NonProfit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Ann Arbor, MI
PERMIT NO. 13
Ninety- nine years of editorial freedom
Vol. XCIX, NO. 1-S Ann Arbor, Michigan - Friday, May 5, 1989 T D$
Dude, activists bid grads farewell
Activists
, k Hcelebrate
popular
struggles
BY DIMA ZALATIMO
About 200 graduating University
students, their families and friends
1' attended the alternative additional
graduation ceremony on the Diag
last Saturday afternoon.
. ."We wanted our parents to see
what we're really all about and what
O rwe've been doing here for the last
i four years," said graduating student
.. .. . . . Lisa Russ who helped organize the
'. +%'" ! ,R' ceremony.
jII ~; j! ' ', A nother organizer, N ancy
Goblirsch, said although she was
offended by University President
James Duderstadt's speech at the
4 Y, formal graduation, she also wanted
to hear something other than the
University's annual rhetoric.
"[Duderstadt] talked about
diversity and we haven't reached that
stage yet at the University," she
said.
The third annual ceremony which
was sponsored by United Coalition
Against Racism and the ad hoc
committee for the Coalition on
Alternative Graduation, Education
Pomp, circumstance, and string BILL WOOD/Daily and Development, included
At last Saturday's graduation, thousands of graduates celebrated by spraying Silly String and drinking champagne. entertainment and a number of
speakers.
In an opening speech, graduating
'1'' students file suit against Allen Park speae werh coud
By LISA POLLAK gan's citizens - to walk freely Richards was not available for com- man to walk the streets in a white relate to the true educational
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the through the streets of Michigan's ment yesterday. But in a February 22 neighborhood," said Howard Simonf
American Civil Liberties Union cities...," Sedler said. letter to University President James ditor ofU SeALPg 2SeDaPg
charged the city of Allen Park and "We have not received any papers Duderstadt - who had requested an the ACLU. See ACLU, Page 2
two of its police officers with at all. We have not been served and apology - Richards said he con-
violating the constitutional rights of cannot comment," Allen Park city ducted an internal investigation and
two Black University students, who administrator Richard -luebler said "cannot conclude as you have that
said they were prohibited from yesterday. anyone's civil rights have been vio-
conducting a research project in the On February 11, Clark and Neal lated.
mostly-white suburb. were among some 30 students "The students were politely re-
ACLU attorneys Paul Denenfeld recording addresses of metro Detroit quested to take their survey to an-
and Robert Sedler, speaking at a households for the University-spon- other area of the city if possible, in
press conference Wednesday, said sored Detroit Area Study - a legal deference to the resident whose mi-
they are seeking unspecified damages activity that does not involve speak- tial complaint precipitated the mci-
on behalf of first-year sociology ing to residents or knocking on dent," the letter said.
graduate students William Neal and doors. But Sedler said without
Bobby Clark. The complaint cites The students were stopped by "articulable suspicion" that the stu-
four constitutional violations, two, unnamed white police officers, dents had engaged in or were about
* including discrimination on the basis who asked them to leave the area de- to engage in criminal activity, the
of race and illegal search and seizure. spite their University identification officers' response was illegal.
"What is at stake here is the fun- badges and a letter from DAS ex- "What the police and the mayor
damental right of Michigan's Black plaining the survey. do not appreciate is that it is not a Graduate students William Neal and Bobby Clark hold the I.D.
citizens - indeed, of all of Michi- Allen Park Mayor Gerald crime in this country for a Black badges they showed the officers who asked them to leave Allen Park.