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Advertising: 7640554 One hundred seven years of edior alfreedom May 11, 1998
*Ku Klux Kln rallies at City Hall
Police, peacekeepers
help to control violence
By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud
Daily News Edtir
Racist slurs flooded Ann Arbor City Hall
Saturday afternoon as 37 Ku Klux Klan members
held a rally, protected from violent projectile-
wielding protesters by fences and barricades.
Demonstrators were hit with tear gas and pepper
spray while trying to reach the Klan.
An estimated 300 "Smash the KKK" protesters,
led by the National Women's Rights Organizing
Coalition, were squarely matched by about 300
law enforcement officials from University, city,
county and state agencies.
The perimeter of City Hall was fenced and entry
into the viewing area inside the fence was restrict-
ed to those searched by police for weapons. With
music blaring and obscenities flying, KKK mem-
bers stood behind a Plexiglas shield and addition-
al fencing at the entrance of city hall.
Early in the protest, 27-year-old John Patton
from Mount Clemens was hit over the head with a
bottle as he stood barechested amidst the demon-
strators outside with a tattoo proclaiming his
"White Pride." Blood streamed down his face as
members of the Peace Team, a group formed to
maintain order, shielded him from further attacks.
Once inside the enclosure, Patton expressed dis-
gust at the violence of the protesters.
"I came as a peaceful person," Patton said. "I
got my head cracked open because I'm a white
person, and I have a tattoo that says 'White Pride.'
Can I not do that? You can't beat somebody
because of an idea."
Outside the perimeter fence, on East Huron St.,
protesters attempted to tear down the barrier that
prevented them from reaching the Klan. Members
of the Peace Team, numbering around 115 volun-
teers, stood outside between the protesters and the
fence while police officers lined the inside.
As protesters tugged down on the fence, peace-
keepers pushed their bodies against the barrier,
trying to stop the mob from breaching the perime-
ter. The Peace Team assaulted by protesters and
several had their yellow shirts torn to shreds.
Police lining the inside pepper sprayed the
attacking protesters twice, forcing them to retreat.
After failing to tear down the fence, protesters
stormed a City Hall entrance on East Anne St.
Demonstrators tore down a fence and held it over
their heads like a trophy.
Dozens of protesters stormed the promenade,
forcing the police to retreat within city hall since
they were not prepared for the attack.
Demonstrators then threw rocks and other projec-
tiles at the windows of City hall, shattering sever-
al, while others destroyed light fixtures attached to
the promenade.
After regrouping, the police reappeared on the
promenade donning combat gear and shot several
canisters of tear gas into the crowd.
Rioters streamed away from City Hall, cough-
See RALLY, Page 2
An Anti-Klan demonstrator runs from tear gas sprayed by the police. Tear gas and pe
used to keep the crowd under control during the two-hour rally on the steps of City H
*University responds
By Susan T. Port The University's response stated the
Daily News Editor defendants recognize that the prospect
The University has issued a response of a third party in either court case
to the coalition of students which filed "could significantly complicate dis-
a motion to intervene as a third party in covery and possibly other aspects of
the lawsuit challenging the University these cases."
Law School's use of race in its admis- Detroit attorney Miranda Massie,
sion policies. who is leading the group's legal
A total of 41 students ranging in action, said the . University's
gender, race and educational level response concerns "us that it could
*ong with three coalitions filed the be taken that we ought to be cutting
motion on March 26 to enter the sec- corners in this case, and in this case
ond of two lawsuits against the it's too important to do that."
University. Massie summarized the University's
The first lawsuit challenges the right response as supportive, but she added
of the University to use race as a factor that the mentioning of possible obsta-
in the College of Liberal Arts and cles resulting from a third party is
Science's admission practices. insignificant in such an important law-
EWS ARTS
The Ku Klux Klan's arrival in Bad Religion performs at the
Ann Arbor causes havoc. Blind Pig this Thursday at 11
Photostory, Page 10-11. p.m. Page 12.
WARREN ZINN/Daily
pper spray were
Hall on Saturday.
to lawsuit intervention motion
suit. The group, if allowed in the law-
"The stuff about the complication is suit, plans to raise concerns,
quite unnecessary - it's absolutely including sexism and equality,
beside the point;' Massie said. Massie said.
Massie said allowing the group in The Center for Individual Rights
the lawsuit will expand the scope of filed a lawsuit against the
the case. She added that, in University Law School on
court, the University will Dec. 3 on behalf of
have to consider many Barbara Gutter, a white
variables and may not be applicant who asserts she
able to focus on the group's was unfairly evaluated in
interests. the University's Law
"If your interests are dif- School's admission
ferent then you can't assume the process since race was used as a
University will adequately represent factor in the selection of the incom-
your interests," Massie said. "This is ing class of 1995.
not going to be a run-of-the-mill The coalition is filing for two dif-
rubber-stamp case." ferent types of intervention -
intervention as of right and permis-
sive intervention. If the group can
prove it has a legal interest in the
lawsuit and its concerns will not be
represented adequately by the
University, it will be allowed in the
lawsuit under the guidelines of
intervention, as of right. In permis-
sive intervention the decision is
more discretionary and up to the
judge.
CIR attorney Terry Pell said the
group which is seeking to intervene
in the case does not have a legal
interest but a "policy interest" in
taking part in the lawsuit. Pell said
the University alone can adequately
See LAWSUIT, Page 2
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