Marquette Student Protest, 1971
The trial is over and the resistance begins again. Today I was in municipal court facing trespassing charges. At a rally before the trial, in front of the Marquette library, a few speakers spoke of what we prayed and protested over the years for: Marquette To Stop Teaching War and Killing in the officer training programs (ROTC) at Marquette. A respected moral theology teacher at Marquette spoke of the immorality of teaching war and killing at Marquette, others spoke how I was singled out by Marquette for speaking “truth to power” and the mood was festive. While I was driven to court by a friend with a 93 year old Jesuit priest supporter and a reporter, the others marched to the city court with banners and signs declaring our message: Marquette Be Faithful to the Gospel and Stop Hosting Military Departments.
I had gone to court that morning to sign up to be the first on the docket. But the Judge and assistant city attorney had other plans which turned out to be best. They took all the other cases first which allowed us to have a full and lengthy trial. Marquette’s legal counsel testified to how I had been given an order of “No Trespass” the week before the arrest and a security officer testified how I was given the letter while praying in the library. Then the security officer who had called the police on the day of the arrest testified. He was the same security who had called the police about an “unapproved anti-war protester” trespassing on Marquette property. His testimony of what occurred that day in the library between me and the security officers was so inaccurate that I believe he was not even present but called for the arrest on the street sometime after I left the library and was staying around on the public sidewalk. I could have done a better job cross examining him but I was a little in shock by his perjury. For example, he described how security took away my Marquette Library card and on cross examining I could have produced my Marquette Library Car. If fact the main security officer on duty at the time had insisted that the librarian checking on why my card did not work in turnstile, give it back to me before we talked. This was one of many false statements in his presentation but in the end I do not think it mattered. I did receive an order of “no trespass” the week before and I was on Marquette ground before the police were called.
My friends Jerry Zawada and Janice Sevre-Duszynska were one of 24 persons arrested last Saturday for trespassing at the new nuclear bomb plant at Kansas City. These cases and so many other ones of trespassing, Federal, State and Local, if they go to trial the defendants usually are found guilty. Trespassing has become the new major nonviolent civil disobedience action of choice. When members of the military/industrial/educational complex want to diminish protest they draw the line at their military base, factory land or university property. Cross the line and you get arrested, even if it just a ticket or a “catch and release” action, when you are brought in and released.
If the civil disobedience is too large, as when Wisconsin citizens took over the State Capitol, the “powers that be” just wait out the protest and go right back to what they were doing. Most the forces of this complex can just ignore people protesting. Trespassing is step up but eventually can be ignored. What is the next step after being ignored and marginalized and arrested?
From the early 70’s I have pictures of hundreds of students protesting military training, ROTC, on the campus of Marquette. I doubt if we could ever get that many people, especially students at a Catholic university like Marquette, to take such a stand for the values of their faith and human nature. Trespassing is getting attention to our message. Perhaps we need more with more persons. But what comes next, after trespassing, in our nonviolent struggle for truth.
Comments
(:commentboxchrono:)