Thursday, May 21, 1998
Protests demonstrate contrasting ways to send message
PROTEST: Some groups need to practice decorum when voicing
concerns
By MacLane Key
Some people may have missed it, but there were two protests on
campus Tuesday: one against the California Civil Rights Initiative
(Proposition 209) led by the Affirmative Action Coalition and the
African Student Union, and one supporting CCRI led by the Bruin
Republicans and Young Americans for Freedom. The two protests
differed so sharply that they deserve a contrast in print.
Both protests consisted of several ethnic groups and both
genders, and both distributed flyers, but that is where the
similarities end. BR and YAF supported the decision of the majority
of Californian voters to end race-based admissions and hiring
policies. AAC and ASU called for UCLA to violate the law.
BR and YAF held the flags of the United States and California to
demonstrate their love of this country, this state and the freedoms
that they protect. AAC and ASU said those were racist flags of a
racist country and state.
BR and YAF comprised of freedom-loving capitalists. AAC and ASU
had support from a Maoist communist group and a Trotskyist
communist group.
BR and YAF helped several people to find the flyers of the
opposition since they were confident that with both sides
presented, people will side with CCRI (as the voters did). AAC and
ASU would grab and destroy flyers as their opposition tried to hand
the information to people and urged everyone to ignore their
opposition.
BR and YAF did not judge anyone by their race or use any racial
slurs – which was entirely consistent with the theme of their
protest. AAC and ASU used racial slurs, assumed a dark-skinned
individual was Hispanic when he was not, assumed a pale-skinned
individual was white when she was Hispanic and insisted that all
minorities must favor racial preferences or be traitors to their
race – which was entirely consistent with the theme of their
protest.
BR and YAF behaved in a manner befitting decent public discourse
as the opposition marched by. AAC and ASU demonstrated their style
of public discourse by gesturing with a single digit at their
opposition as they walked by.
BR and YAF were respectful of students trying to study here at
UCLA. AAC and ASU stormed a building where classes were being held,
denied people access to portions of that building and continued
shouting with megaphones and speakers all afternoon, making it
difficult for students to concentrate on lectures. They eventually
diverted valuable police resources from protecting the community
from rapists and murderers in order to remove a few spoiled college
kids from the building they "took over."
Regardless of how one feels about race-based admissions and
hiring, one thing is clear. While the members of BR and YAF handled
themselves like mature, civilized adults, those of AAC and ASU
behaved like ill-mannered, uncivilized children who didn’t get
their way: They made a lot of noise and inconvenienced those around
them. The only thing they failed to do was hold their breath until
they got what they wanted.
Perhaps next time, they will. The UCLA students trying to get an
education would certainly appreciate the resulting silence.