George Washington University’s Mount Vernon Campus stepped up security Saturday after it received threats due to a staff member’s social media post about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
News4 talked to a few students who refused to go on camera due to safety concerns, but they all had one thing in common: they appreciated the added security.
The school released a statement Saturday morning saying, “In response to media coverage of a staff member’s social media post, some members of our community have received threatening communications from non-GW individuals.”
George Washington University police and additional security teams could be seen near the Whitehaven entrance Saturday — steps that some students, like sophomore Atticus D’Alessandro, are grateful for.
“I’m not too worried about it,” he said. “I trust this school, and if it was something really serious, I trust that they would take the proper precautions, and as you see, they did that.”
Some of the additional security measures include controlled access to certain campus spaces, ID checks, enhanced George Washington University police presence on campus throughout the weekend and close coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department to increase patrols in the area.
“I understand why they’re doing it, but it’s not really impacting us,” said a student, who did not want their identity revealed due to safety concerns. “Just buildings are closed to the public, and we can only access them through our IDs and stuff.”
“Which we do anyway, so this is more just like a just in case thing,” continued another student, who also did not want their identity revealed due to safety concerns. “It’s pre-emptive, which I appreciate. Like before letting something go on, they just have the measures in place already for us.”
News4 has reached out to GW Mount Vernon about the staff member’s social media post and whether he’s still employed by the university and is still waiting for a response.
Friday, MPD released a statement saying there are no credible threats in D.C. but that it would continue to have a presence throughout the district this weekend in an effort to keep the community safe.
Supporters of Kirk are expected to hold a vigil near the National Mall Sunday at 6 p.m. and while a scheduled women’s soccer game on Sunday at the school has not been impacted by the increased security, GW authorities make a call for the community to remain alert and report any suspicious activity.
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