Date and Time:At a peaceful protest against military recruitment on the City College of New York campus on March 9, three students and a staff member were arrested, two of the students beaten, and all were suspended and charged without any investigation or hearing. The College President, Gregory Williams, broadcast a statement claiming that all were guilty and that the College wouldn’t tolerate “violence.” But after a month’s absence, all four returned to the College when their suspensions were dropped and on May 19, the District Attorney (DA) motioned to dismiss the charges within six month’s time through an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal (ACD) for all four. Clearly, there was no evidence to try the four, nor to support President Williams’s arbitrary judgment of assumed guilt first, trial later.
Thursday, June 2, 2005 at 9:30 amLocation:
City University of New York (CUNY) Central Office
535 East 80th St. (at York Ave.), New York, NY
The massive outpouring of support for the four and outrage at City College’s attempt to stifle dissent has helped return the four to their rightful place in the College community and to continue their struggles against military recruitment on campus.
The staff member, Carol Lang, the Theater Dept.’s secretary, still faces disciplinary charges at a Step II hearing at 10 AM on Thursday, June 2 at the University’s Central Office, 535 East 80th Street (at York Avenue). A strong show of support for Carol is important to remind CUNY that the charges against her are unfounded and that she is entitled to receive backpay for days she was wrongly forced to miss from work. After all, why should she lose pay for a crime that the DA admitted she is not guilty of?