The situation at Gallaudet appears to be growing even more tense. The Post reports that, sometime after midnight, the school's football team decided to join the protesters in blocking access to the campus. Jane K. Fernandes, the woman chosen by the Board of Trustees to serve as the next president of the University, refuses to give in to the demands of protestors that she resign & the selection process be reopened. Current president I. King Jordan (who became president following the "Deaf President Now" demonstrations in 1988) is warning protestors that they could be subject to suspension, or arrest. A counter protest has also grown in size in recent days. Meanwhile, the protestors appear resolute, with one student leader of the protest saying that they had staged a "coup d'universit é and that they no longer recognized Jordan as president." Many sites are documenting/commenting upon the protests (and there are protests going on elesewhere in the US, and even outside the US). Here are a few such sites:
1. Gallaudet Protest Blog
2. Deaf Read
3. Gally FSSA Coalition
4. DeafDC.com
5. Deaf in the City
There are tons of sites talking about the protests & agreeing with one side or another.
NPR also has a relevant interview (from last spring) with I. King Jordan (listen online, or read the transcript).
3 comments:
Does anyone know why they haven't brought in riot police? I mean, I'm not necessarily saying I advocate it, but this is really absurd. A few tears gas cannisters and the crowd's dispersed. End of story.
This a community issue. Many of these people are students, or alumni. I'm sure Gallaudet doesn't want to take that step. This protest is a huge issue for the deaf community & I suspect that making a move like that could have devastating consequences. It seems (to me) that there are just a lot of very emotional issues being played out here & this is very high stakes fight for both sides, but both sides need it to be resolved amicably. Any reports/photos of riot police coming in against a non-violent protest would play out horribly & I'm sure Gallaudet wouldn't want to do it for that reason, but also because this can eventually be resolved without creating a schism. Ultimately, these guys are all on the same side.
I'm not so sure that they are on the same side. To simplify it...
The new president wants to prepare them for the "real" world, the protesters want to stay in a warm protected bubble.
I don't know if it can be resolved well, but I think that the very survival of Gallaudet depends on the new president's staying on.
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