Activist • Presidential
candidate Sean Duenser resonds to the
campus police as they try to talk him
down off the second story ledge of the
SSPA building. He posted signs and dropped
papers protesting various government
issues. Brandy Baker / Online Forty-Niner
Candidate
climbs onto ledge to protest
By
Jamie Rowe and Allison Baldwin
Online Forty-Niner
Editor in Chief
An Associated Students Inc. presidential candidate protesting U.S. involvement
in Sudan, Iraq and Iran brought out university police and a crowd Tuesday,
with officials fearing for his safety. Students and faculty, however, seemed
to find his efforts entertaining.
The candidate, identified as Sean Duenser, a senior political science major,
posted signs about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Iraq War and the Sudanese
genocide in Darfur on the windows and ledge of the second story of the Social
Sciences and Public Affairs Building and threw slips of paper containing information
about the genocide.
Duenser said he acted on the spur of the moment and did not really know how
long he was going to protest. He said he chose the second floor balcony of
the SSPA building because it is “a nice cozy balcony.”
Duenser chose Monday to protest because Sunday marked the third anniversary
of the invasion of Iraq, and said he wanted to keep students aware of situations
that are still going on, like genocide in the Sudan.
“
Rather than keeping peace in the Sudan, [the United States] is investing in
companies that are profiting from the genocide,” Duenser said.
He listed CAL Star, a chemical company, and CAL Purs, the pesticide company,
as benefactors of genocide in the Sudan. Duenser said there are 150,000 active
soldiers in other areas of the world and said putting soldiers in Sudan would
be less risky than having soldiers in Iraq.
According to Anita Porter, a senior English major and Duenser’s classmate
in Poli-Sci 455, Comparative Revolutionary Change, Duenser has been very interested
in the topic of Darfur. The class had just been discussing the topic.
“
He attracts more attention up there than down here,” said Kathy Vidal,
a junior political science major who is also in the class.
“
The authorities are giving him power,” said Ian Bailey, a senior comparative
literature major. “The more that show up the more power he gets.”
Police officer Alonso Gonzalez attempted to talk Duenser into coming down.
He said Duenser was disrupting education for students to which Duenser asked
the crowd if they felt he had disrupted their educations. Classmate Porter
replied no. Duenser tried to get the officer to come up onto the ledge, but
Gonzalez replied he was afraid of heights.
Duenser agreed to come down after Gonzalez said the signs could stay up, although
no time limit was set. However, the posters had been removed by 2 p.m that
day.
According to Captain Stan Skipworth of the University Police, Duenser’s
violations are entering an area restricted to the public and disruption of
services. He said the main concern was safety. The university police log shows
the call as a “welfare check.”
The police will do further interviews for the case and probably issue a citation,
Skipworth said. They will then send a parallel case to the city prosecutor
and judicial affairs, according to Skipworth. Duenser could be charged with
a misdemeanor; however, Skipworth said neither he nor Gonzalez, the investigating
officer, feel a booking is appropriate.
Skipworth doesn’t know if the charges will deviate, but said Duenser
could end up with a year in county jail or up to a $1,000 fine.
Duenser would not comment on the police’s involvement in his protest,
nor would he comment on the possibility that he would hold another protest
in the future.
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