University police intimidate rally

This past Thursday, the Campus Progressives sponsored a rally near the Bookstore entitled "The Need For Regime Change.' While the rally was uneventful, though mildly inflammatory, the most striking feature of the rally was the police presence. Student attendance was in the low 20s. However, there were eight campus police officers observing the proceedings, five of whom in uniform, and one of whom was carrying a video recorder. They were a very visible but unobtrusive part of the event. Certainly, a police-to-attendees ratio of one to three is not the norm for a rally, especially here at Cal State Long Beach.

University Police Captain Stan Skipworth estimated approximately 17 people in attendance. The police look at "a variety of different factors,' which were not divulged, to determine if there is the need for law enforcement to be present at any campus event with the potential for a large audience. In this case, the subject matter of the rally, in consideration of its proximity to the elections, caused the decision for the police to be present.

I find it debatable whether or not eight officers are necessary at such an event. In discussing the matter with Skipworth, he said that any event that has the potential to draw a large quantity of attendees is, in the view of the University Police Department (UPD), worth monitoring. The UPD's presence can be said, therefore, to have been initially worthwhile. But it rapidly became obvious to the police that the event was going to be one of low attendance.

I believe that the police simply decided to stay to hear the rest of the event, there are far better ways for the UPD to utilize its manpower. This is especially true when dealing with events where the type of attendees present and variety of topics covered have seen conflict with law enforcement (witness Seattle World Trade Organization protests in 1999, New York Republican Convention protests in 2004, etc.). There is also the issue of a hyper-sensitivity to a police presence.

While the police, according to Skipworth, "don't take a hidden approach,' and they "try to stay out and stay available' at an event, I feel that there needs to be a more balanced approach towards the matter of providing a safe and respectful environment on this campus. Despite the worthy goals behind the police presence, there is the very real risk of appearing intimidating.

A unified plan to provide information to both would be very much worthwhile. In a case such as the police presence at Thursday's Campus Progressives rally, the answers are quite straight-forward, but the questions should have been addressed sooner.

Daniel Savino is a fifth year chemistry major at CSULB.