Sixteen female cadets have been accused of supporting Black Lives matter on the West Point Army Base. They may have violated Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces by giving the BLM fist salute while in uniform. An anonymous source also reported that the group was active with BLM on the confidential site, Yik Yak. West Point has confirmed that they are investigating the cadet’s actions.
“We can confirm that the cadets in this photo are members of the U.S. Military Academy’s Class of 2016. Academy officials are conducting an inquiry into the matter.”
“Display a partisan political sign, poster, banner, or similar device visible to the public at one’s residence on a military installation, even if that residence is part of a privatized housing development.”
The picture of the sixteen cadets was posted by ex soldier John Burk who also commented on the cadets:
“The ladies before you are class seniors and have been making their voices heard more and more on an app called “Yik Yak” where users are kept anonymous, yet no one dares speak up in public against them due to them being accused of being racist and risk being expelled from the academy from hurting someone’s feelings.”
A source at West Point told Burk that commenting on 16 black female cadets is precarious:
“We can get kicked out of West Point, or forced to repeat years for what is called a “respect board.” They can be given for just making someone upset, so no one wants to get kicked out of college and lose their commission over something like this, especially since a white man, in this situation, is already at a disadvantage when a conversation like this starts. It’s purely political.”
Don’t expect them to face the same fate that a white male would for the exact same infraction.