A local NAACP official has been suspended by the national organization after voicing his support for legislation to give students accused of sexual assault more due process rights in campus proceedings.

In March, St. Louis County NAACP chapter President John Gaskin voiced his support for a number of proposed reforms in Missouri to correct what he called a lack of due process that unfairly targeted African American males. Gaskin wrote in a statement:

The denial of due process at Missouri’s colleges disproportionately impacts African American men. And that’s why we call for immediate due process reforms.

The Missouri House and Senate are currently considering a number of bills that would grant more rights to the accused, including a bill that would allow the accused to see the evidence presented against them in disciplinary proceedings, as well as a bill that would prevent universities from refusing to consider evidence presented by students accused of sexual assault.

In response to Gaskin voicing his support, national NAACP President Derrick Johnson decided to suspend Gaskin and required him to turn over his office keys within seven days of the postmarked letter. According to the letter, Gaskin violated his duties by supporting reforms similar to those pushed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, which the organization has taken a public stance against. Johnson wrote:

“You...have publicly spoken out in support of proposed state legislation that would make it more difficult for survivors of sexual assault at Missouri’s state universities to come forward with their claims and have them adjudicated. This position conflicts with NAACP policy regarding implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972 and its supporting regulations, which is reflected most recently in the NAACP’s January 2019 opposition to proposed rule changes at the federal level that would have largely the same effects as the proposed Missouri legislation.”

Since DeVos proposed multiple rule changes to the way Title IX claims were handled under the Obama administration, the NAACP has repeatedly opposed her efforts to protect the rights of the accused, and spoken out against her proposed changes.

John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.