Defend Free Speech at San Francisco State
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San Francisco State Administration
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On Wednesday, March 9th, students from New York to San Francisco rallied to protest military recruiters on their campuses. The students were expressing their outrage at the military's anti-gay "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the diversion of federal funding away from education into military spending, and the war in Iraq. At San Francisco State University, the administration has responded with police action and secret meetings.
At SFSU over 150 students joined Students Against War -- the school's Campus Antiwar Network chapter -- and other groups to protest Air Force recruiters and Army Corps of Engineers attending a school sponsored career fair. The crowd flooded the fair, surrounding their tables and chanting. When Air Force recruiters tried to wait out the protest, students staged a peaceful anti-war sit-in and teach-in.
POLICE INTIMIDATION AND UNIVERSITY THREATS
The following day, recruiters returned to the SFSU career fair. As soon as two activists entered the career fair, eight police officers forcibly removed them from their own student center, pushing them and twisting one activist's arm. When the other activist asked why she was being forced to leave, she was pushed into a doorway, told she was causing a fire hazard by standing there, and then kicked out of the building.
A number of members of Students Against War have received official notices of appointment from the Coordinator of Judicial Affairs dated March 18, 2005. The letters state that the administration has received a complaint from the Chief of Public Safety and that each student must meet individually with Judicial Affairs the week of April 4th. The letter specifically states that the meetings are confidential and none of the students have been informed of nature of the charges against them. Failure to respond the summons may jeopardize the students status at San Francisco State University.
On April 1, 2005, the six student organizations that endorsed the demonstration (Students Against War (SAW), LA Raza, Voices for Sexual Freedom (VOX), Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE), M.E.C.h.A. and the International Socialist Organization (ISO)) received letters stating that the administration is beginning formal Disciplinary Proceedings. The groups involved may be facing formal hearings as soon as Monday, April 25, 2005.
The university disciplining students and organizations for a peaceful demonstration is unacceptable. The actions of the police and the San Francisco State administration are a blatant attempt to stifle dissent and create a climate of intimidation. The administration is purposely singling out the leading organizers as well as political organizations on campus to prosecute.
San Francisco State University should be ashamed that they are a shell for the US military. They undermine their own anti-discrimination policies and commitments to diversity by allowing a racist, sexist and anti-gay institution to recruit on campus. When the administration refuses to defend it own policies, students are forced to be the moral backbone of the university. The students and organizations, who participated in the March 9th demonstration, where defending their classmates and refusing to let one more person become cannon fodder in an illegal war.
These attacks are an attempt to go after one of the leading campuses in the growing counter recruitment movement around the country. If they can punish students at San Francisco State for protesting, it will be easier to arrest, sanction and intimidate students on other campuses.
We demand that no sanctions be placed on students or groups that helped to plan the March 9th protest.
At SFSU over 150 students joined Students Against War -- the school's Campus Antiwar Network chapter -- and other groups to protest Air Force recruiters and Army Corps of Engineers attending a school sponsored career fair. The crowd flooded the fair, surrounding their tables and chanting. When Air Force recruiters tried to wait out the protest, students staged a peaceful anti-war sit-in and teach-in.
POLICE INTIMIDATION AND UNIVERSITY THREATS
The following day, recruiters returned to the SFSU career fair. As soon as two activists entered the career fair, eight police officers forcibly removed them from their own student center, pushing them and twisting one activist's arm. When the other activist asked why she was being forced to leave, she was pushed into a doorway, told she was causing a fire hazard by standing there, and then kicked out of the building.
A number of members of Students Against War have received official notices of appointment from the Coordinator of Judicial Affairs dated March 18, 2005. The letters state that the administration has received a complaint from the Chief of Public Safety and that each student must meet individually with Judicial Affairs the week of April 4th. The letter specifically states that the meetings are confidential and none of the students have been informed of nature of the charges against them. Failure to respond the summons may jeopardize the students status at San Francisco State University.
On April 1, 2005, the six student organizations that endorsed the demonstration (Students Against War (SAW), LA Raza, Voices for Sexual Freedom (VOX), Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE), M.E.C.h.A. and the International Socialist Organization (ISO)) received letters stating that the administration is beginning formal Disciplinary Proceedings. The groups involved may be facing formal hearings as soon as Monday, April 25, 2005.
The university disciplining students and organizations for a peaceful demonstration is unacceptable. The actions of the police and the San Francisco State administration are a blatant attempt to stifle dissent and create a climate of intimidation. The administration is purposely singling out the leading organizers as well as political organizations on campus to prosecute.
San Francisco State University should be ashamed that they are a shell for the US military. They undermine their own anti-discrimination policies and commitments to diversity by allowing a racist, sexist and anti-gay institution to recruit on campus. When the administration refuses to defend it own policies, students are forced to be the moral backbone of the university. The students and organizations, who participated in the March 9th demonstration, where defending their classmates and refusing to let one more person become cannon fodder in an illegal war.
These attacks are an attempt to go after one of the leading campuses in the growing counter recruitment movement around the country. If they can punish students at San Francisco State for protesting, it will be easier to arrest, sanction and intimidate students on other campuses.
We demand that no sanctions be placed on students or groups that helped to plan the March 9th protest.
247 Signatures
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Laura Nelson
- Organization or School
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- City, State, Country
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Comments
- Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.
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Wayne Standley
- City, State, Country
- Shelburne, MA 01370
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alex acedo
- City, State, Country
- Berkeley
- Comments
- what the school is doing to these groups and individuals is wrong!
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Joshua Karpoff
- Organization or School
- Rochester Institute of Technology Anti War, Campus Antiwar Network (Northeast Rep)
- City, State, Country
- Rochester, NY, USA
- Comments
- Military out of our schools! No to repression of student activists!
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Nikki Marterre
- Organization or School
- ISO, Wake Forest University
- City, State, Country
- Winston-Salem, NC USA
- Comments
- stop the attacks on free speech!
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David Buckingham
- Organization or School
- International Socialist Organization, University of Vermont
- City, State, Country
- Burlington, VT, USA
- Comments
- Keep military recruiters and their lies out of our schools!!
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Amanda Doxtater
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Taylor Allbright
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
- City, State, Country
- Berkeley, CA, USA
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Jenny Arellano
- Organization or School
- resistencia estudantil
- City, State, Country
- san diego ca
- Comments
- how dare them put limits on our freedom of speech
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Amanda Dominguez
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
- City, State, Country
- California
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Mia Orsini
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
- City, State, Country
- Berkeley
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Michael Dwyer
- Organization or School
- В
- City, State, Country
- Oakland, CA USA
- Comments
- В
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Christian Skoorsmith
- Organization or School
- University of Washington, SEIU Local 925
- City, State, Country
- Seattle, WA USA
- Comments
- I cannot believe that the long, noble, democratic practice of surrounding and screaming at military recruiters is being targetting in as sacred a space as SFSU!
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Albert Sargis
- Organization or School
- SFSU, BA 1961, MA 1966
- Comments
- As an Alumni Assn. member I see this as a smear on SFSU
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Luisa Rodriguez Connal
- Organization or School
- University of Detroit Mercy
- City, State, Country
- Detroit, Michigan --USA
- Comments
- В
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Jillian Buckley
- Organization or School
- University of Maryland ACLU
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David
- Organization or School
- SFSU ISO
- City, State, Country
- SAN FRANCISCO
- Comments
- END THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ!!!
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Derek Merrill
- Organization or School
- University of Florida
- City, State, Country
- Gainesville, FL 32601
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Greg King
- Organization or School
- SEIU, Local 888
- City, State, Country
- Roslindale, MA, USA
- Comments
- Don't stifle campus discussion!
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Tomasa Duenas
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
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Emma Perez
- Organization or School
- University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Ethnic Studies, Acting Chair
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David De Hart
- Organization or School
- Albany High School
- City, State, Country
- United States
- Comments
- I received my teaching credential from SF State. I still teach high school history and about the Free Speech Movement at CAL. I am appalled by the actions of the administration.
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Josh Fattal
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
- City, State, Country
- Oakland
- Comments
- Free speech is a priority that we will ensure continues to exist unfettered
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Natalie Grime'
- Organization or School
- American University
- City, State, Country
- Washington, D.C.
- Comments
- Born and raised in S.F. Mother and father S.F. state alumni.
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Jazmin Morelos
- Organization or School
- Resistencia Estudiantil
- City, State, Country
- San Diego CA
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Jessica Lopez
- Organization or School
- SDSU
- City, State, Country
- San diego
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Yolanda Lopez
- Organization or School
- SDCC
- City, State, Country
- San Diego
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Catherine Lutz
- Organization or School
- Brown University
- City, State, Country
- Providence, RI
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Ryan Moore
- Organization or School
- Oakton Community College
- City, State, Country
- Des Plaines, Il, USA
- Comments
- I fully support the counter-recruitment efforts.
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Gustavo Guerra
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Nicole A. Raslich
- Organization or School
- U of Michigan, Anthropological Sciences Club
- City, State, Country
- Flint, MI, USA
- Comments
- This is an outrage against acdemic freedoms!
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Gabriel Alcaraz
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
- City, State, Country
- Berkeley, CA
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Marlia Banning
- Organization or School
- В
- City, State, Country
- В
- Comments
- В
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hector agredano
- Organization or School
- UCSC
- City, State, Country
- Santa Cruz
- Comments
- Please consider your actions against students.
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Jeff C. Carlton
- Organization or School
- High School Teacher, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada
- City, State, Country
- Reno, NV
- Comments
- Your gestapo tactics make a joke of what you claim to be defending. This is no joke! You prove our point by responding with violence, brutality and injustice!
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Chris Alley
- Organization or School
- Columbia University
- City, State, Country
- New York City, NY
- Comments
- It is to everyone's advantage that we preserve free speech for students and faculty alike.
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Henry Noble
- Organization or School
- Freedom Socialist Party National Office
- City, State, Country
- Seattle, WA USA
- Comments
- We strongly support the students who are fighting back for free speech and urge others to support war resistors in Iraq and the U.S.
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Shaylih Muehlmann
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Megan McCoy
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
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Adrienne Johnstone
- Organization or School
- United Educators San Francisco, ISO
- City, State, Country
- SF, CA
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Janet Rafferty
- City, State, Country
- Starkville, Mississippi
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Jessie
- Organization or School
- UC Berkeley
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Amory Ballantine
- Organization or School
- Oakton Students for Social Justice; Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance
- City, State, Country
- Evanston, IL, 60201
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Margo Scott
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michael sherman
- Organization or School
- Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission
- City, State, Country
- (above for id purposes only)
- Comments
- В
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Mitra Safa
- City, State, Country
- San Francisco, CA
- Comments
- SFSU alumni
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Zachary Ogren
- Organization or School
- В
- City, State, Country
- Berkeley, CA
- Comments
- В
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David Honish
- Organization or School
- Veterans For Peace
- City, State, Country
- Denton, TX
- Comments
- Does the SF State administration understand that there is a reason the founding fathers made it the First Amendment, and not say the 15th?
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Michelle Parsneau
- Organization or School
- Minneapolis Community and Technical College
- City, State, Country
- Minneapolis, MN
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Arlene Longson
- City, State, Country
- Comox, BC, Canada
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247
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