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Seventy-eight years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan
Backlash: Ann Arbor's 'concerned'citizens
00 1
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich.
News Phone: 764-0552
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1969
NIGHT EDITOR: JUDY SARASOHN
Street people'
and the Street Fair
JUST FOUR WEEKS after the disturb-
ances on South University, the street is
barricaded again. And not only is Soutl
University closed this time; parts of
North University Ave. and East Liberty
St. have been taken, too.
But it's all legal - e v e h traditional.
This is the tenth, annual Ann A r b o r
Street Fair and giant sidewalk sale. Local
merchants - who trembled at the possi-
bility of damage to their property when
700 street people held an impromptu par-
ty - are happy to invite larger crowds
to gather on South University for the four
days of the fair.
It seems ironic that the merchants who
complained so fearfully after t h e first
night's peaceful activity on South Uni-
versity could be the same g r o u p who
readily open up their precious property
each year. Aren't they afraid of the
crowds?
?bviously not. The street fair is offi-,
Drug, abuse?
5 {
RESIDENT NIXON'S message to Con-
gress on narcotics fs a very mixetd bag.
It reveals a desire for humanitarian re-
form coupled with repressive measures
and a total lack of understanding of the
problems involved.
By his desire that the law treat those
addicted to heroin and other opiates as
sick rather than criminals Nixon displays
a compassion which has been singularly
lacking in all previous legislation.
But' in his approach to other 'drugs
Nixon shows a frightening lack of knowl-
edge as well as a bull headed assumption
of self-righteousness.
Quite rightly, Nixon advocates an ex-
tensive program of research into the
effects of LSD, marijuana and other hal-
lucenogenic drugs. The limited scientific
research into the use of these drugs
(limited because of the enormous govern-
ment restrictions which have been on
such research) has done little more than
indicate the huge amount of research
still to be done.
Nixon proposes as well that the knowl-
edge gained from this research should be
compiled and placed before the people of
the nation so they can "make a prudent
judgment as to, tAheir personal course of
conduct."
But Nixon goes on to assume the re-
sults of research yet to be done will fol-
low .his own opinions. He calls for massive
action to limit the traffic in marijuana
apd to provide ridiculously heavy penal-
ties for the use of LSD. And he assumes
the information distributed by the gov-
ernment will serve to show that all drugs
are evil.
PERHAPS IT would be well for the Pres
ident to complete his program of
research before he embarks upon "crack-
down" plans which may prove to be en-
tirely unwarranted.
-CHRIS STEELE
cial, respectable and entrenched. The city
will clean up the streets when it is over,
and the good upper middle class people of
Ann Arbor who can be expected to pat-
ronize a street art fair can be trusted to
maintain order. If there is any acciden-
tal damage, the fair's sponsors can be ex-
pected to cover the cost.
JUT THE HAUNTING question is this:
What was so different about the peo-
ple who had that party on South Univer-
sity one month ago? They weren't upper
middle class, and they don't have an up-
per middle class vocabulary. But t h e y
are, in the largest sense of the word, re-
sponsible. South University w a s left
cleaner than it started that M o n'd a y
night, and the street people offered to
pay for a window accidentally broken at
Discount Records.
When the people came back the second
night, they weren't looking for trouble.
But the police came too, mainly because
angry merchants had demanded an end
to what they called an unlawful disturb-
ance. Nothing would have happened to
South University if the police had stayed
away, and the enthusiasm for street par-
ties would eventually - probably quickly
-died down.
Clearly, the merchants and the police
reflect one of the most distasteful and po-
tentially dangerous attitudes of our so-
ciety. To be different is to be suspect. It
is all right to break laws - as long as
they are the rightlaws.
IT IS FINE to cheat on tax returns, drink
in public parks at official establish-
ment picnics, and break traffic rules. Ev..
erybody does that.
But if you have long hair and choose
to smoke pot instead of drink alcohol, you
are different, and you a r e in trouble.
There could never be an Ann Arbor Street
People Fair; the community would not
stand for it.I
Perliaps the street people will decide to
take advantage of the four-day closing of
South University. The day people will go
home at 9 or 10 p.m., and the night peo-
ple may want to take their turn at using
the area.
But the odds are very good that they
will never get that turn. Even though the
street will be barricaded, the merchants
will be afraid of long hair and different
politics, and they would ask for the po-
lice. And the police would, for the most
part, be only too happy to come and pro-
tect the street. Even if the area is closed
to cars, there is no doubt some charge
that can be pressed against any im-
promptu gathering.
nHE STREET fair is a nice thing, but it
will be marred this year-at some for
some - by the remembrance of another
kind of street fair that wasn't allowed to
happen because of the artificial and un-
reasonable prejudices that are rotting
out the core of our society, especially in
Ann Arbor.
-MARCIA ABRAMSON
By JUDY SARASOUHN
WHEN THE MAYOR walked in
they yelled. When he and the
council sat down they stamped
their feet and jeered. When Ann
Arbor's governing body began its
work they chanted "The hell with
you." Radicals? Hippies? Com-
munists? No, just plain old middle
aged suburbanites.
They came in droves to the
council meeting Monday - the
American Legion members, Dis-
abled American Veterans and
"concerned" citizens - and they
behaved like animals.
The antics and behavior of toe
400 people who came to complain
about concerts in the parks and
the "lax" enforcement of law are
only kept from being humorous
because they are so frightening.
They shouted "Hail Harvey"
and "Sock it to 'em Doug." They
virtually halted the work of the
council with shouts demanding its
resignation. They shouted down
the Mayor when he tried-to speak.
And there could be no mistak-
ing their real desires. When they
shouted for Harvey they meant it.
They wanted people beaten and
dragged away to jail. They wanted
the long-hairedhpeople hurt--hurt
bad-because they hate them.
The content of their rhetoric
would be humorous as well if it
was not so frightening.
JACK GARRIS, an attorney
who claims to represent all the
"anti-concert" forces in Ann Ar-
bor, presented a statement which
declared that White Panther lit-
erature "is a diabolical, political
and psychological campaign to de-
stroy the minds of our youths."
Garris even drew an absurd con-
nection between rock concerts in
Ann Arbor and an attack on the
United States.
And what were the young peo-
ple doing while the older genera-
tion reviled them? The 30 or so
who attended sat quietly. They
did not shout. They did not at-
tempt to provoke anyone. And
this they did in the face of verbal
and, in one case, physical assault
by the "concerned" citizens.
During the course of the coun-
cil meeting one of the youths
present, who was holding a gun
with ',a flag attached to it was
attacked by one of the protesters.
He had not used the gun or
menaced anyone with it; he was
just holding it. But the man who
attacked him, and another indig-
nant "concerned" citizen who
joined in, felt insulted. The as-
sault was halted only when police
intervened,
And the police, how did they
react to the screaming, shouting
and name' calling in council
chambers? Did they take pictures
of the anti-concert people as they
have done in the past to pro-con-
cert people? Did they remove the
disrupters from the chambers as
they would surely have done to
anyone younger and longer-hair-
ed? No, of course not. Only the
young people who have no political
pull are fair game for the police.
And that is exactly the way the
"concerned" citizens want it.
They want law and order for
everyone else but not for them-
selves.
One of the self-appointed pre-
servers of American justice yelled
during the general melee that
that "City Council is undermining
law and orderrinyAnn Arbor."
But, what he really meant was
that the city government is un-
dermining discriminatory law and
order. They mouth i justice and
equality but the anti-concert peo-
ple proved themselves hypocrites
on every count.
THEY EXERCISED the right of
free speech loudly and long at the
council meeting but they tell the
Mayor he is "making it too easy
for these hippies to pass out their
filthy literature and spread their
insane communistic ideas."
It is hopeless to try to explain
the meaning to the protection of
free speech to such people. To
them anyone who uses this right
to say something they do not
agree with is part of a 'plot."
And as far as enforcing the laws
-these "concerned" citizens are
only interested in using the law
against the people they don't like.
They would be quite shocked if
4
the laws concerning stopping at
stop signs, and speeding were more
strictly enforced.
And if the laws concerning
drinking in public and the use of
profanity were enforced against
the very self-righteous supporters
of law and order as stringently as
they are against the street people
there would be an uproar of com-
plaint.
The very same American Legion
members who attended the coun-
cil meeting would be outraged if
the laws concerning public drink-
ing were applied to their picnics
in the same way they have been
applied to the people on South
University.
If the profanity laws were en-
forced that night In the council
chambers the same way they were
last 'week in front of the Whistle,
Stop there would be quite a few
"concerned" citizens in jail.
But what is the meanlijg of all
this hypocrisy and Teaction?
Clearly the pressure from both
sides has brought an increasing
polarization of the city's political
scene.
Clear as well is the poten-
tial for destroying the liberal re-
gime now in control of the city.
The council, at the same meet-
ing, passed an ill conceived and
repressive regulation on t h e
amount of sound bands can make
during outdoor concerts. And, ap-
parently,the measure passed out
of pure fright - a council prev-
iously favorable to concerts voted
almost unanimously for the regu-
lation. Only the mayor did not
succumb to the hypocritical rhe-
toric with which he was attacked.
PERHAPS THE BEST explana-
tion of what is happening here in
Ann Arbor, and perhaps in the
rest of the country if recent elec-
toral politics are representative,
was explained best by one middle-
aged woman, not among the anti-
concert protesters. She said the
"concerned" citizens sounded like
Germany in 1930.
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7Fleming .and OSA
"The Commission recommends that the executive functions of the
Office of Student Services be performed by the Vice President and
Director of Student Services, assisted by an. Executive Board which
should be charged with formulating policies for the office."
-The Hatcher Commission Report
"Each administrative unit of the OSS shall have its own policy
board to set general policy for that unit."
-Proposed Regents bylaws on the'
student role in decision-making
AFTER YEARS of fighting for the power to make decisions that
affect the lives of students, Student Government Council has been
told, rather curtly, that they cannot have this power and, in effect,
that such power does not exist,
Although seemingly a simple one, the issue-the authority of the
policy boards of the Office of Student Affairs and its nine admin-
istrative units-have provoked a frustrating pseudo-dialogue in which
neither students nor administrators are speaking to the substantive
questions involved.
Three weeks ago, the OSA policy board censured John Feldkamp,
director of University Housing, when he sent a communication to
Acting Vice President for Student Affairs Barbara Newell. The
effect of Feldkamp's memo was to undercut a recommendation of
his policy board, the Student Advisory Committee on Housing.
THE OBJECTIONS of OSA policy board members to the memo
were not immediately intelligible. Traditionally, the "housing director
forwards his recommendations to the vice president-especially when
they relate to financial matters as in the controversial case at hand.
What is only just becoming clear is the radical - but no less
commendable - nature of the complaints of SGC and the policy
board - the censure of Feldkamp seemed out df place because it was
never clear that student leaders were proposing something new.
As SGC and the policy board envision OSA, John Feldkamp's job
would be entirely restructured. And in the end, he would have no say in
the decisions of the housing office.
In accordance with the draft of the proposed Regents bylaws -
which has already won approval of Senate Assembly - only the student
housing policy board would make decisions in the housing office. As
an administrator, then, Feldkamp's job would be t'o administer that
policy, not to make it.
In this context, Feldkamp's attempt to pull the rug out from under
his policy board was unconscionable. His, job is to make room assign-
ments and balance the accounting sheets, but not to decide whether
a fee increase in married housing is necessary. His memo to Newell
constitutes simple insubordination.
O PRESIDENT ROBBEN FLEMING did not, of course, take it
e quite 'that way. "Staff officers like John Feldkamp, are expected to
give us their best advice ,and judgment at all times, and cannot be
10 mandated by advisory committees to do otherwise," the president said
is in a letter to Newell.
Unfortunately, this sentence was lost in Fleming's lengthy letter
m which spoke mostly of the "administrative chaos" which would result
- from a concept that advisory committees can mandate the executive
S committee. Under such an arrangement, Fleming noted, everybody
, would ask for more money than the University has available, and, with
e, the executive officers bound by these requests, there would be no
way of balancing the budget.
t hile the "administrative chaos" statement is an accurate one, it
is also irrelevant. SGC and the policy board are not challenging
the right of the executive officers to review budget requests from
of below, but rather, they are calling for the granting of policy-making
it power to the policy boards - a position supported by the proposed
s Regents bylaws.
e But on this point '- as ill-defined as it is - there is also, clearly,
1- a sharp disagreement. With the mentality of an administrator, Flem-
y ing cannot accept the idea that a student committee will replace Feld-
o kamp and other OSA directors as the low-level source of policy recom-
rn mendations.
FLEMING'S POSITION constitutes a denial of even the possibility
that students can have policy-making powers in the Office of Student
a Affairs. His argument is, in effect, that students cannot make decisions
4
4
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,,469, Tie Register
F _ ~ - --
I
Troop Withdrawal
On the intricacies of
domestic disarmament
By DREW BOGEMA
ONE APPROACHES the idea and
- promises of gun control with mix-
ed emotions. The ideal is so very at-
tractive - just think - complete do-
mestic disarmament. If we could only
force the hundred or so million guns
owned by forty million Americans to
be surrendered, the severe dangers that,
threaten the life of the Republic could
be quelled, our problems would move
toward solution, and domestic order,
stability, and peace would be assured.
With the dangers of insurrection and
revolution eliminated, the forces be-
hind repression could also be checked.
Gun control represents a liberal re-
action to the unprecedented scale of
violence that has afflicted the United
States this decade. However, liberals
try to put an end to violence by de-
escalating the level of conflict and ig-
noring the conditions from which it
sprang. They refuse to acknowledge
that the growing armament of t h e
ghetto implies a disenchantment with
the affluent liberal who tries to speak
ists could massacre t h e government,
and install themselves in power with
little difficulty.
Regardless of the ideological nature
of government, the police and military
would exert an influence in dispropro-
tionate measure to t h e i r numerical
strength. Could' one trust the police,
the cynics ask? Could one really be-
lieve that they would honor the enor-
mous responsibilities imposed upon
them if they were the only ones to
have guns? Given the federalized na-
ture of law enforcement, given the so-
cial and psychological types so pain-
fully evident in police agencies across
the country, could they even with se-
lective licensing perform their tasks
in a humane manner?
IN ANY CASE the Gun Control Act
of 1968, passed last October at the tide
of liberal and moderate horror with
the assassinations of King and Ken-
nedy, which supposedly defeated the
money and efforts of the gun lobby,
has been riddled to virtual death by
own firearms-control laws. Only in 24
states, however, are there restrictions
on the sale or ownership of firearms.
New Jersey has a relatively stiff sta-
tute requiring permits and identifica-
tion cards from police before any kind
of gun can be bought. Elsewhere loose
statutes require only a license to carry
a gun, one available to almost anyone
upon request. In 26 states, there are
virtually no restrictions, and control
legislation is pending in only three of
these.
THE GUN LOBBY prevented the in-
clusion of two crucial items in the Act
when it was before Congress, and by
its pressure was able to ease the harsh
provisions originally devised for the
administration of the Act.
While the bill was before Congress,
the federal registration of all firearms,
and the federal licensing of all gun
owners, considered crucial by liberals
if they were to enact a tight gun con-
trol law, were killed by the lobbying
efforts of the National Rifle Associa-
In face of such testimony, the ATFD
dropped their previous requirement
that firearm purchasers h av e their
identity verified by a notary public or
a law enforcement officer in order to
purchase a gun through the mail in
interstate transactions. Instead, a gun
dealer was simply required to inform
the chief law enforcement officer in
the purchaser's locality that the per-
son whose name appeared on the pur-
chasing order was being given a gun.
Further, shooting clubs t h a t pro-
vided guns and ammunition to mem-
bers for use on their premises would
be exempt from the dealer-licensing
and record-keeping provisions of the
Act. Shotgun shot and unprimed shells
would be excluded from the definition
of ammunition under the Act and
therefore could n o t be subjected to
regulation. And, prior police approval
for the :transfer of destructive devices
would no longer be necessary. There
s also substantial doubt that ATFD
will continue to define "business prem-
ises" for gun dealers to exclude pri-
be putting out close to 500,000 a year
What the Act has done, then, is ti
foster American protectionism in th
domestic production of armaments.
To offset the import loopholes, tw
remedies have been' suggested. One i
to forbid the importation of paits fo
guns which are already banned fron
importation as a completed unit. An
other is to depress domestic productiox
by applying the same standards of size
barrel length, quality and safety speci
fications that now comprise the impor
restrictions to pistols made here.
UNFORTUNATELY for gun-contra
liberals, the prospects for remedia
legislation are slim. The gun lobby i
already working hard to weaken th
present gun act with m o r e amend
iments. So far this year, over sevent
bills have been put before Congress t
exempt certain types of ammunitio
and firearms from the Act, or to en
tirely repeal it.
Only Senator Thomas Dodd has;
hill in the hamner to stengthen it