Congressional Republicans Send Letter Blaming Brown University Policies for 2025 Campus Shooting

Twelve Congressional Republicans sent a letter to Brown University president Christina Paxson on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, accusing the institution of a pattern of eager capitulation in the face of anti-police activism. The letter stated that this pattern weakened campus safety for years before the December 13, 2025 shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

That shooting killed two students and injured nine people.

Evacuated students gathered in the aftermath. The lawmakers said the deaths and injuries were not unforeseeable tragedies. Instead, they declared that public reporting, sworn testimony, police union statements, Brown’s public records, and the assailant’s own words clearly establish that these deaths were made possible by more than a decade of deliberate policy decisions that prioritized activists’ radical demands over student safety.

The letter denounced years of eager capitulation before the December shooting. It accused Brown University of placing anti-police activism ahead of public safety, according to The Free Press. The Free Press reported that the letter from the dozen Republicans outlined how the university’s approach had contributed to an environment in which the violence became possible.

26. The December 13, 2025 shooting remains a focal point in the letter, which ties the specific casualties directly to preceding policy choices.

No response from Christina Paxson or Brown University was detailed in the reporting. The letter stands as the primary public action taken on the anniversary date of its sending.