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Indybay Feature

Berkeley conservatives tell of death threats for criticism

by Ellen Sorokin
A conservative student group at the University of California at Berkeley has become a target of death threats.
A conservative student group at the University of California at Berkeley has become a target of death threats after the group printed a story criticizing a Hispanic campus group's call for revolutionary liberation from white people.

Members of the Berkeley Conservative Foundation said the current issue of California Patriot, the conservative monthly magazine, included a story that challenged statements made by members of a student group called "Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MECha )" who, in a flier, used the word "gringo" to describe white people and called for a revolt against them.

The conservative students said once the critical report on MECha was published in the Patriot last week, some of them were harassed by the group's members and a few of them received death threats. The next day, someone broke into their on-campus office and stole all 3,000 copies of the magazine. Damages are estimated at $2,000. Campus police are now investigating the incident.

The foundation members said yesterday that the latest actions have trampled on their rights to free speech. A college campus, they argue, should provide a forum where students can exchange ideas without being censored.

"I'm not sure what's more disgusting — that we have racists of this caliber on campus in this day and age or that Berkeley is a haven for emotional children who believe that the law doesn't apply to them," said Kelso Barnett, a Berkeley student who is chairman of the conservative foundation. "This is terrorism, pure and simple."

MECha student officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. An e-mail message sent to a group official requesting an interview was not answered.

College administrators called the incidents "unconscionable behavior ... that diminishes our community." Robert M. Berdahl, the university chancellor, said, "Such actions are completely antithetical to the values that form the foundation of our democracy, and such actions are particularly egregious in an educational setting."

Back in the 1960s, the university was the site of some of the biggest anti-war protests and some of the worst campus turmoil.

The article in the Patriot that has become the source of contention is called "MECha: Student Funded Bigotry and Hate," and it blames the Mexican American student group for impeding "advances in civil rights toward a colorblind American society" through "anti-American hate." It's "a mentality that leads its adherents to believe anyone who is white and male is to blame for any historical injustice," the story reads.

MECha is a national student movement that concentrates on political, social, educational and cultural issues that pertain to the Chicano movement, according to its mission statement.

In its flier, called "El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan," MECha called for a revolutionary liberation of the "bronze continent by the bronze people" and blasted the "gringos" for invading their land.

Thefts and harassment against politically conservative students have been a part of a longstanding problem at Berkeley.

Copies of the Patriot were reported stolen twice in the last year, and several copies were burned after the publication of stories that some campus groups deemed controversial.

Speeches on campus sponsored by the College Republicans and the Patriot have been cut short twice when audience members became rowdy during the talks.

Dan Flynn of Accuracy in Academia was greeted by an angry mob when he came to speak on campus two years ago. Last spring, conservative writer David Horowitz's speech about reparations ended abruptly when a member of the audience yelled at Mr. Horowitz for placing an ad in the campus newspaper critical of the idea of black reparations.

Robb McFadden, a Berkeley student and a College Republican group chairman, said his group should have the same rights as any other group on campus.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020305-21028866.htm


by jimtower
the only right conservatives have is to fuck off and die
by James
are people like Jimtower. It helps explain most conflicts in the world today. Angry, blind and irrational people bent on violence toward others.
by Panizzi
One has to wonder how many of these pissant little suckups cheered Ann Coulter's diatribe about "physically intimidating liberals... letting them know that they can be killed..."

The far right has been indulging in threats and much worse against people whose ideas they don't approve of for decades now. Just inquire of anyone who works providing abortions for more examples than you can shake a modem at.

So this bunch of Eddie Haskell-wannabes in training is realizing that dishing it out and taking it are different?

Oh, what a terrible pity.
§?
by Wesleyan Grad
why do people feed conservative propaganda by engaging in such tactics? Peaceful sit-ins and reasoned responses are always much more effective.
Conservatives hate civil debate. They're brought up (or learn) to hate other people, but it's no reason to descend to their level. When I was at Wesleyan (which is at least as left as Berkeley), this type of stuff was always a problem.

Same goes for all those anti-affirmative action ads Horowitz placed in colleges. Let the creeps have their say and then respond or ignore them.
by chp
I've been following this story. This Washington Times article (the Washington Times - as opposed to the Washington Post- is owned by the moonies and is agreed to be quite right wing) is an equivalent of a reprint of a Daily Cal article. The Daily Cal, this semester, has an editor named S. Sexton who appears to be fairly conservative because he appeared on Fox News a couple weeks ago, plus the editorial board has had a series of center-right editorials.
The thing with this story is that they offer NO details or evidence that MEChA had anything to do with that. They're supposed to be guilty just because of the fact that the Cal Patriot had written a really negative article about them? If they didn't do it, then it is like they are getting bashed twice. The original article amounts to slander. Eventually someone is going to gossip and we'll probably hear, and they really had better hope that they were correct in their wild assertion.
I liked how today there was a letter that pointed out how it would have been to the Cal Republican's benefit to steal their own newspaper and they cry victim: http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=7917
because this is exactly what I was thinking. They never mention how the office was broken into. Was the door kicked in or was there a window to break - or were the papers just gone and there was no damage. it isn't easy to kick in a door, even if you want to, and especially if you don't want someone to hear - and this is very close to the student government offices etc. where you would expect someone to be staying around working late.
The Daily Cal's article was totally wrong in its description of the David Horowitz event. At that, Horowitz came across to everyone was totally paranoid, and no one shouted him down. In fact, they were searching everyone at the door and had 20 police and about 30 young republicans guarding the room and they made a paranoid citizen's arrest of grad student Jose Palafox who was walking by and making fun of their stupid security. he gave his mild speech with two black security guards standing next to him like he were Huey newton - and then Joseph Anderson - a brilliant guy associated with the university - gave a question that he couldn't answer and they were talking over each other for 5 seconds, he stormed out. He wasn't 'shouted down' by the librals.
http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=7838&ref=search
by Speech for all
I am disgusted by the postings on this website. As a liberal and one who is somewhat progressive, I think it is paramount to value free speech. I was near Sproul when I saw individuals trying to steal copies of the Patriot. While I disagree with almost everything in their magazine, I find it dispicable that people would try and steal it. Let the people read what is out there and make decisions for themselves. It is those who supress free speech who are afraid of their own speech.
§.
by Bob
mecha wasn't responsible?

interesting then how the day the Patriot came out Mecha members were sitting on sproul plaza having a gay old time while holding unto large stacks of The Patriot.
by Cal Student
I was standing around Sather Gate when the MECHA members were harrassing the students handing out the Patriots, and the Patriot crew had to remove them from the table and put them on their chairs to keep them from all being taken. Anyone who thinks it wasn't MECHA who broke in and stole those magazines is a moron or a liar. It was not just some coincidence that someone stole those magazines.

And i am f*cking progressive, i think those conservative students are assholes. But anyone who steals magazines or newspapers like that is an even bigger asshole and a fascist.
by lal
See - those are some details people would like to hear. In none of these newspaper article or on the Patriot website do they list any supporting evidence to link them to the crime. They don't describe the nature of the breakin and damage caused to the door. Listing this stuff could only help their case. Why not describe some specific members of Mecha and what they said, and say that they had stolen papers on sproul too? This is corroborating evidence. Instead, their website just said "we have reason to believe mecha did it", and the only evidence listed is that some cal republicans wrote a story about MEChA, so there would be a motive. An outside person who knows nothing about either group should be suspicious when that is all that they're told.
by police officer
Ok, I know I'm a pig and will be greeted by the usual IMC welcome of "fuck off, pig!!!!!1!" (yes, with the "1" mis-typed), but the reason they don't name names or make accusations is because they've opened a criminal investigation into the theft (2 felonies- felony breaking and entering as well as grand theft) and the UCPD classified the harassment they got on Sproul Plaza as a "hate crime." I've never been a fan of hate crime law, and I suspect many progressives won't either now that it's going to be applied against them.
by lal
what's with the use of the plural collective tense here? First, unless this MEChA group, which I have no affiliation with, and know no members of, had a meeting and decided to do this, then some *individuals* stole the paper, and it is wrong to say that mecha collectively did it - the only exception being if some president of the club was involved - and the same applies to this bizarre 'take back america for the bronze people flyer' - I know enough people around Berkeley to strongly intuit that the club's membership did not collectively endorse. Don't conservatives use the phrase 'individual responsibility' often? Secondly, the hate crimes law being applied to 'them" to progressives? Progressives, collective, don't know the individuals who were committing the hate crimes on Sproul plaza, and there has been no rallying to the defense of whoever these people were (most people do not go to UC Berkeley and are being left in the dark. it's improper to say 'everyone knows what mecha is like, and is fooling themselves to think that they're innocent'. no, we don't know), so why would they necessarily feel bad about the hate crimes law because of this particular incident.
by cal student
I'm not sure if your response was directed towards me, but i can only say that a.) I know who some of the members of MECHA are because they table on sproul plaza regularly, b.) I don;t know their names

did MECHA as a group decide to go out and do this? maybe not, but members of MECHA did do the theft in response to an article they didn;t like printed about their group. of that i have no doubt. i saw some of them try to steal issues of the patriot's table. i saw and heard them threaten the students who put out the patriot.

and i have yet to hear one of them publicly condemn their cohorts for doing it. Like i said, if you are out there in indymedia land thinking it was people who weren;t members of MECHA who ripped those mags off, you are a moron or a liar
by K.C. (quick254 [at] aol.com)
I love it when liberals go against what they preach...it shows what hippocritical whiners they are. They bitch and bitch and bitch about freedom of speech (even though none of them have ever done a single thing to make America a better place), yet when someone else practices their freedom of speech they get spat on. I hope the two-faced, liberal whiners continue to spew their fallacious ideas...it is so much sweeter when they prove how stupid they are instead of me saying so.
by K.C. (quick254 [at] aol.com)
I love it when liberals go against what they preach...it shows what hippocritical whiners they are. They bitch and bitch and bitch about freedom of speech (even though none of them have ever done a single thing to make America a better place), yet when someone else practices their freedom of speech they get spat on. I hope the two-faced, liberal whiners continue to spew their fallacious ideas...it is so much sweeter when they prove how stupid they are instead of me saying so.
by Everyman
The silent majority is watching and listening to the goings on and the backlash will not bode well for our land. This reminds me of Germany after WW I and the conditions that spawned the Nazi atrocities. The ultra-left and ultra-right are both wrong and like Isreal and the Palestinians, should be taken behind the woodshed and scolded (you can't say thrashed anymore!). Let reason pervail!!!!!!
by Marselo
all power to the people!

about time Mechistas started to fuck shit up! they don't do it in San Pancho St. (SFSU), so i'm glad UCB seems to be in effect somehow.

fucking gringos, nazi Cal Patriot conservative racist bullshit, get da fuck out! they print $2000 worth of copies, what kind of a fucking student organization has that kind of money?? oh, they take "private donations" though... privileged muddafucking WASPS!

this is, of course, IF Mechistas/chicanos/latinos even did this in the first place. a few "cal student" muddafuckas aren't about to convince me on indymedia about how they witnessed Mechistas (WHO THEY DON'T KNOW OR RECOGNIZE WHATSOEVER) harrassing or disturbing any conservative white gringos at UCB.

from my knowledge of REAL active Mechistas, if they want to fuck shit up, these allegations would be a teaser... the best is yet to come.

arriba Califaztlan!!! down with the white/racist/privileged/ignorant/arrogant UCB gringos!
by Cal student
perhaps you should have read what i wrote. I SEE THOSE FOLKS TABLING ON SPROUL PLAZA EVERY DAY, I JUST DON;T KNOW THEIR NAMES. i was standing near bye the patriot kids table by sather gate when they were harrassing them.

if what they did makes you proud, well your stupidity speaks for itself. power to the people my ass. Fascist is as fascist does.

And i like the 'real Mechistas, just a teaser' line. Only a wannabe punk would come to a public internet forum and spout off like that. Go home to mommy.
==========================



all power to the people!

about time Mechistas started to fuck shit up! they don't do it in San Pancho St. (SFSU), so i'm glad UCB seems to be in effect somehow.

fucking gringos, nazi Cal Patriot conservative racist bullshit, get da fuck out! they print $2000 worth of copies, what kind of a fucking student organization has that kind of money?? oh, they take "private donations" though... privileged muddafucking WASPS!

this is, of course, IF Mechistas/chicanos/latinos even did this in the first place. a few "cal student" muddafuckas aren't about to convince me on indymedia about how they witnessed Mechistas (WHO THEY DON'T KNOW OR RECOGNIZE WHATSOEVER) harrassing or disturbing any conservative white gringos at UCB.

from my knowledge of REAL active Mechistas, if they want to fuck shit up, these allegations would be a teaser... the best is yet to come.

arriba Califaztlan!!! down with the white/racist/privileged/ignorant/arrogant UCB gringos!
by Marselo
to the "Cal student":

i read what you wrote fool. hard to believe MEChA even tables "every day"

what they "did" (what you allege they did) isn't even fully known yet you dimwit. what you say they "did" in sproul hardly sounds like the breaking of any laws. and why da fuck do you go off making allegations that anyone who doesn't think they stole the newspapers is a moron? like i said, i'm not about to trust you so easily. UCB is well known for its racists and attacks on Latinos.

btw, there's no such thing as "progressive" in berkeley, you're an example. UCB is a cultural island, nothing beyond that. even republicans are hippies there.
and the "teaser" line, no one will get violent, so relax gringo. i meant we know how to organize against republicans like you. -M
by blah
Umm, if the above thread is any indication of the intellectual quality of the UC student body, remind me to send my kids somewhere else.
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