Forum/Discussions

Things That Make You Go Hmmm?

Junious Ricardo Stanton

As the demonstrations and protests for peace and against the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the United States’ unconditional support of this unjust war spread around the country and the world, it is amazing to witness the contrasts and responses from US state and local governments compared to their responses to other encampments and activities.

I liken the current campus activism to the student engagement in the 1960’s and 70’s when campuses erupted against the war in Southeast Asia, the opposition against military conscription and the support of the civil rights movement, the 1990’s movement against South African apartheid and the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement which spread around the world like wildfire; how in each of those cases the powers that be responded by unleashing the police, the National Guard and COINTELPRO on the activists.

Similarly, the crackdown by universities to the present demonstrations: calling the police, threatening suspension and expulsion against young people expressing their right to protests is quite telling. Contrast that with how consumers are allowed to camp out for hours and days at an Apple Store, at ticket agencies or stadiums to buy the latest gizmo, concert tickets or sporting event. People camp out at NASCAR races over the weekend and at concerts rarely are the police called to break them up! Even more ominous the how the ruling class allows open air drug and homeless encampments to persist and fester without addressing the causes, providing relief or even dispersing the campers.

Apologists for the campus crackdowns say the students pose a risk to public safety, they inhibit access to campus navigation, education and create sanitation problems. This is a specious argument. The students are camping out peacefully they are not preventing entrance or campus direction, they are not trashing or despoiling the campus grounds, they are polite and orderly. The rationale for the heavy handed responses by university administrators doesn’t pass the smell test.

The fact of the matter is, the current campus crackdowns are really about discouraging dissent, stomping out challenges to the status quo and preventing a counter narrative to the Zionist war crimes in Palestine. The police bum rushes of the collages is reminiscent of how the Obama administration shut down the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators/protesters during the run up to the 2012 presidential election. The last thing Obama and the political class wanted was students talking about class warfare and how Wall Street global capital was making life miserable for the masses on Main Street!

Thus far in 2024 police have not exerted excessive force like they did during the 60’s-70’s where students were murdered at Kent State in Ohio and Jackson State in Mississippi, probably because many of the current protesters are on Ivy League or upper class colleges rather than working class public universities!

The police are being sicced on college students by mayors at the behest of university presidents while mayors around the nation, turn a blind eye to the open air drug and homeless encampments in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and other major cities that really are public safety and health danger spots. Despite fervent pleas from city residents and businesses to do something about the unsanitary conditions and the open drug use and sales the mayors of these cities are slow to respond.

What is the lesson here? It is one of raw power, university presidents from many elite schools have the support of their wealthy parents, donors and alumni who contribute billions of dollars, the same thing is true at some of these public colleges and university. These donors have influence and mayors listen to them.

On the other hand the cries of ordinary citizens and entrepreneurs who are tired of the filth, the unsafe, squalid conditions and the debauchery of their environments go unheeded. This contrast tells us all we need to know about the power dynamics of this country.

Within this power dynamic on a not so subtle level is the unprecedented influence of the Zionist lobby. The Zionists say jump and the Congress critters beholden to them for campaign funds (bribes) say “yes suh boss how high”? The US Congress Critters are aggressively pouncing on and denouncing university presidents claiming they tolerate antisemitism on their campuses. In their mind any criticism of Israel equates to antisemitism. It is well the best congress money can buy seeks to protect Jewish students but what about all the females who don’t feel safe on college campuses, (sexual assaults account for 21% of all reported on campus crimes), https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/campus-sexual-assault-statistics/#how-common-is-it, what about people of color who experience micro aggression on a constant basis, https://gitnux.org/microaggression-statistics/ what about all the homeless people suffering from economic dislocation, https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-homeless-people-are-in-the-us-what-does-the-data-miss/ where are the Congressional money grubers on these issues?!

This is another example of the old adage money talks, bs walks. As this semester winds down it will be interesting to see what transpires on these campuses, will tensions abate or will this continue into the summer? Time will tell. Things that make you go hmmm.

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