Lexington Police Chief slurs VMI Cadets calling them "trained killers"

Washington and Lee University Ring-tum Phi ^

[vmirog91]

Police Chief raises concern about VMI, W&L relations Al Thomas speaks to W&L students about staying safe when interacting with cadets on the weekends Jordan Cohen November 9, 2015 Filed under News, Showcase Cam Tyler, ‘17, was throwing a birthday party for her housemate in their home on North Randolph Street when some unexpected visitors arrived. “Two VMI guys walked up our front steps, and I can’t even remember if they knocked on our door or if they just came right in,” Tyler said. “But their explanation of why they needed to come in was a party that they were just at got busted, so they were running from the cops.” The cadets were only briefly at the party made up of 30 Washington and Lee women, before Tyler overheard the cadets had invited friends. She asked them to leave. Fifteen minutes later, they returned with three more cadets in tow. A girl standing near the front entrance shut the door before they could come inside. “They weren’t belligerent, [and] they weren’t rude at first. It’s just, when they weren’t allowed back into our party the second time it [was] like we had taken something from them that they deserved,” Tyler said. In a classroom meeting with W&L journalism students organized by Professor Toni Locy, Lexington Police Chief Al Thomas expressed some concerns about the this type of late-night mingling between Virginia Military Institute keydets and W&L students. “What’s the deal with you guys mixing with VMI now?” Thomas asked a class of W&L students last week. “I don’t know if I like that. That’s scary, to me.” Thomas said this mix prompted more police presence on North Randolph Street this September, where VMI cadets and W&L students were partying together with greater frequency. “So now we’ve got this mix here that bothers me just a bit, maybe it shouldn’t, but [at] that location we’re seeing the VMI Keydets join in on this party, and we’ve had a couple of fights out there, just minor, but we are concerned about that,” he said. The issue with mixed nightlife is that VMI Keydets and W&L students are distinctly different, according to Thomas. Said Thomas: “You guys are so completely different. Your two universities are so vastly different. Your cultures are different. When you put these two different universities together, in the middle of night, consuming alcohol, I have some concerns.” He also noted the physicality required of the average VMI Keydet. “They are trained killers,” he said. “These guys are going through military training, they don’t have the social life that W&L has.” The most notable difference, Thomas said, is the regimented lifestyle of Keydets. “Everything for their lives is structured, and then, every now and then, we let them loose, out into the public. And then we say okay, now we need you to behave like a normal 20 year old,” Thomas said. “They’re not normal. They’re different. They’re not your typical college: It’s a military institute.” W&L students are freer in their social lives. “For you guys, Lexington’s your home. You have free reign, free run of the whole city.” This difference, compounded by drinking, says Lexington Detective Robert Smith, can cause friction. “That can lead to the aggressive behavior that we see sometimes, with the binge drinking and, kind of, congregating,” he said. “With the differences, it will just, sort of, escalate very quickly at times.” Camille Lejeune, ‘17, said that for the most part, she doesn’t mind the rare times when cadets come to W&L parties. “I don’t have anything against it to be completely honest,” she said. “It’s just that it never happens because we don’t know them.” Thomas made clear, however, that he is not suggesting the schools should be completely separate. “There are a number of events and endeavors that you guys can partner in, and do great things,” he said. His concerns lie with what happens in the late hours of the night. “I want you to understand the context that I mention this is we’re talking one o’clock in the morning, you know, drinking,” Thomas said. “That’s dangerous, or potentially dangerous.”

[SkyDancer]

Police chief calling others “trained killers”? How ironic.

[SkyDancer]

PS - Hey chief, at least they don’t go shooting family pets.

[HokieMom]

I was in Lexington this past weekend. I just love it. I’m so sorry to learn the police chief is such a dope and ill-suited for the position.

[Broker]

VMI trains fine military officers. They greet strangers on Main Street Lexington, VA with respect. As warriors there are few finer. Defenders of our Constitution.

[Romulus]

I never had any problems with Veemies. Some of us sneaked onto the grounds once during Mock Convention. There were some dates/girlfriends present as well (this was before the Asteroid hit). Some cadets invited us into their dorm room and we had a good old time visiting.

[matginzac]

Well, when the town voted down the annual display of the Confederate Battle Flag, there at the home of Gen Jackson, you could kind of bet on something like this coming next.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I clicked the link—sounds like the chief might have gotten an ass whoopin’ by a cadet back in the day.

Honest to God, he is afraid of them.

[Arm_Bears]

My FiL graduated from W&L in the late 40’s—Attended on the GI Bill. Loved and supported his alma mater and had nothing but good things to say about his “neighbors” at VMI.

He died in the late 90’s, so he didn’t witness W&L becoming the liberal shit-hole it is today.

I guess the Chief would be happier if VMI just packed up and left; but I don’t think the economy in Lexington would do well with the loss.

[ClayinVA]

The scary part for them is how many VMI grads are in serious positions of responsibility and are very protective of their school. They also stick together like glue and look out for their fellow grads. This should be hitting the local papers soon.

[BwanaNdege]

“The Marines are over sexed, under paid, teenage professional Killers!”

Eleanor Roosevelt

[EDINVA]

The comments were made by the host town’s chief of police, not by any students. Both W&L and VMI are fairly conservative campuses.

[ladyjane]

And how did Eleanor know they were over sexed?

[iowamark]

Cam Tyler, ‘17, was throwing a birthday party for her housemate in their home on North Randolph Street when some unexpected visitors arrived.

“Two VMI guys walked up our front steps, and I can’t even remember if they knocked on our door or if they just came right in,” Tyler said. “But their explanation of why they needed to come in was a party that they were just at got busted, so they were running from the cops.”

The cadets were only briefly at the party made up of 30 Washington and Lee women, before Tyler overheard the cadets had invited friends. She asked them to leave.

Fifteen minutes later, they returned with three more cadets in tow. A girl standing near the front entrance shut the door before they could come inside.

“They weren’t belligerent, [and] they weren’t rude at first. It’s just, when they weren’t allowed back into our party the second time it [was] like we had taken something from them that they deserved,” Tyler said.

In a classroom meeting with W&L  journalism students organized by Professor Toni Locy, Lexington Police Chief Al Thomas expressed some concerns about the this type of late-night mingling between Virginia Military Institute keydets and W&L students.

“What’s the deal with you guys mixing with VMI now?” Thomas asked a class of W&L students last week. “I don’t know if I like that. That’s scary, to me.”

Thomas said this mix prompted more police presence on North Randolph Street this September, where VMI cadets and W&L students were partying together with greater frequency.

“So now we’ve got this mix here that bothers me just a bit, maybe it shouldn’t, but [at] that location we’re seeing the VMI Keydets join in on this party, and we’ve had a couple of fights out there, just minor, but we are concerned about that,” he said.

The issue with mixed nightlife is that VMI Keydets and W&L students are distinctly different, according to Thomas.

Said Thomas: “You guys are so completely different. Your two universities are so vastly different. Your cultures are different. When you put these two different universities together, in the middle of night, consuming alcohol, I have some concerns.”

He also noted the physicality required of the average VMI Keydet.

“They are trained killers,” he said. “These guys are going through military training, they don’t have the social life that W&L has.”

The most notable difference, Thomas said, is the regimented lifestyle of Keydets.

“Everything for their lives is structured, and then, every now and then, we let them loose, out into the public. And then we say okay, now we need you to behave like a normal 20 year old,” Thomas said. “They’re not normal. They’re different. They’re not your typical college: It’s a military institute.”

W&L students are freer in their social lives.

“For you guys, Lexington’s your home. You have free reign, free run of the whole city.”

This difference, compounded by drinking, says Lexington Detective Robert Smith, can cause friction.

“That can lead to the aggressive behavior that we see sometimes, with the binge drinking and, kind of, congregating,” he said. “With the differences, it will just, sort of, escalate very quickly at times.”

Camille Lejeune, ‘17, said that for the most part, she doesn’t mind the rare times when cadets come to W&L parties.

“I don’t have anything against it to be completely honest,” she said. “It’s just that it never happens because we don’t know them.”

Thomas made clear, however, that he is not suggesting the schools should be completely separate.

“There are a number of events and endeavors that you guys can partner in, and do great things,” he said.

His concerns lie with what happens in the late hours of the night.

“I want you to understand the context that I mention this is we’re talking one o’clock in the morning, you know, drinking,” Thomas said. “That’s dangerous, or potentially dangerous.”

[catnipman]

The lack of paragraphs in your post is not entirely your fault. The same thing happened to me a while back when I did a copy and past and the paragraph marks in the copied text got nuked, probably for the same reason several other special characters are being trashed on FR posts.

I REALLY wish the site operators would get that problem fixed. It’s EXTREMELY annoying.

[BwanaNdege]

And how did Eleanor know they were over sexed?

"A plethora of beautiful, nubile witnesses?"

;-)

[Mr. Jeeves]

Amazing how many Communists have already infiltrated law enforcement.

[old curmudgeon]

My reply was to comment on the idiot who wrote the description of what occurred.

[Jack Hammer]

When the terrorists show up at his front door to execute him and his entire family, this Chiefie will be weeping and calling out for some trained killers.

He’s a moron.

[robowombat]

Paragraphs are your friends:

Police Chief raises concern about VMI, W&L relations

Al Thomas speaks to W&L students about staying safe when interacting with cadets on the weekends . Jordan Cohen November 9, 2015

Cam Tyler, ‘17, was throwing a birthday party for her housemate in their home on North Randolph Street when some unexpected visitors arrived. “Two VMI guys walked up our front steps, and I can’t even remember if they knocked on our door or if they just came right in,” Tyler said. “But their explanation of why they needed to come in was a party that they were just at got busted, so they were running from the cops.”

The cadets were only briefly at the party made up of 30 Washington and Lee women, before Tyler overheard the cadets had invited friends. She asked them to leave. Fifteen minutes later, they returned with three more cadets in tow. A girl standing near the front entrance shut the door before they could come inside. “They weren't’t belligerent, [and] they weren't’t rude at first. It’s just, when they weren't’t allowed back into our party the second time it [was] like we had taken something from them that they deserved,” Tyler said.

In a classroom meeting with W&L journalism students organized by Professor Toni Locy, Lexington Police Chief Al Thomas expressed some concerns about the this type of late-night mingling between Virginia Military Institute keydets and W&L students. “What’s the deal with you guys mixing with VMI now?” Thomas asked a class of W&L students last week.

“I don’t know if I like that. That’s scary, to me.” Thomas said this mix prompted more police presence on North Randolph Street this September, where VMI cadets and W&L students were partying together with greater frequency. “So now we’ve got this mix here that bothers me just a bit, maybe it shouldn’t, but [at] that location we’re seeing the VMI Keydets join in on this party, and we’ve had a couple of fights out there, just minor, but we are concerned about that,” he said.

The issue with mixed nightlife is that VMI Keydets and W&L students are distinctly different, according to Thomas. Said Thomas: “You guys are so completely different. Your two universities are so vastly different. Your cultures are different. When you put these two different universities together, in the middle of night, consuming alcohol, I have some concerns.”

He also noted the physicality required of the average VMI Keydet. “They are trained killers,” he said. “These guys are going through military training, they don’t have the social life that W&L has.” The most notable difference, Thomas said, is the regimented lifestyle of Keydets. “Everything for their lives is structured, and then, every now and then, we let them loose, out into the public. And then we say okay, now we need you to behave like a normal 20 year old

,” Thomas said. “They’re not normal. They’re different. They’re not your typical college: It’s a military institute.” W&L students are freer in their social lives. “For you guys, Lexington’s your home. You have free reign, free run of the whole city.” This difference, compounded by drinking, says Lexington Detective Robert Smith, can cause friction. “That can lead to the aggressive behavior that we see sometimes, with the binge drinking and, kind of, congregating,” he said. “With the differences, it will just, sort of, escalate very quickly at times.â€

 Camille Lejeune, ‘17, said that for the most part, she doesn’t mind the rare times when cadets come to W&L parties. “I don’t have anything against it to be completely honest,” she said. “It’s just that it never happens because we don’t know them.” Thomas made clear, however, that he is not suggesting the schools should be completely separate. “There are a number of events and endeavors that you guys can partner in, and do great things,” he said. His concerns lie with what happens in the late hours of the night. “I want you to understand the context that I mention this is we’re talking one o’clock in the morning, you know, drinking,” Thomas said. “That’s dangerous, or potentially dangerous.”

[robowombat]

W & L recently banned the CSA flag at the Lee Birthday ceremony at the Chapel/Lee Tomb. A number of the anti-micro aggression folks at W & L are agitating to change the name as Marse Robert's connection with the school offends and frightens them.