Security at MCC Events

Last month I attended the anti-war program in the MCC Conference Center and wrote about the disruption caused by the "Support the Troops" gang. And "gang" they were. Noisy, belligerent, disruptive, obnoxious, intrusive; you name it.

One of the student organizers received death threats after the program, which had included a display in the Commons of boots in memory of fallen soldiers from Illinois.

On April 8 the death penalty will be the topic of discussion in another program organized by MCC students. A campus should be a place where ideas can be discussed without intimidation, coersion, anger, or out-of-control emotions. Will that be the atmosphere for this discussion on April 8th?

I visited this week with the Campus Security Director at MCC and offered the following suggestions.

Protesters must not interfere with the program.
They should be given one verbal warning.
If they interfere a second time, they should be ejected from the conference center.
If they are ejected, they should be ordered from campus.
If they refuse to leave the campus or attempt to return to the conference center, the Crystal Lake Police should be summoned and the ejected person should be arrested. No warnings. No second chances.

Protesters must sit down in the conference center.
They should not be allowed to stand in the walkways or carry large signs or banners that interfere with the view of the stage of those seated behind them.

If they want to march outside the building with their banners or flags, that's up to campus security. Not inside the Conference Center. And they must not be allowed to interfere with pedestrians or motorists. If they do? Bingo, that's their ticket to the pokey.

If the protesters are disruptive, campus security can be the Complainant. Summon the police and have the person arrested. Campus security is the first line of defense for the law-abiding citizen.

The program host should explain, as the student did at the anti-war program, that a civil decorum is to be maintained. He stated that the program was not a debate, yet the protesters continued to be argumentative and bait the speakers.

If campus security is asked to call the police by anyone present, they should do so. They should not direct that person to call the police. They should ask the person if he is willing to make a complaint. If he says he is, then the police should be called. Let the police then deal with the Complainant and the protester.

The "Support the Troops" protesters were bullies that night. They were so threatening that a woman asked me to walk her to her car after the program.