Alumni Arrest Sparks Concerns About Privacy and Activism
Reed computer science graduate Robert Jacob Hoopes ‘23 was arrested from his home on the morning of July 25. Hoopes made an appearance at the ongoing protest at the ICE facility on S Macadam Ave. on June 14, which was declared a riot by the Portland Police Bureau later that day. According to the prosecution, Hoopes was allegedly seen in video surveillance throwing rocks, one of which struck an ICE agent in the face, and using a stop sign as a makeshift battering ram, damaging the facility property at a cost exceeding one thousand dollars. Hoopes pleaded innocent. Community members and Hoopes’ friends and family have shown up in support of Hoopes, with a call to “free Jacob.” His thesis advisor, Dylan McNamee, has also been showing up to court in support of Jacob. In an interview with OPB, McNamee said that he has no trust in the accuracy of the accusation. “The Jacob I know would not hurt somebody, eye-to-eye, with a rock.” He declined to comment to the Quest until Hoopes’ case is sorted out.
At the protest, Hoopes wore a gas mask and dark clothing. He was identified by a tattoo on his forearm seen in the surveillance footage and from a picture the Oregonian published in which Hoopes had taken off his gas mask while helping another protester. The Federal Bureau of Investigation used an AI facial identification software in order to cross-reference a photograph of Hoopes in a past Canyon Day post with the photo in the Oregonian. An FBI agent wrote that he reached out to the head of Reed College Community Safety, Gary Granger, who disclosed Hoopes’ address, phone number, and email address. Granger did so without the presentation of a warrant or subpoena. As recently as this spring, in an interview for a Quest article on ICE, Granger stated that he would not be assisting law enforcement, saying, “we do not assist law enforcement in doing things we are not required to do.”
The college has since issued multiple statements about the situation. President of Reed College Audrey Bilger sent a statement out to the Reed community on July 29, stating that Granger’s actions were “under formal review,” which would be conducted “by a third party investigator.” Bilger wrote that she understood the concern that these events might raise. “Reed maintains clear policies,” she said, “and provides regular training to ensure that information is managed responsibly and in alignment with legal and institutional values.”
On August 5, Reed’s chief information security officer, Valerie Moreno, issued a statement explaining how Reed cares for student, alumni, and staff data. In the statement, she outlined some steps that the college takes, including training for staff members and security checks. Notably, she stated that Reed College’s photo sharing platform, SmugMug, is now password protected and limited to a small number of staff. “SmugMug has served as a way for people to stay connected,” Moreno stated. “This platform is now on an indefinite pause as we reconsider how to document campus life and share community moments moving forward.”
The most recent statement issued by the Reed administration was issued by the vice president of student life, Karnell McConnell-Black, on Monday, September 8. His message attempts to assure Reed students that the institution is committed to “rebuild confidence and demonstrate accountability.”
At Reed, student data is protected under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal act to protect student privacy. This act requires that Reed College receive written confirmation from students and alumni before disclosing personally identifiable information. FERPA does not protect directory information, which includes things like name, address, email, and phone number. However, a document on the college’s website outlines what exactly directory information is by writing that “as a matter of institutional practice, Reed College does not release Directory Information to third parties upon request, except as required by law.” The college also states in the document that students can opt out of having the college display their information on the college directory through IRIS. Reed’s chief communications officer, Sheena McFarland, wrote in an email that the data shared by Granger is not “personal” and thus not subject to Reed’s Data Privacy Policy. However, Reed’s Data Privacy Policy lists details such as name, address, phone number, and email as “personal details.”
Mara McKenzie ‘26, a student activist at Reed, cautions against seeing Reed as a liberal school. “There is some truth to it,” she says. “But the administration acting like they’re progressive is crazy… they are so resistant to doing the right thing and to helping students.” McKenzie has been arrested twice, once for a pro-Palestine protest and once at the ongoing ICE protests on June 16. She emphasizes the arrest of Jacob Hoopes as terrible, “not just for Jacob,” she says, “but it's a sign that there are holes; that this school will throw its students and community under the bus if it needs to.”
McKenzie also explains that while the Reed turnout for activism on campus is remarkably high, students “try to find reasons not to be as involved as they probably should be.” As a founder of Reed Students for a Democratic Society, she recalls that students stopped showing up to meetings because they were overwhelmed by their classes. She remarks that “the Bolshevik revolution would’ve never happened if they had to do chem lab.” McKenzie is generally sympathetic to reasons to not appear on the front line or be actively involved. However, she calls for creativity in activism. “Really, there [are] hundreds of ways to get involved in the fight against ICE that aren’t going there and getting teargassed.” Despite the danger in involvement now, she urges participation from the student body and the community, stating, “there are plenty of reasons to not go down to the ICE building, but there is no reason not to get involved."