Terrorism Works in America's Capital
With all the hand-ringing over "academic freedom" within libertarian and conservative circles, I'm surprised there hasn't been much outside reaction to the shutdown of Gallaudet University by a violent faction of students. For months, some students have been incensed by the election of a new school president, and they've resorted to violence.
The Washington Post reports:
Scores of student protesters -- many of them burly football players -- shut down Gallaudet University and two smaller schools that share its campus early today, surprising university officials who had thought negotiations with the demonstrators had started to bear fruit.Starting about 2 a.m., students gathered at the two entrances to the leafy, Northeast Washington campus, which houses the nation's premier college for the deaf. As the skies lightened and traffic thickened on surrounding city streets, the protesters banged on drums and gave speeches in sign language, refusing access to staff and teachers who were showing up for work.
"Until further notice, Gallaudet University is closed and all gates are blocked," the students said in an e-mailed statement. A banner hung over the sign at the stone gate on Florida Avenue NE proclaimed: "This is Not Justice."
I'm deliberately not describing the reasons for the protests. The use of violence invalidates whatever legitimacy this cause had. And make no mistake, this is violence. Students are being prevented from attending class by these violent thugs. One student said, " . . . Over the past week we as students have felt like we live in a war zone, fearing for our very safety."
One of the thugs posted this defense on a weblog--which I will not link to:
A campus-wide lockdown is now in effect, imposed by the students in favor of the protest. This is a Coup d’Universite carried out by the students. We no longer recognize Dr. Irving King Jordan as our Gallaudet President.[. . .]
The reason the students including the University’s football team have decided to lock down the campus is because this is by far the only remaining way to remove fear. This will remove fear from the people who want to demonstrate support for our two demands, but are afraid to because of retaliation from the university Administration, retaliation in the form of termination and reduced chances of success in the future. It will free the faculty who are conflicted between keeping their jobs and showing their covert support for the students, to finally support the students outright. Staff members, who are eternally at danger of being immediately fired for participating in this protest, can also become free to express their dissent. Students including the football team players who are torn between attending classes and supporting the protest, can become freed from worrying about their classes in order to show their support for the resolution of this crisis.
Of course, students no longer have the choice of attending classes because of the thugs' use of violence.
Comments (16)
You're stretching the word 'violence' a bit too far here. The students are not violent and they are not alone. They are joined alongside with faculty, staff, and alumni. Please check their official website at www.gufssa.org Yes, their actions are deemed drastic but hey, this is a protest and it will do everything peacefully possible to get this resolved. Please read this guest blogger's article on where a protest follows the rules, they will lose. http://www.deafdc.com/blog/?p=601
Published: October 11, 2006 4:53 PM
What violence? Nothing in your piece indicates to me any form of violence whatsoever. Protesting by banging drums is not violence. You have not indicated how the students are being "violent." And given the way you have written, I would not be inclined to believe you.
Published: October 11, 2006 4:53 PM
Sure, it hasn't escalated to physical injury or widespread property damage -- yet -- but the demonstrators are clearly violating the university's property rights (trespass, presumably, and blocking access to facilities) and threatening the other faculty, staff, and students (aggression). How either action not be considered violent?
Published: October 11, 2006 5:27 PM
Sounds like the strike at the Homestead mill where union workers took over Carnegie's steel mill. Hopefully this won't escalate to that level.
Published: October 11, 2006 6:59 PM
Perhaps the university's operations have been so muddled with government subsidies, and the students themselves are the recipients of so many subsidies, that no one knows any more who owns what, or which rights are real and which are merely welfare entitlements?
Just asking.
Published: October 11, 2006 8:11 PM
This seems awfully familiar. Didn't Gallaudet have similar protests against their president several years ago?
Published: October 11, 2006 8:50 PM
That's correct Daryl. Today's Washington Times has an editorial describing the protests in 1988 that led the Gallaudet board to change presidents:
http://washtimes.com/op-ed/20061010-090343-1099r.htm
Published: October 11, 2006 9:18 PM
Here's a statement issued by incumbent Gallaudet President I. King Jordan:
“Our paramount consideration has and continues to be the safety of our Gallaudet family. We have shown extraordinary restraint in the face of extreme provocation over the past several weeks. Dissenters who have repeatedly expressed fears for their safety are, in fact, the same people who have been intimidating and harassing anyone who disagrees with them and their demands.
“So far we have avoided confrontation. However, the dissenters keep escalating their outrageous behavior: vandalizing College Hall, taking over Hall Memorial Building keeping students and faculty from classes, labs and mid-term exams. And now they have shut down campus – a campus that is home to college, high school and elementary school students. They have broken many laws.
“Every step of the way, we have attempted to negotiate a peaceful resolution only to have the negotiators and their demands change whenever a solution seemed at hand. Even when we had a signed agreement with the SBG President, they backed out. This afternoon, while claiming to fear the Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers, they marched on the DPS building and issued an ultimatum that either the head of security leave campus or that all campus security must leave.
“Although the last thing we want is to have any one of our Gallaudet family arrested, the dissenters have lawyers advising them about how to respond to police who might arrest them. I urge the faculty, students and staff who have acted unlawfully and with complete disregard for their colleagues and their commitment to the University’s educational mission to stop and think about the serious consequences of what they are doing. Go back to your classes and go about your business, even if that business is lawful dissent. We will address the legitimate issues that are raised.
“Civility, integrity, and truth are victims today, held hostage as much as our beloved campus is. I have been asked why I haven’t used police to end the stand off. It is because I care about the safety of all of our students more than the protestors care about anything but getting their way. This illegal and unlawful behavior must stop. The faculty members who are instigating and manipulating the students have simply gone too far in pursuit of their own agendas. If there is a confrontation, the dissenters will have caused it. They must take full responsibility for the consequences of their actions, including possible suspension and arrest.”
Published: October 11, 2006 9:25 PM
I know what's going on at Gallaudet. I. King Jordan's comments are nothing but typical misinformation produced by folks interested in maintaining status quo.
For instance, I know for a fact that College Hall was NOT vandalized. The administration dumped manure on the grounds where the protesters milled about. One angry student walked into College Hall without wiping off his shoes. That was it.
Published: October 11, 2006 9:40 PM
I know what's going on at Gallaudet. I. King Jordan's comments are nothing but typical misinformation produced by folks interested in maintaining status quo.
For instance, I know for a fact that College Hall was NOT vandalized. The administration dumped manure on the grounds where the protesters milled about. One angry student walked into College Hall without wiping off his shoes. That was it.
Published: October 11, 2006 9:40 PM
Gallaudet is a private university, therefore private property.
There is a very simple solution to this situation. Tell these trouble making faculty and students they have exactly five minutes to get the hell out of everybody way and stop blocking university. And that they have exactly one hour to be back in there respective classes and or teaching assignments. If they don't meet said ultimatum, all such faculty members will be immediately and permanently terminated from employment and all such students shall be immediately and permanently expelled from the university and all their current and prior educational credits invalidated. Moreover, if they refuse to leave buildings and or campus, then they need to be forcibly removed by security, by ANY means necessary.
Studying at a private university is a PRIVILEDGE not a RIGHT. As a student, you have been granted education in consideration for tuition. You are a guest of the university and have no vested rights in the private property of the university whatsoever. The private owners of the university have all vested private property rights and their decision are NOT subject to questioning by faculty, staff and least of all by students.
Same goes for faculty and staff. You are just an employee and have no more claim on the private property of the company, than if you worked at a regular private company.
Bottomline: Faculty, staff and students need to shut the f*** up and do what they are told. If they don't like the university, than take advantage of the free market and find a university more to your liking. Private owners need to grow a set of balls and crack down on these renegade faculty, staff and students and hand them their walking papers.
Published: October 11, 2006 9:50 PM
In response to Mark Brabson...if President Jordan does kick out all of those protesting students, faculty, and alumni from Gallaudet.
Gallaudet won't be exist any longer because it will lose its funding from the government.
Published: October 11, 2006 11:04 PM
Qoute from Sonny: "In response to Mark Brabson...if President Jordan does kick out all of those protesting students, faculty, and alumni from Gallaudet.
Gallaudet won't be exist any longer because it will lose its funding from the government."
You say that like it's supposed to mean something.
Published: October 12, 2006 5:47 AM
1st - as a matter of persuasion, hiding the ball (the reason for the protest) severely undercuts the persuasive effect of your argument. Acknowledging the reason, and even, if necessary, acknowledging the virtue of the complaint, would in no way impede your argument, stated as you did "The use of violence invalidates whatever legitimacy this cause had."
Of course, the use of violence is generally acceptable in self-defense, or defense of property, so your failure to provide the context IS a fatal flaw in your argument against the legitimacy of the use of violence in this situation. I'm willing to bet that you're right, and it isn't justified, but your article fails miserably at convincing me.
2nd -
Isn't this an interesting study in possible conflict resolution under market anarchy conditions? Obviously, nothing is truly comparable in such a state heavy world, but consider President Jordan's statement that he wouldn't use force, even though by his argument, the protestors are breaking the law and force is justified. Another commenter brushed the surface of the reason why - if the University "cracks down" in full para-military mode, they WILL go out of business, but not necessarily because of the state. They will go out of business because many alumni, donors, and prospective and current students will refuse to support it any further. There is an inherent limit to the use of violence by market based security that doesn't exist in state based security, where the state gets your money no matter how badly it abuses your rights, especially if you are part of a minority (for example, narcotic users).
Published: October 12, 2006 8:17 AM
S.M. Oliva, this post of yours has no merit.
You have ungracefully discredited yourself as a blogger by not doing enough research to cover all the sides of the protests. It was your mistake that you based your judgement on a newspaper, Washington Post, who happen to extremely favor the current and future president of Gallaudet ( http://www.ridorlive.com/?p=1921 ).
The leaders of the student protest has always emphasized and reiterated to all their participants, reminding them that this is NOT a violent protest. It is true there is violence being done on campus, unfortunately, by the Public Safety officers. Not too long ago, the campus cops threatened to mace and choked several Deaf students. It is inhumane to pepper spray a Deaf person in the face, because it will render him/her blind and cut off from communication to others. We all know the risks and side effects from pepper spray! Suppose someone made you temporarily deaf because they didn’t agree with you, what would you say or think then? How will you be able to communicate with others to make sure you are okay and safe? Parents found out about this incident and are very alarmed by it ( http://www.ridorlive.com/?p=1927 ). The public relations department of Gallaudet told the newspaper that pepper sprays were never taken out and used. Hello? Can you see they were covering up the facts!? A student posted a picture of the pepper spray incident, and proved the newspaper and the school were covering up. How can you ignore that fact and accuse the students of violence when it was the university’s president and his people who allowed the cops to do this? Really. You have just made an ass out of yourself.
I. King Jordan and Jane K. Fernandes have not listened or carried a decent dialogue with the students AND faculty for a very, long time. Yes, there is fear on campus. Yes, students and faculty go to Gallaudet in fear. It is NOT the protest that instills the fear in those students and faculty. It is Jane K. Fernandes. If the students disagree civilly about a problem or concern, Jane will ignore or discipline the students without discussion. If the faculty disagree civilly with Jane about a policy or an issue, she will either make the faculty member suffer or fire that person on the spot ( http://www.ridorlive.com/?p=1923 ).
This is why the Deaf people are upset that she, who is UNABLE to work with people, is going to be the next president of Gallaudet. If Jane became the new president, she will run the college to the ground. Her past job performances proved this ( http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2006plan/edlite-g5edagallaudet.html and http://www.ridorlive.com/?p=1920 ). Because of this knowledge what she could do to the school, it is very understandable that many Deaf people are extremely upset.
As a Deaf community, we cherish Gallaudet and wish for the best in the school.
I am incensed that you would write something like this! You, as an ignorant hearing person, would probably never understand Our point of view!
Published: October 12, 2006 9:49 AM
Deaf258 and others:
My comments are not in reference to your original complaints. Perhaps they are meritorious, maybe they are not, I don't know. But that is beside the point.
If the complaints ARE meritorious and all attempts to PEACEFULLY convince the administration have failed, the only action that can be taken is to withdraw from Gallaudet and take your tuition money elsewhere. Ultimately, a university that provides bad service will rightfully fail, as its clients take their money elsewhere. This is called the free market.
Meritorious or not, nobody has any right to interfere with the education of other students. Those students have paid for their education and actions to disrupt the university amounts to theft of education from those students.
I would hope that Gallaudet is run in an efficient manner by competent people. But ultimately, only its private owner has the right to decide how it will be run.
Published: October 12, 2006 10:01 AM