UCLA student government president under fire for making gang sign in leaked photo

Upon the leaking of a photo showing USAC president Danny Siegel (featured above) with a gang sign associated with the Bloods, a USAC meeting was held tonight in order to address the situation.  UCLA student groups including the Afrikan Student Union attended the meeting. Students viewed this photo as insensitive since it seems to trivialize gang violence and those influenced by it.

"When a Black person, my cousin, puts up a gang sign, they're six feet under," says Robert Gardner, an African American student. #USAC

— Rupan Bharanidaran (@rbharanidaran) May 3, 2017

While Siegel posted a lengthy apology on Facebook, some students did not believe the apology was enough.  One man, Joe Jacobson commented that Siegel has a “history silencing women of color to cover up misogyny and prejudice,” linking a Daily Bruin article to support his claim.

ASU member: "We're not going to take willy nilly apologies. We need a lot of reparations."

— Alejandra Reyes-Velarde (@r_valejandra) May 3, 2017

The outrage over the photo sparked further debate about how black Bruins are treated at UCLA.  Below, a student passionately states that despite being a small percentage of the student population, “We [Black Bruins] are present on this campus.”

A heated exchange at the table. Students chanting "Black Bruins Matter" now. #UCLA pic.twitter.com/bTEecIftrl

— Tanner Walters (@tannerbwalters) May 3, 2017

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Students reportedly commented on Black student’s value being placed on their athletic performances, as well as the overall lack of respect they face.

"I am not something you pay a ticket for at the Den,- we are not a commodity, this is not acceptable," African American student at #USAC

— Rupan Bharanidaran (@rbharanidaran) May 3, 2017

"Black community needs to be respected more, should not be swept under the rug, there need to be reparation," student at #USAC meeting

— Rupan Bharanidaran (@rbharanidaran) May 3, 2017

Students at the meeting demanded change in the way the Black Bruin community was treated; other students stood in solidarity with Black Bruins.  The fight for Black Bruins mirrors the greater fight for Black Lives in the United States and follows the latest all too common tragic police shooting of a nonviolent black teenager.  This points to the notion that the fight for equality for students and citizens alike is not completely over.