Monday, November 11, 1996SPEECH:
Thousands of Daily Californians snatched in radical protest
against Prop. 209 endorsementThe editors of the Daily Bruin are
incensed by a recent incident at UC Berkeley. A group, apparently
upset by the Daily Californian’s endorsement of Proposition 209,
stole nearly 30,000 copies of the newspaper in an attempt to quell
the support for the measure. The thefts began Monday and continued
throughout much of last week.
The Bruin condemns last week’s display of hypocrisy. The
individuals who snatched the papers were presumably showing their
dedication to defending affirmative action and equal opportunity,
but they undermined their efforts by restricting equal opportunity
for dissenting opinion. We enjoy an academic environment where
groups and individuals can present their opinions freely, and it
took a lot of hard work to get us here. Any Berkeley student who
advocated the removal and destruction of Daily Cal newspapers has
given their school’s recently-deceased champion of free speech,
Mario Savio, a resounding slap in the face.
The Bruin does not share the Daily Cal’s endorsement of Prop.
209; we firmly oppose the measure. However, we recognize the Cal
editors’ unmitigated right to present their editorial view.
Ironically, those who ransacked the news stands helped the Cal’s
editors with their endorsement. No matter which group or coalition
is responsible for the thefts, it has sent a message that some of
209’s most resolute opponents are nothing more than a band of
small-minded and self-defeating vandals. By aligning the anti-209
movement with desperate and insecure scare tactics, the thefts are
more likely to bolster support for the measure.
The Daily Bruin advocates peaceful demonstration. We support the
USAC’s recent anti-209 march as well as their chalk-on-the-sidewalk
campaign seen throughout the UCLA campus. By not infringing on the
free speech of others, they were true to the cause of equal
opportunity. And so we denounce the Gestapo-style methods of the
Berkeley vandals. They have merely resurrected the book burnings of
yesteryear and, as a result, have violated the Daily Cal’s civil
rights.
Effective protest is not about who can be the most radical. It
is about entering into a discussion and creating dialogue on an
issue. It is about writing letters to a newspaper, not tearing it
up like a child. At Berkeley, the Cal editors stood behind a
minority view and those who disagreed responded by stealing and
destroying the view. In any election, it is important to
acknowledge both sides before casting a vote. The people who
stripped the Daily Californian from campus racks denied readers an
essential tool with which to construct a fully-informed
position.
The freedom of the press must be protected. This might sound
like the histrionic battle cry of a perturbed editorial staff, but
anyone not sharing the sentiment might as well stop reading and
throw this newspaper into the fountain at Dickson Plaza. Regardless
of one’s political ideology, a college newspaper is a forum, not a
foe.
Although we have opposing views on affirmative action, The Bruin
enthusiastically supports the editor in chief of the Daily Cal,
Michael Coleman, and his staff in their efforts to find and
prosecute their censors to the fullest extent of the law.