Editor,
I would like to clarify some apparent misunderstandings in Monday’s Daily Lobo article regarding protests during George W. Bush’s recent visit to Albuquerque.
The article implies that we were upset because we weren’t allowed to protest inside the event. This is simply untrue.
Upon arrival at the venue we were told by local law enforcement that we had the option of going to a designated protest area.
We decided that we were not interested in that and upon inquiring were told that we could stay where we were as long as we didn’t “bother anyone.”
At this point we had not begun to actively protest anything. In fact, our signs were still in a big stack and people, including us, were milling around outside the security checkpoint.
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Interaction with law enforcement to this point had been polite and respectful.
In fact, we had complied with everything we had been asked to do without any resistance.
We were not there to start a confrontation with our own community members; we had no desire to heat up an already hot day for underpaid local law enforcement officials.
Our beef was with the man inside, you see, and all the gluttonous private interests that he bumblingly represents.
We politely asked the officers what we needed to do or comply with in order to be let in to the speech.
One politely told us that if we got rid of our signs we would be allowed in like everyone else.
We complied, returning to our vehicles to drop off signs, a megaphone and a big puppet, none of which had been used yet at the Barelas event.
I can honestly say that the group of people I was with had no intentions of disrupting Bush’s speech or any other facet of the event.
I wouldn’t have been clapping or saluting, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like those from our city who showed up to hear Bush had a right to hear Bush.
We also had a right to hear him that day though, and upon our return to the security checkpoint we were completely denied that right with no explanation, other than our lack of tickets.
This was perhaps five minutes after we were told that we would be allowed in upon getting rid of our signs.
We observed that no one else was being asked for tickets, in fact the police were not even mentioning tickets to a single person who entered in the half hour or so that I watched.
A visibly drunken teenager was allowed in, exited, openly drank more beer and was allowed to re-enter.
We were forced to watch hundreds of people enter, unimpeded, while we were not even given an explanation.
That is not what democracy looks like or feels like.
By the way, where were all of you?
Benjamin Jones
UNM Student
