Breaking: UNC Campus Police Do Their Jobs
Submitted by James on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 8:10am
UNC's nascent white supremacy movement got the police protection it deserved last night. The N&O has the story.
The crowd that came to Virgil Goode Jr.'s speech Wednesday night at UNC-Chapel Hill heckled and harassed the former Virginia congressman, but did not stop him from speaking. A handful of people who sought to disrupt his speech were arrested.
In retrospect, it appears I was right.
From the Daily Tar Heel
Speaking about the protestors:
“They were obnoxious, ignorant, closed-minded people,” said Riley Matheson, president of the local chapter of YWC.
Freud would have a field day.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Right, but ...
Sadly James, you were right when you wrote: "In the face of conflict between two camps asserting equally valid rights, it is the job of law enforcement to maintain order."
But what does it say about the state of the academy when we can't expect contending beliefs and opinions to be presented without law enforcement being necessary?
Was law enforcement presence required at the presentation by the Duke Lacrosse accuser?
fhblack
I see your point, Fred.
But the sad truth is, the need for law enforcement seems to be on the rise in many areas of society these days. University campuses are no exception. And it doesn't take much to trigger it. One unbalanced person, who may or may not be a student, can undo the careful work of a thousand law-abiding protesters.
That's nothing new when it comes to universities. Political action I remember from in the sixties and seventies made the Tancredo event look like Sunday school class.
That was really my point on all of this. As a person who tries to be realistic, I'm always assuming that things can take a bad turn at any moment. Which means law enforcement should always be prepared for the worst. And they weren't.
Final point. From all the discussions I've had with people on the scene, it does not seem that Tom Tancredo was physically at risk. In fact, it was his own actions (grabbing the banner) that triggered the meltdown. Up until that exact moment, things were rowdy, but nowhere near out of control. He forced the physical confrontation.
There's plenty of blame to go around, but all the hand-wringing of politically correct pundits have placed 100% of it on unruly students. That's bullshit in my opinion. At the very least, it's a three-way party. Protesters, cops and Tom Terrific himself.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.