Editor’s Note: For the remainder of the school year, The University Star will take on “The 11% Project”, an examination of Black students at Texas State through History, Election, Hometowns, Activism, Creatives, Mentorship and 10 years from now.

During the month of November, The Star will release a five-part audio series covering aspects of the election from the perspective of Black students at Texas State.

For this installment, The Star spoke with Black students about their stances on defunding the police, their experiences with law enforcement and what changes they want to see.

The students we spoke to shared both personal stories and their wide-scale perspectives on the relationship between Black people and the police. Some of the students said they would like some funding for police departments to be invested into the Black community through education and housing, and others gave their opinions on the University Police Department.

Students featured: Texas State political science junior Diereck Montes, political science sophomore Ibidolapo Susan Orotunde, criminal justice senior Michael Smith, microbiology senior Najha Marshall and health sciences junior Johnathan Ashe.                                                                                                            

Original soundtrack by Nosakhare Aduwa.