[At least I did a little yelling. This article was just published by the Stanford Daily newspaper]
Protesters Force Bush to Relocate Meeting planned for Hoover Institution
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By Amit Arora
Friday, April 21, 2006 [last updated April 21, 2006 7:25 PM]
Although President George Bush was scheduled to meet with fellows at the Hoover Institution on Friday, the presence of more than 1,000 protestors forced him to change his plans and meet with the advisors and faculty members at the residence of former Secretary of State and Hoover Fellow George Shultz on the outskirts of the Stanford campus.
More than 100 armed law enforcement and Secret Service officers lined the streets outside of Encina Commons, as students, parents, faculty members and local residents protested Bush's anticipated arrival on east campus. While the protest was peaceful, three Stanford students—seniors Claire Wagenseil, Diogo Pereira and Caroline Martin—were arrested as police pushed the crowd out of Serra Street.
The protest began at approximately 2 p.m. in White Plaza, where 200 students gathered to make signs and rally against the administration. As they began marching toward Hoover Tower, others joined their ranks and began to chant slogans. By the time the rally reached Hoover Tower at 2:30 p.m., approximately 400 protesters had lined the police barriers set around the building.
People continued to join the movement and the slogans for reform grew louder as time passed. This increased protest ultimately forced Bush to conduct the meeting at Shultz's house on Delores Street.
Meanwhile, outside the Hoover Institution, the crowd chanted, "Hey-Hey-Ho-Ho-Bush is here, he's got to go." Another popular slogan targeted conflict in Iraq, as students yelled, "1-2-3-4-We don't want your fuckin' war-5-6-7-8-Stop the killing, Stop the hate."
As the protest grew louder, the Sheriff's Department attempted to clear the street of students, possibly to provide the president's motorcade a safe entrance into the complex. When students refused to obey these verbal commands, more than 50 police officers in full riot gear were called to the scene. Dressed in protective helmets, the officers used their batons to push individuals back from the Tower.
In response to the use of physical force, students directed their chants at the perceived infringement of their rights.
"Whose campus—our campus. Whose streets—our streets," they yelled. "Tell me what democracy looks like—this is what democracy looks like."
The struggle between the Sheriff's Department and protestors reached its climax when a fire truck attempted to drive down the street and was blocked by the crowd. Security personnel attempted to move the students blocking the truck, when the three Stanford students sat down in the road and refused to move.
Officers then dragged the three students out of the road and bound their hands with plastic ties. Though students demanded that their peers be released, after 15 minutes, the three students were placed into a Sheriff's Department vehicle and taken away. The fire truck, meanwhile, reversed and did not proceed down the street.
To mock the incident and voice their resentment against the Bush administration and the police, approximately an hour later, members of the San Francisco-based Global Exchange Group drove a Hummer toward the police barrier. Using a speakerphone and donning masks of Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, they parodied Bush's foreign policy and the level of security on campus.
In its own investigation, The Daily discovered that the Hoover fellows, along with University President John Hennessy, who had planned to meet with Bush, were driven from the complex to Shultz's private residence.
(lame) cellphone slideshow
