TO THE EDITOR:
Tuesday we were threatened with arrest while sitting in the Pit. Why? Because we were sitting next to a tent, which is prohibited according to facility use policies.
We were told that we could draw a picture of a tent and put it on a sign and hold that in the Pit. Well, except between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Symbolic speech is protected under the First Amendment, yet the symbolic speech we attempted Tuesday was effectively shut down. We were told that if we did not take down the tents, we would be arrested and they would be broken down, removed and potentially confiscated.
We occupied the Pit to raise awareness about the alternative commencement ceremony, which is scheduled for May 13th at 9:30 a.m. in Forest Theatre. This event will be for students and their families, as well as faculty, staff and community members who do not support honoring New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Commencement.
For more information, visit www.alternativeunc.com..
While raising awareness for the alternative commencement was our immediate goal, our experience Tuesday should illustrate to students that the “free speech zone” we assume the Pit to be is not so free. UNC’s facility use policies are broad enough that they can be applied to shut down any demonstration.
The University has already restricted free speech to “zones,” they are restricting it to certain “times” and — as Tuesday demonstrates — to certain “forms” of expression. As students, we must make sure the University does not have the power to silence dissent.
Kari Dahlgren ’12
Anthropology
