The Tancredo Protest Revisited
Submitted by James on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 7:57pm
In the wake of all the drama at the Tom Tancredo hate fest, there has been much hand-wringing about freedom of speech and much criticism of protesting students. After talking with people on all sides of the issue, including many who attended the event, I find it hard not to fault the UNC administration and campus police, who failed in every way imaginable to carry out their responsibilities.
In our country, freedom of speech is guaranteed to all, right-wing xenophobes and left-wing students alike. Both, it appears, were exercising that freedom at the Tancredo event. In the face of conflict between two camps asserting equally valid rights, it is the job of law enforcement to maintain order.
The UNC administration and campus police failed to do that job. They were, quite simply, unprepared for what everyone in Chapel Hill knew would be an extremely challenging situation. So before everyone jumps on the bandwagon claiming Tom Tancredo's rights were violated by irresponsible students, stop to consider that effective crowd control by the campus police would have easily averted the meltdown that took place.
In my view, the only rights violated that night were the rights of taxpayers like you and me. We're paying the salaries of the administrators and law enforcement professionals responsible for security at the University of North Carolina. As far as I'm concerned, we're not getting our money's worth.
Yes, that's First
James, I've been trying to figure out how I feel about this episode, and your take seems about right to me. I know I absolutely want every idea out there, in the sunshine, now matter how maggot-ity or abhorent or even just plain dumb. You can't fight the unseen things that hide and crawl about in the dark spaces. But the disruption also amounted to free speech, and I didn't like that the crazies launched off of that to call liberals intolerant. I'm with you -- it's a failure of our structures to allow for all sides to be heard. Thanks.
Greg
No free pass
I agree that the crowd control was woeful. I have to add that I'm unwilling to give a free pass from responsibility to those protestors who crossed the line from their own free speech to resorting to physical intimidation or impeding of the other participants in the night's events.
I have no problem with the use of protests (or counter-protests) to draw disapproving attention to the odious views of Tancredo and anti-immigrant bigots. However, under our democratic system the right to express odious political views is equally protected.
Dan Besse
It's my understanding from people there
that the first instance of physical intimidation came when Tancredo grabbed the banner students were holding in front of him. Up until that point, the students were loud and obnoxious, but there was no threat of intimidation on anyone's part.
For students to get away with parading a banner in front of an invited speaker underscores the failure of the police to do their jobs effectively.
Chancellor Thorpe has already whitewashed this by backing the police, which is probably to be expected since they work for him. He claims they acted properly.
That's bullshit on its face. If they had acted properly, there would have been no incident. They were ill prepared and there weren't nearly enough of them. As I wrote above, everyone in Chapel Hill knew this was a powder keg. The police simply were not ready for the job in front of them.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Question for James
Do people have the right to hear people like Tancredo if they wish? I don't think such a right is in the Constitution, but it kinda feels as if we should have it.
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The right to free listening?
Very interesting question. I agree the answer should be yes. Which means we have two rights in potential conflict. Which seems like a job for Superman.
:)
I love this question.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Shared failure
No argument that the folks with the banner could have properly been prevented from blocking the speaker. But, shouldn't they have known better than to try it? That's what I mean by their responsibility.
In any event, that begs the question of the smashed window. That was irresponsible and unacceptable behavior on the part of whomever did it.
Bottom line--I don't think that our principled objection to the garbage spewed by anti-immigrant bigots obligates us to tolerate irresponsible behavior by protestors on our side of the political issue.
If nothing else, from a practical political standpoint, it legitimates in the public's viewpoint the bigots as the wronged parties. That makes it doubly irresponsible.
Dan Besse
That's correct
it WAS a shared failure. But no body else is calling it that way. All I've read is rising condemnation of the protesting students.
It's not surprising. Leaders and lemmings on the right have mastered the art of playing the victim no matter what the reality on the ground. Teh baggin' parties were a classic example. People protesting tax increases that don't exist and getting sympathy for their imagined plight.
If there is one thing even the lunatic right agrees with, it is that government should be in the business of maintaining order. In this instance, the campus police had clear responsibility for ensuring Tancredo's right to exercise his freedom to speak. They failed.
I'm happy to declare that it was a shared failure. But the official UNC party line is placing 100% of the responsibility on the student protesters. And why wouldn't they? It's certainly more convenient than admitting that the police were wholly unprepared to do their job.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Just in case you think it can't be done
Here's an example of effective police action in response to a protest.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
The police yesterday
I was at the protest yesterday and the CMPD did a very good job. They gave us a little flexibility during the march and only stepped in when people were in danger from the traffic downtown. The organizers of the march also did a great job. They had people in the crowd serving as observers and also as crossing gaurds.
I know of 2 people from the triangle who were arrested: Ruth Zalph and Pete McDowell.