from the 1930s located near the school’s entrance and built to segregate Black students from the majority white surrounding neighborhood. Just as the barrier was torn down, another one is being built due to the threat of campus security.
“We’re doing this, let me be clear, not to keep out our neighbors and our community writ large; we are doing it to keep out the bad actors,” said Wilson Tuesday.
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