Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 09:36:03 +0000
Reply-To: shaw.260@xxxxxxx
Sender: owner-allfac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: "Wendy M. K. Shaw" <shaw.260@xxxxxxx>
To: kirwan.1@xxxxxxx, Ed.Ray@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Columbus Network <ColumbusNetwork@xxxxxxxxxxx>, lantern@xxxxxxx,
mellis@xxxxxxxxxxxx, clease@xxxxxxxxxxxx, editor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: arrests at OSU graduation
Dear President Kirwan,
At the Ohio State University Graduation on June 9, 2000, four guests of
a graduating Master's student were arrested for peaceful support of a
peaceful demonstration. This is at best a ridiculous embarassment to
the university, and at worst a travesty of justice and of the right to
free speech which we as Americans hold so dear.
The events transpired as follows: The mother (who was ill and barely
able to attend the graduation), brother, and two friends of Oona Besman
were attending her graduation from the master's program in Women's
Studies. As marchers from the Afrikan Student Union protested the
designated speaker, JC Watts, these four guests of the university stood
and turned their backs to the speaker in support of the protest. This
was the full extent of their action. The people behind them became
irate and threatened them with violence. Seeing that their threats were
uneffective, these people went to a nearby officer and told him that if
he didn't make them sit down, they would. Rather than castigating these
members of the audience who were threatening violence, the officer whom
they addressed, Captain John Petrie, arrested the four guests who were
standing. They heard no warning whatsoever from the arresting officer.
The brother was handcuffed immediately; the three women were handcuffed
at the patrol cars before they were taken to the OSU police facility.
Three hours later, the four guests of the university were taken to the
County Correctional Facility and charged with the misdemeanors of
persistant disorderly conduct and obstruction of official business.
They were released between 9:30 and 10:30 PM last night.
At this point, the Ohio State University is still pressing charges
against them. What kind of university arrests, detains, and presses
charges against its own guests at a graduation? Not only do people
have the right to peaceful protest -- indeed, the protesters were not
arrested -- they have the right to peacefully support such protest,
particularly at a public event at a public university.
Please note that the arresting officer was the same officer who last
month arrested Andre Banks, an African-American OSU senior who alone was
chosen for arrest, again without warning, from group of peaceful white
protestors. His charges are also still pending, and also speaks to the
overzealous behaviour on the part of this officer, who must be
investigated. The racial issues involved in this arrest are
particularly shocking in light of the ongoing federal investigation of
the Columbus Police Department for their practices of racial profiling.
I urge you to have all of these charges dropped immediately, for all of
them are an embarassment to the ideals of free speech which the
university claims to defend and even encourage as an institution of
higher education. At present, you are allowing the poor judgement of
one officer to determine the actions of the entire university, which is
currently pressing charges against five innocent people. This is a
travesty of education, of free speech, and of justice. It is also a
profound embarassment to the university.
Please note, I am sending this message to several media outlets, and
also will be contacting the Ohio chapter of the ACLU. If the university
does not drop charges immediately, I urge those who are shocked by these
events to please also voice your opinions to the university
administration directly. While they may seem small and local, each
travesty of justice and infringement on free speech presents a danger to
us all, and I assure you that these events have been anything but small
for those who were arrested for trusting in the first amendment.
Sincerely,
Wendy M. K. Shaw
Assistant Professor
Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures