| | DISCLAIMER: Oh, hell. You know what it is. Just read it in the last two previous posts.
Lockdown, Day Three: Mass Arrests at Gallaudet
You know... once again, I wish I didn't have to write this blog. Last night wasn't how I wanted the standoff to end. Last Friday, in an attempt to really be "heard" (if you'll pardon the audio-centricism), many students threw the campus into chaos by taking over the main academic building. Classes were cancelled. On Monday, classroom assignments were hastily made in an attempt to accommodate the protesters and those who wished to focus on academics. Tuesday night, the Coalition of Gallaudet Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni (FSSA) decided to take it one step further and locking down the entire campus. And by "the entire campus", I don't just mean canceling classes at Gallaudet... I mean forcing Kendall Elementary School for the Deaf and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf to close as well. I mean forcing the various support services located on campus -- the audiology clinic and the Mental Health Center, for instance -- to close as well. That, in my view, crossed the line in a big way. If students who weren't happy with the status quo want to push the issue, fine. But once you interfere with the entire community, it's over.
In my last two posts dealing with this standoff, I advocated a quick end. To the credit of the university's administration, they pushed hard for a reasonable end. Thursday afternoon, the leaders of the FSSA agreed to open the Sixth Street gate, to at least allow some semblance of access to the campus. Those who barricaded that gate (mostly members of the Gallaudet football team, is my understanding) refused. That was mistake number one. Yesterday afternoon, the students asked for, and received a meeting with Jane Fernandes, the President-designate. However, the students refused to discuss opening the campus again, preferring to focus on their two demands -- that Dr. Fernandes resign and there be no reprisals against those involved in the protest, to the exclusion of all else. That was mistake number two.
Look, I'm all for protesting. And I can see the point of the FSSA. But negotiation doesn't mean, "We're gonna talk about my agenda and nothing else!" That's not negotiation at all. Ultimatums never work. How far do you think Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, or even Elizabeth Cady Stanton would have gotten if they said, "We want it our way, and we won't meet halfway!"? If that had been the attitude of Martin, he would have died remembered as a political firebrand, nothing more. Instead, he met with the leaders of the United States and listened as well as spoke. As anyone should know, communication is a two-way street. Person A has his opinion. Person B has a different opinion. Only through open dialogue on both sides, can the two even begin to approach an understanding. Had the FSSA been willing to meet with the administration halfway (at least!) on the point of opening the campus even partially once again, progress could have been made. Instead, the FSSA had an attitude that basically said, "my way or no way!" Is that a reasonable stance to take?
There are those who say that what President Jordan did last night was shameful. Ordering the arrests of "his" own students! And yet... how else could he have ended it fast? Gallaudet is a place for learning, not for anarchy. The administration showed remarkable restraint this past week. Had I been the one in charge, I'm not sure I would have waited three entire days of the campus lockdown before calling Chief Ramsey of the Metropolitan Police Department. Two days, maybe. Perhaps I would have ordered them in after the second day of the takeover of HMB, I don't know.
Were the arrests necessary? Sadly, I have to say that, yes they were. After each passing day, beginning last Friday, it became increasingly clear to me that, despite every single press release given by the FSSA, they didn't really care about negotiation. As I said above, negotiation is a two way street. "I'll agree to this if you agree to that." "We'll open the campus on the condition that we meet with the Board of Trustees on Monday morning." Barricading the gates to Kendall and MSSD crossed the line. The FSSA simply did not have the right to decide that elementary- and high-school kids can't attend school. A stalemate can only end badly. In a situation such as this, the FSSA should have been grateful for anything they could have gotten through talks with the administration. And yet... they wanted their demands, and nothing less.
According to the live blog feed of the arrests last night, someone said that Drs. Jordan and Fernandes should have been arrested as well -- for interfering with the education of the students! To which I say, "What a crock of dingoes' kidneys!" Jordan didn't close Gallaudet, the students did! Jordan didn't force classes to be cancelled for three days straight, the students did! In my heart of hearts, I wish that the Metro Police Department didn't have to become involved. But they did have to, and they were. And as a result, 130-odd people were carted off by the police. From what I understand, they're all being held pending a $50.00 bail payment. Most likely, they're being charged with unlawful assembly (at the very least) -- a misdemeanor. And yet... it's a crime that will become a part of their permenant record. G-d willing, it won't interfere with their ability to become employed after leaving Gallaudet. Criminal charges aside, they also face University sanctions. It's entirely possible that the leaders of the protest could face suspension or even expulsion.
Gallaudet University is a truly special place to be. As a proud alumni, I know it just as well as those 130 who were arrested. Every single one of those 130-some people realize that simple fact, and were willing to be arrested for what they believe in. But are those actions worth it, if it means they're forced to transfer to some other college? Every single person came to Gallaudet because the college experience is so much more unique when one doesn't have to deal with the communication barriers that deaf people face in the hearing world every single day. If the ringleaders of the protest -- many of those names belong to faces that I consider close friends -- are suspended or even expelled from Gallaudet, forced to attend "hearing" colleges -- University of Maryland, Purdue, University of California, University of Oregon, Louisiana State, even Georgetown, to name a few -- in order to complete their higher education... does that make it all worth it?
Contrary to the perspectives of many, this wasn't the DPN of the '00s. Simply because a handful of students refused to truly negotiate, the whole thing looks too much like how I said people would perceive it three days ago -- a few dozen petulant people who are willing to disrupt the lives and education of hundreds simply because they don't like who was chosen. They said they wanted a dialogue. They got one with several different people repeatedly, including last night. But when the agenda of last night's dialogue tried to go to the most logical place first -- returning the university to a state approaching that of normalcy, which "camp" walked away first? |
| | Posted 10/14/2006 3:19 PM - 65 views - 4 comments
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