Solidarity March with HCC Anti-war Students

[Bill McBlueState]

SOLIDARITY MARCH WITH HCC ANTI-WAR STUDENTS

Thursday, October 6, 11 am
Starts at G Building, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, Massachusetts

March for Free Speech!
March Against the War in Iraq!
March for College, Not Combat!

The UMass-Amherst Anti-War coalition, in solidarity with HCC counter-recruitment students, has called for a peaceful mass march at Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, on Thursday, October 6 at 11am, to demonstrate our determination to preserve freedom of speech on our university and college campuses and resist police repression of anti-war students.

On Thursday, September 29, a peaceful group of approximately 30 counter-recruitment activists were attacked by members of the HCC College Republican Club and the Holyoke campus police. One anti-war activist, Charles Peterson, was maced by police and has since been banned from the HCC campus where he is a student and works.

For more information on the attack, see Campus Anti-War Network:
www.campusantiwar.net

[paineinthearse]

1. This post deserves more background info

Links are great, but somtimes the info needs to be posted here. As this post has received no responses in 4.5 hours, perhaps this will stir some interest.

http://www.campusantiwar.net/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=2

REPRESSION ON CAMPUS
Police Assault Student Counter-Recruitment Protestors at Holyoke Community College

On September 29, 2005, students from Holyoke
Community College in Massachusetts assembled to peacefully protest military recruitment on their campus. The students were assaulted by police and at least one student was maced by an officer. Please read the statement of the Holyoke Community College Anti-war Coalition, and register your concerns with Holyoke Community College. President Messner: 1-413-552-2222

Please express your solidarity with the Anti War Coalition at HCC
Emails can be sent to: [e-mail]

Student who was Maced By Police Banned from Campus


( ALL PRESS/MEDIA CONTACT: [e-mail] )



Statement from Holyoke Community College Anti-war Coalition

September 29, 2005

To Dr. William Messner, President of Holyoke Community College:

Approximately thirty activists, many of them members of Holyoke Community College’s Anti War Coalition, exercising their First Amendment rights to “assemble and petition government for redress of grievances,” participated in a

planned, peaceful picket of Army National Guard recruiters in the lobby of the college cafeteria. This was a diverse group of students, black, white, latino, gay, straight, men and women, united in peaceful and vocal opposition to US policy in Iraq, the spending priorities of the US political system, and the college’s hypocrisy in giving preferential, and we believe illegal, access to military recruiters whose enlistment policies bar gays and lesbians-- in violation of the college’s own anti-discrimination policies. Furthermore, we believe that the college’s policies violate Massachusetts laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Students at HCC are encouraged to voice their opinions, and yet in this case, when students did exactly that, they became the victims of police brutality. Students who had passed through the cafeteria at 7:30AM noted then that the police were already present —even though recruiters were not scheduled to begin tabling until 10AM.


The police assault on the students began when one student standing in front of Officer Landry held aloft with both hands a hand-lettered, poster board sign reading “Cops are hypocrites.” The sign had no stick attached to it. At that point, Peter Mascaro, head of Campus Security, reached over Officer Landry’s head, snatched the sign from the student’s hands, saying “That is inappropriate!” In surprise the student tried to reach for his sign. At this point the campus police, led by Officer Landry, assaulted the student. Mr. Mascaro ordered Officer Landry, “Let him go.” Officer Landry heatedly replied “Are you serious?” The police officer’s inappropriate grabbing of the sign constituted the battery.

Three other officers joined Officer Landry in grabbing each of the student’s limbs and hoisted him off the ground. Other students instinctively tried to protect the student being assaulted. When the officers lost their grip on the student, he backed away and raised his hands in the air indicating his non-violent posture. At approximately that moment, Officer Landry maced a different student, one who was not doing anything or making any gestures to do anything at the time.

Both of the students who were battered by campus police are upstanding members of the HCC community. One is a tutor in the CAPS Center. The other received the David James Taylor Excellence in Philosophy Award, is Vice President for Academic Affairs on the Student Senate, is a member of the College’s Learning Communities Committee, and is a frequent contributor to the student newspaper. Several of the activists involved observed that the student who was maced had consistently played a moderating role in the protest.

As the assault was taking place, approximately a dozen College Republicans were moving forward, pumping their fists in the air, shouting and encouraging the Officers on. Throughout the morning, the campus police force ignored the activities of the College Republicans and were only deployed against the protesters.

At approximately this time college officials appear to have called local and State Police, and at least twenty state police arrived in riot gear and gas masks. Officer Landry looked at one of the protesters and, observing that he was wearing a button reading “Lesbian and Gay Liberation,” loudly uttered an obviously homophobic taunt: “He’ll have fun in jail.” As Officer Landry is an employee of the college, we believe that his taunt constituted illegal and actionable discrimination under Massachusetts laws.

By this time, the protesting students were trying to peacefully disperse and attend to the traumatized students who had been battered by campus police. Riot police amassed in the cafeteria with boxes labeled “gas masks.”

We want to know the if the police were preparing to deploy gas in the cafeteria—a place where there were many students, cafeteria workers, and some children present.

With riot police threateningly lined up in the stairwell, groups of students hostile to the protesters surrounded and came close to rioting against the small crowd who had left the building and were trapped in the courtyard outside.

During this time, one student reports that he went to get a drink of water in the student lounge and ten to fifteen police in full riot gear pointed their guns at the student and said “we’re not letting anyone in or out of here.”

We demand 1) an immediate, unconditional public apology from the college; 2) a pledge of non-retaliation against the activists involved; 3) a thorough and impartial investigation into these incidents; and finally, 4) that the military recruiters not be allowed back to our college, as their actions and those of the military discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation, in violation of Massachusetts law and college policy. Furthermore, the military is engaging in an economic draft against working class and poor people in an attempt to buttress this nation’s illegal war against Iraq.

Thank You,

Members of the Anti War Coalition at Holyoke Community College

Please call Holyoke Community College to register you concerns.
HCC Main Number 1-413-552-2600
President Messner 1-413-552-2222

HCC-AWC is a member of the Campus Antiwar Network

_______________________________________________________

UPDATE: Student banned indefinitely from HCC Campus

Sept 30, 2005

To Friends and Supporters,

We have just learned that Charles Peterson, the student who was maced and assaulted by police at yesterday's counter recruitment protest at Holyoke Community College, has received a letter from the HCC campus police, informing him that due to "his conduct" he is indefinitely banned from campus. If he steps foot on the property he will be arrested for trespassing.

In other words, without any due process, or the opportunity to even speak to administrators, Charles has been banned from campus for the "crime" of being maced in the face by police officers.

It is important to say that Charles Peterson, who witnesses described as playing a moderating role at yesterday's protest, is an upstanding member of the HCC community. He is the recipient of the David James Taylor Excellence in Philosophy Award. He is Vice President for Academic Affairs on the Student Senate. He is a member of the College’s Learning Communities Committee, and is a frequent contributor to the student newspaper.

...The College Republicans were present during the protest yesterday, cheering on the police as they attacked students.

Where is due process for Charles Peterson?

PLEASE CALL (AGAIN IF YOU"VE CALLED ALREADY CALLED) AND REGISTER YOUR PROTEST AT THIS OUTRAGEOUS TREATMENT!

HCC Main Number 1-413-552-2600

President Messner 1-413-552-2222

Holyoke Community College Anti-War Coalition
Contact HCC AWC: [e-mail]

HCC-AWC is a member of the Campus Antiwar Network