On Friday, March 11, The Pacer featured a front page article by Kevin Teets regarding an incident involving a visitor to the campus who was arrested on Wednesday, March 10, for disorderly conduct.

I, along with six other students and our professor, witnessed this event. I would like to point out some discrepancies between what was printed in the article and my eyewitness account.

This incident stemmed from Christopher Bynum skateboarding on campus, but there are no signs present in the UC area to denote this rule.

Our class was returning to our classroom from the technology fair being held in the University Center when we witnessed Officers Chandler and Garcia asking Bynum to cease and desist from skateboarding in the area. Bynum immediately complied with the officers’ request, picked up his skateboard, and proceeded to leave the UC area.

As he neared a grassy area approximately 50 feet away from the area where he had been skating, he tossed his skateboard on the ground, picked it up, and then tossed it again.

At this time, our class was closer to Bynum than the officers were. I believe that we were the only students who were near Bynum at all.

While I am not qualified to determine whether an object is being thrown in a violent or peaceful manner, I can say that there were no faculty members or students in the area where the skateboard had been thrown.

Also, contrary to what was printed in the article, we did not see Bynum holding his skateboard “over his head in a threatening manner.”

After throwing his skateboard, the officers said to Bynum, “come here.” Bynum did this immediately.

As he approached the officers, he raised his arms, with the skateboard in his hand, asking what he had done wrong.

As soon as he raised his hands, one of the officers pulled out his baton and ordered Bynum to put down his skateboard.

Bynum immediately complied, was taken to the ground, and handcuffed.

Bynum was arrested for disorderly conduct, although he complied with every one of the officers’ requests.

Society grants law enforcement officials certain special rights to do their job. This is because there is a certain trust placed in these officials with the hopes that they will carry out their charges with the intent of benefiting the greater good.

For this aim to be carried out effectively, two things are paramount: honesty and accountability.

Hamilton Ellis is a freshman English major from Dyer, Tenn.