Dorothy Day would be proud of our small group walking around the Marquette University campus today, Good Friday. We were making the Stations of the Cross. Our Jesus, with a crown of thorns was a true blue Catholic Worker, our reader was someone with a strong voice who read the Stations of Jesus that focused on the human side of Jesus and the suffering, humiliation and rejection of Jesus. A couple led our procession with our message: Marquette Teaches Killing. Most of the time we were on Wisconsin Avenue, the main street through the campus and the city but we made one detour to the site of the three officer training bases on campus for the five county area. It is in these buildings that teaching to kill reflexively, without conscience and place military values like loyalty and following orders over conscience are taught. Young men and women from the five county area are bused here, a Catholic Jesuit school of Marquette University.
As we were marching up Wisconsin Ave. on the sidewalk another group was marching down Wisconsin on the street. This was a larger group of people marching in protest of the District Attorney’s office failing to charge three policemen who watched while a young African American male died in their backseat. The whole affair was caught on video in the police car and the inquest jury had recommend misdemeanor charges. Over the years there has been so many African American young adults being killed by policemen not even going to an inquest jury. Not we have one holding the police accountable and the case is dismissed.
Four years ago, about this time, it came out that a young woman had reported being raped in her dorm room, allegedly by four basketball players, on Oct. 31st. This was an alleged crime that Marquette University was obliged by State and Federal authorities to report to law enforcement. Instead Marquette held its own hearing and found the young men not guilty. Another girl living in the same dormitory made a similar accusation in February. When it all came in spring after basketball season the DA said it was too late to prosecute the young men. Marquette could have been prosecuted for not reporting the alleged rape as required but the District Attorney’s office, same one that dismissed charges against the policemen, failed to prosecute Marquette.
Now a few weeks ago when I tried to go to Marquette library to research in Dorothy Day library I was told to leave the library by security, which I did, and yet MU reported me as trespassing, since I had been banned from MU property for “disruptive behavior.” My behavior of going to do research on Dorothy Day led to my arrest by Milwaukee police and yet the alleged rape by the four basketball players led to an internal MU hearing. I asked MU administration for a hearing so I can learn my accuser and what ‘disruptive behavior’ I allegedly committed. In a certified letter sent to me yesterday they said no.
The Stations were peaceful and prayerful and those protesting on the street about the death of a young man in police custody were peaceful. However, the District Attorney’s office and Marquette University need to be held accountable for the double standard they practice with law and morality.
Comments
(:commentboxchrono:)