Police release Campus Copy report

After nearly two weeks of investigating, University Police announced yesterday that the April 3 incident at Campus Copy Center will remain classified as a simple assault. The final report on the incident between Graduate School of Education student Gregory Seaton and employees of the Walnut Street store confirms the ruling made by the officers who first responded to the disturbance. Seaton has alleged that he suffered racial discrimination from Ron Shapiro, the son of Campus Copy owner Stan Shapiro. Furthermore, Seaton claims that he was assaulted by Ron Shapiro and several Campus Copy employees after he protested his treatment. Campus Copy representatives deny Seaton's allegations, claiming instead that Seaton incited violence. The report brings some closure to weeks of controversy after Seaton's account of the incident circulated campus via e-mail the weekend after the alleged assault. In the days following, student groups launched protests in front of Campus Copy and circulated petitions admonishing Campus Copy for its customer service. A simple assault -- an assault in which no serious injuries are sustained -- must be witnessed by police officers in order for an arrest to be made. The report stands behind the original decision not to make any arrests. Penn Police Chief Maureen Rush said that regardless of the testimony of the various security guards, the fact that no police officer witnessed the incident would alone have been enough -- in addition to the lack of serious injuries -- to validate the simple assault ruling. "None of the police, [University City District] Safety Ambassadors or the Allied-SpectaGuard Officer witnessed the altercation; all arrived after the event in response to the radio call," the report read. The report also said that both Campus Copy and Seaton have been told that they can "seek further resolution through the Philadelphia District Attorney's Private Criminal Complaint process." Rush would not speculate as to whether the concerned parties would seek further action or as to what the outcome would be if they did. Yesterday, Stan Shapiro said that he felt the final report supported Campus Copy's side of the story. "We told the truth right from the beginning, and I believe this police report more or less confirms that," he said. And Ron Shapiro said that he was "happy with the way [the report] came out." Though Campus Copy last Tuesday signed an apology for providing Seaton with "poor service," they have consistently denied that Seaton was the victim of racial discrimination. Seaton declined to comment on the report yesterday, saying that he would wait until he had seen something "a little more in-depth." Seaton also would not say whether he plans to take legal action against Campus Copy, and Stan Shapiro said that while he knows Seaton has an attorney, he does not know what kind of litigation Seaton could bring. "I know that he has counsel, but whether he's planning any kind of a lawsuit, I don't know," Stan Shapiro said. "I don't know what kind of suit he possibly has." Following the final Penn Police report, University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi released a statement in which they praised how the issue has been examined. "We have begun to have conversations with members of our community on issues of great importance to all of us, and we intend to continue the dialogue," the statement read. Rodin and Barchi's statement also said that the issues raised by the Campus Copy controversy would be discussed in the future. And former Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Michael Bassik said that while the investigation was quick, the issues raised by the incident have yet to be addressed. "I'm glad to see the investigation was conducted so quickly, but it looks as though the final report sheds no new light on the matter," said Bassik, a College senior. And Kimberly Noble, UMOJA Political Action and Research Committee Coordinator, said that the report contained no new information about what actually happened on April 3. "Obviously, everyone wants to know what happened on that day, and we're not going to know," the College sophomore said.