Young Man dressed in Black
Last December I was invited by the Center for Peacemaking to join a faculty, staff and community nonviolent study group on Jim Forest’s earlier biography on Dorothy Day, “All is Love.” I wrote back saying I was interested and we probably should use the newest book by Jim, “All is Grace” I have been privileged in my life to know Dorothy a little and Jim Forest very well.
Not hearing back from the Center and seeing that the book had been changed to “All is Grace”, I wrote back to the Center to make sure it was okay for me to be present at this book discussion. I received an email back from the Center that the study group was not a formal group and “the only thing we ask is that people let us know they are attending so we know how much food to order.” So I thought I was okay to attend.
That was that until a few days ago I received a phone message from another Peacemaking Center staff person, an associate director, saying “I want to alert you to the fact you are not welcome to come to the faculty and graduate study group on nonviolence on Thursday. You probably will be contacted by Marquette’s general counsel as well as the department of public safety. You are not allowed to enter the academic support facility or the Center for Peacemaking.” I called this person back and all he said that I had broken some agreement and was working against the Center for Peacemaking, both charges that have no foundation.
Not hearing from the Marquette General counsel and the Department of Public Safety I decided to attend the nonviolent study group on the book.
I was met at the door of the building by the staff person, dressed all in black, and three or four security guards who told me I could not attend the nonviolent study group. All they could say I was banned from campus, which is not true. I asked under what authority they were blocking me from entering the building and they said “it did not matter”. The assistant supervisor of security came by and also said Marquette University is private property and had the right to ban anyone they wanted to. Again I asked for what reason and they gave me none but made idle threats to call the police and have me ticketed for trespassing. They had done this once before and the case was thrown out of court. I stood my ground.
As people walked in, many I knew, I tried to go in with them and was physically blocked by the member of staff, the man in black, and the three or four security guards that stood in the door. Finally Father Harak, the Director of the Center for Peacemaking, came by. I was happy to see him since I heard he was ill and had been praying for him. We talked a little and when he said let’s go upstairs and talk some more, the assistant director of the Center said: “He”, pointing to me, “cannot come in.” I will tell you about it later.” Father Harak looked puzzled but said I must follow my staff.
Yes, I have been one of the person working for the last eight years for Marquette to be Faithful to the Gospel and Stop Hosting Military training bases on campus. With my 21 years of Catholic education, thirteen of them by Jesuits, I feel I have no choice but to oppose teaching killing reflexively, at a Catholic Jesuit University which I have been associated with since 1961. You three might not agree with our position but dialog is better than blocking entry to a book discussion. We have been able to dialog with Father Harak and Father Pilarz in the past but never were physically blocked from a dialog.
The nonviolent study group today was a discussion on a book by Jim Forest on Dorothy Day. Although Dorothy Day was opposed to ROTC on any campus, that was not the point of our discussion today.
At times during the standoff with the security guards and staff person blocking the door I felt I was at a university in a third world country where simple things, like book discussions are banned for certain people. I remember being in Haiti and meeting with university students quietly outside the university and being told not to look directly at the UN Occupation Force. I told the four persons blocking the door that this was an act of violence, segregation, blocking free speech and stigmatizing a person because he had broke the silence on MU teaching killing. They did not care.
People can marginalize me, stigmatized me all they want. With all my faults I am a good target. But hopefully Catholic Social teaching and Christian values, taught me by the Jesuits, will triumph.
Peace,
Bob
I was surprised how easily, without question, everyone obeyed this man in black. When we will they ever learn that truth will always triumph lies and misrepresentations, even with a man dressed in black.
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