A plea for peaceable assembly

To the Daily:

This past Saturday, I received a visit at my dorm room from a member of the National WomensÕ Rights Organization Coalition. She handed me a flier with the title, ÒSmash the KKK.Ó Apparently, the Ku Klux Klan has announced that it will march in Ann Arbor on June 22. I am a Puerto Rican, and IÕm pretty sure that my race is not part of the KlanÕs idea of the ideal human. The lady from the NWROC explained that they wanted to hold a rally just before the Klan would march to cause the Ann Arbor Police to cancel the KlanÕs march due to fear of a confrontation.

I initially thought that this was a good idea, but after reading this flier I might have changed my mind. The flier talks of other marches the group has lead to counter KKK marches in other cities, and in various places calls the marches Òangry anti-racist crowdsÓ and ÒAnti-racist youth rebellions.Ó Now, maybe itÕs just me, but after the arrest of Mr. Matlock and the racial attacks at the Law School, there have been some racial tensions in the University.

I shudder to think what could happen if the NWROC does lead its Òangry anti-racist crowdsÓ against the Klan and the Ann Arbor Police are not able to avert a confrontation. IÕm sure that there are many who despise the Klan and would like nothing better than to run them out of town, but to follow what the NWROC calls their Òmilitant strategyÓ could be asking for trouble. I think that the only way for us to fight racism and show others who are racist that they are wrong is to march peacefully. If we show them that we do not need to stoop to their level to overcome them, then maybe theyÕll see that they have no business in Ann Arbor.

Jose Alvarez
School of Engineering sophomore

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