[5 articles] Few but determined protest Ayers
http://thesnapper.com/2009/03/25/few-but-determined-protest-ayers/ By Augusta Nissly March 25, 2009 "Bill go back 'underground' rot in hell!" "Next year let's invite Osama!" "MU=Education not ignorance!" These were just a few of the signs being displayed last Thursday, March 19, outside of the SMC, to protest Bill Ayers visit to Millersville University, where he gave a speech on Urban education. The crowd of around 30 students and local residents was fully formed at around 6 p.m.; a smaller group of protesters than expected. Erik Golden, senior believed the lack of participation was, "ridiculous, it shows how little students at Millersville care about anything because if they cared about anything there would be more than 30 people here." Despite the low number of protestors, the message that they provided was almost universal throughout the crowd: Bill Ayers was presenting at their school and something had to be done about it. The majority of the protestors had negative views on Bill Ayer appearing at Millersville. Ryan Barrick, sophomore, and president of College Democrats stated that, "Bill Ayers is an unrepentant domestic terrorist. He does not keep with the ideals of Millersville University. His past of being a domestic terrorist is not what we want of future educators of America. Is it irresponsible for the university to bring him here." Barrick wasn't the only current student outside the SMC voicing his opinion. Students from Students for a Democratic Society and College Republicans joined him. "I don't believe the Ayer's invitation was appropriate. He shouldn't be speaking at a public campus because of his radical past" Steve Sweder, sophomore and the secretary of College Republicans stated. Members of Students for a Democratic Society, an organization the Ayers himself was associated with, were the only group to come out in support of the Ayer's Speech. "I believe in education, I know this is controversial, so is the war. Bill has grown up, gotten an education and that's what we are all here for," said SDS member Ashley Bagdonas, junior. The even also stirred up concern with alumni and caused them to standing with signs of anger across from Gordinier where the lecture was taking place. Former MU graduate Danel De Leon traveled back onto campus to protest and express his disappointment in the University. "The fact that they invited this psycho who believes in violence as an appropriate response is ridiculous," De Leon said. "In my opinion you negate your right to free speech when you become a domestic terrorist or the right to be paid to speak non the less." Alumni Jen McHenery also stood along the sidewalk holding a sign with a group of her friends. She was motivated to protest because of the idea of free speech. She argued that Millersville was advocating free speech for a man who himself couldn't listen and respect other people's points of views. "I just felt like there were a lot of people who were more qualified to talk about urban education than someone who promotes violence against someone who has a different view point than his." McHenery said. "We don't want someone to come here who doesn't want to listen to other peoples view points. As an alumni I will not give a penny to Millersville in the future." The negative view of Ayers visit to campus was also shared by members of the community of Millersville. "Ayers shouldn't be collecting $300,000 to spout out a political system" Bill Humpf, 57, said as he handed out flyers on Ayers's participation in the Days of Rage riot in Chicago, bomb planting and other acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. "This is not right, he's a terrorist" Polly Ariano, a local mother exclaimed. "There are hundreds of people that have his education he doesn't have to come to our small town!" Ariano said her reason to protest Ayers's speech was because, "someone has to make him aware that what he did was not right, it's not American." Ariano felt that the protestor's purpose was to give the students of Millersville another point of view other than the "free speech" reasoning they had been hearing. "The students need to see people saying this is wrong. This is not freedom of speech. He should not be paid to speak. Hitler had a great mind too but they would not have paid him to speak." Ariano said. The general consensus among the community members was that having Ayers speak in their community was an embarrassment. "I have always been proud of this school. I always bragged about how great this school is and how lucky I am to have it in my community. This explodes that in my face. I am ashamed," said Scott Parmer a Millersville citizen. As the sun went down and the night grew colder, the crowd began to die down, without any need for police to step in. The crowd was peaceful aside from a small mob that was formed and a debate was formed over whether or not Ayers visit to campus was appropriate and whether or not we have the right to say whether or not he repented for his actions. Ariano argued that he was not sorry for his past actions and that he made that clear after when he said "he wished he would have done more" just after the attacks on 9/11. The debate ended as quickly as it began as neither party was willing to consider the others points. The protestors were nonviolent, and shared their opinions with anyone willing to take the time to listen. "Stand up for what is right even if you stand alone," Ariano stressed as she departed the Millersville campus. -------- BC Students Forced to Take Prof. Bill Ayers Off-Campus http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/bc300309.html Student Organizers in Search of New Venue After BC Administrators Abandon Academic Freedom 30.03.09 Chestnut Hill, MA -- After administrators at Boston College forced the cancellation late Friday afternoon of an academic lecture featuring Professor Bill Ayers, student organizers of the event have decided that the show will go on -- off-campus. Student groups and faculty at Boston College drew criticism from a right-wing talk radio show host on Friday after organizing a lecture featuring University of Illinois at Chicago Professor Bill Ayers. The event, planned for Monday night, was canceled by administrators who cited concerns for the "safety, security, and well-being" of the Boston College community. Student organizers of the event, despite having worked with administrators weeks in advance, were disappointed by the event's last-minute cancellation Friday evening. BC Senior Michael Madormo, one of the student organizers of the event and President of the Americans for Informed Democracy, BC chapter, said, "This event is in no way sanctioning Prof. Ayers' past actions or the actions of his former associates. The lecture is merely an opportunity to hear from one of the nation's preeminent scholars on issues of urban education reform. At a university, we have the responsibility to hear all voices even if we disagree with them. Above all, this is an issue of free speech and allowing the student body to hear a unique and respected academic viewpoint." Students have struggled with the administration's restricted interpretation of academic freedom in the past, prompting outcries from the BC community. Administrators' cancellation of academic events thought to be against the Jesuit, Catholic doctrine led to protests from the GLBTQ community in 2005, the African-American Hispanic Asian Native American (AHANA) community in 2006, and a referendum earlier this year condemning the lack of dialogue around issues of sexual health. BC Senior Melissa Roberts, another organizer of the event and a member of the College Democrats said, "BC is setting a dangerous precedent by canceling this event. In the past, administrators have cancelled events that they see as being at odds with Jesuit, Catholic ideals. Now, a new precedent has been set which permits the cancellation of any event that is at odds with the ideals of BC's wealthy and largely conservative donors. A university should be a place where students can hear all ideas, not just popular or profitable ones." Professor Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground and organizer of selfdescribed "acts of extreme vandalism" is now a respected academic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ayers has written numerous books and delivered lectures about reforming urban education to develop the whole person, a concept similar to the Jesuit concept of "cura personalis." In addition, Professor Ayers was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award in Chicago in 1997. In his talk, Professor Ayers will address urban education reform and civic engagement in the 21st century. Professor Ayers has spoken at many prestigious universities in the past, including Harvard, Yale, Georgetown Law School, Cornell, Columbia and Brown. -- For more information, contact: Melissa Roberts, [email protected], 913-449-5307. -------- Public anger leads to Ayers cancellation http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1502406,North-cancels-Ayers-visit-NA033009.article Naperville North High School won't let 1960s radical speak to students after outcry March 31, 2009 By HANK BECKMAN For The Sun On second thought, Dr. William Ayers won't be coming to Naperville after all. After a weekend of hostile e-mails from area residents, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 rescinded its invitation to the 1960s radical to address students April 8 at Naperville North High School. Superintendent Dr. Alan Leis released a statement Monday that noted the district's original reaction was a possible change in venues, saying "over the weekend, however, it became clear that this issue was not really about where Dr. Ayers was speaking, but that he was speaking at all." Contacted later, Leis elaborated on his decision. "Lots of people have concerns about him," he said, referring to the community's reaction. "I have heard from other districts that have had him speak. Some said it was a beneficial experience and some things I heard clearly bothered me." Ayers is a Glen Ellyn native and University of Illinois-Chicago professor of education who admitted to participating in domestic bombings as a way of protesting the Vietnam War. Opinions differ over whether or not Ayers has expressed remorse for the bombings. Most of the bombings were against military or police targets. A New York Times review upon the publication of his memoir in 2001 quoted him as saying, "I don't regret setting bombs ... I feel we didn't do enough." Ayers disputed the quote, saying it was a "deliberate distortion." Ayers was invited to speak to students by Kermit Eby, history teacher at Naperville North. Although the event was not mandatory for any student and students had to get their parents' permission to attend, the outcry against Ayers' former life became too much for the district. Leis strongly defended Eby, noting that he also invited Vietnam veterans to give their perspective on the war that claimed more than 58,000 American lives. District 203 Director of Communications Melea Smith said the district had received more than 125 e-mails over the weekend and the sentiment ran against Ayers' coming to visit. "It's a mixed bag," Smith said. "The majority of people are angry." Ayers also was scheduled to appear the evening of April 8 at Anderson's Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson St., but that event has been canceled as well, according to Candy Purdom of the bookshop. Ayers had also been invited to speak at Boston College by two student groups, but university officials rescinded that invitation Friday and on Monday said he would not be allowed to speak via videoconference either. -------- Ayers visit revisited http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/foxvalleysun/news/1497766,Ayers-to-visit-Naperville_na032609.article March 27, 2009 The Sun History can be learned from many perspectives, and one of the more controversial ones was scheduled to be examined April 8 at Naperville North High School. But community reaction has Naperville School District 203 reconsidering its speaking invitation to William Ayers, the 1960s radical who admitted participating in domestic bombings in opposition to the Vietnam War. "At this point in time we're looking at some options," said Melea Smith, communications director for Naperville School District 203. Smith added that the district was considering moving the event off campus and opening it to a wider audience. "We've had people say they'd like to be a part of it." The event was originally scheduled as an eighth-hour discussion, involving only students who were in a participating social studies class and only with parental permission. But when news of Ayers visit got out this week, public reaction forced the district to rethink the invitation. Ayers, founding member of the radical Weather Underground and one-time fugitive from justice, became the focus of heated debate during the recent presidential election when details of his personal relationship with then-candidate Barack Obama were revealed. While Obama maintained that Ayers was just a friend from his neighborhood, some of his opponents argued that his relationship was much closer than the future president admitted. After a 1970 bomb-making accident killed Ayers' girlfriend, Diana Oughton, Ayers went underground, eventually marrying fellow radical Bernadine Dohrn. When finally surfacing in 1980, the couple eluded any prison time, with the charges against Ayers dropped for prosecutorial misconduct and Dohrn receiving probation. "While we firmly believe in exposing students to a wide variety of speakers and opinions, offering them the chance to experience different viewpoints and the opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills (one of the tenets of our mission), please know that we would never invite anyone who advocates violence," District 203 said through a news release issued Friday evening. "Our understanding is that Bill Ayers does not, although this point is being actively debated by several who have contacted us. In addition, administrators from other school districts who have heard his presentation to students, have indicated that Ayers focuses on students being involved in social justice." The release also stated Ayers was not being paid for the visit. After resurfacing, Ayers earned a doctorate in education and teaches at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where one of his students was Kermit Eby, the Naperville North teacher who originally arranged the April 8 event. Dohrn teaches at the Northwestern University Law School. The couple is still scheduled to make an appearance and sign books at Anderson's bookshop in downtown Naperville on the evening of April 8. Their books, "Fugitive Days" and "Race Course Against White Supremacy" will also be discussed. The school district will make a final decision on rescheduling the event next week. -------- Campus security bills for speakers challenged http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/28/MNMK16J4BI.DTL Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, March 29, 2009 When a UC Berkeley student group invited a speaker known for his hard-line pro-Israel stance, the university feared clashes with Palestinian supporters and billed the group more than $3,000 for police protection. It was a common response by campus officials in a security-conscious era. When a speaker's controversial topic or history suggests the possibility of a violent reaction, the thinking goes, the sponsoring group should pay for protecting the speaker, the audience and public property. That sounds logical, but it's also unconstitutional, says the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a conservative-leaning group that defends free speech on campus. Citing a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the foundation has been challenging security fees at colleges around the country. "It doesn't matter how unpopular or controversial the speech is," said foundation spokesman Adam Kissel. "The amount of security has to be the same as for all other events." UC Berkeley, the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, got the message. Saying its police may have misunderstood the nature of the event, the university lowered its fee to $460 for two officers for the March 3 speech at Dwinelle Hall by Elan Journo of the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine. Journo said about 60 people attended and listened peacefully to his message that the United States should stop trying to promote an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians and instead should encourage Israel to "uproot, dismantle and destroy the Palestinian cause, which seeks to destroy Israel." 'Stifling real debate' He said his sponsors, the Objectivist Club of Berkeley, probably would have canceled the event if the university hadn't reduced the security charge. "When they're asked to pay an excessive fee, that is stifling real debate," Journo said. In a similar dispute two years ago, Kissel said, UCLA planned to charge a conservative student group $12,000 to $15,000 to pay for 46 security guards at a debate on illegal immigration, but relented after a protest. He said the foundation is now challenging a $725 fee that the University of Massachusetts at Amherst charged for police protection at a March 11 speech by a conservative columnist who disputes the concept of hate crimes. The foundation is also backing a left-leaning student group that is contesting fees that the University of Colorado wants to charge for security at an appearance by two speakers earlier this month. William Ayers, a leader of the 1960s radical group Weather Underground, and Ward Churchill, a former Colorado ethnic studies professor, spoke at a student-sponsored forum on academic freedom March 5 at the university's Boulder campus. 'Little Eichmanns' furor Churchill was fired on plagiarism charges in 2007. He claims in a lawsuit that the university was retaliating against him for describing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as a response to U.S. abuses and calling some of the victims "little Eichmanns." The reference was to Adolf Eichmann, the main Nazi coordinator of the Holocaust. University spokesman Bronson Hilliard said about 1,100 people attended the event under tight security, which included pat-downs at the entrance, and behaved peacefully. He said university officials have planned to bill the sponsors about $2,700, but listened to the students' objections and have not made a final decision. "There's no relationship between the cost of the security and the content of the speaker," Hilliard said. He said police consider the likely audience reaction when making security plans and should be able to pass along those costs to event organizers. "What our law enforcement officials look at is, are we going to have a full venue and might we have audience members who disagree with the message?" Hilliard said. "That's a basic security planning protocol." Other factors to consider Kissel said security fees should be based on factors unrelated to either the speaker's message or the audience's anticipated response - for example, the expected size of the crowd, the location, and whether a security guard will be needed for admission money collected at the door. The Supreme Court set constitutional standards for such disputes in the 1992 case of a white-supremacist group, the Nationalist Movement, that wanted to demonstrate in Georgia against the proposed national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. The group canceled its plans when officials said a permit would cost $100, and instead challenged a county ordinance that allowed authorities to charge as much as $1,000 for a permit to hold a demonstration, parade or meeting on public property. In a 5-4 ruling, the court said the ordinance was unconstitutional because it allowed officials to base the fee on the costs of controlling hostile onlookers. Government's job Kissel said the ruling means public speakers shouldn't have to pay for protecting themselves or their surroundings from an angry crowd. Speakers who incite a riot should be responsible for the consequences, he said, but "security is a basic function of government." Controversial speech should be especially welcome at universities, "society's ultimate marketplace of ideas," Kissel said. He said UC Berkeley could help other schools get the message if it followed its recent agreement on fees with standards for such disputes. Michael Smith, a lawyer for the university, said he had reviewed the security fee for the March 3 speech agreed that it shouldn't be based on the speaker's viewpoint or the expected reaction. He said he had discussed the proper standards with campus police, who set the fee levels in most cases, so that such overcharges won't happen again. But Smith said neither Berkeley nor the 10-campus university has a formal policy on the subject. "We don't set all constitutional principles down in writing," he said. -- E-mail Bob Egelko at [email protected]. . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
