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Eugene, OR--As fireworks exploded overhead for July 4th weekend, and newspapers bragged of so-called freedom in this so-called free country, University of Oregon Eugene security physically attacked a MIM Notes distributor. Eugene police then arrived to say that University of Oregon has the right to use force to detain people on its property.
The MIM Notes distributor was in a car when University of Oregon Eugene security pulled up and threatened pepper-spray and reached into the car to twist the driver's arm approximately 10pm July 3rd. Told in no uncertain terms that his actions constituted assault and kidnapping, Cameron proceeded. The driver had already spoken to security on the same block and received no indication that there was private property or any problem. Quite the contrary, an orange "detour" sign from the roads started on the block and another existed where the attack occurred--an indication that the roads were in fact public anyway.
Unlike at previous times, the road in front of University of Oregon, Eugene's student center did not even attempt to close off as the detour allowed drivers through.
The driver asked repeatedly to speak to the attacker's supervisor. The attacker, Cameron lied and said he was on the way. Cameron was shown the newspaper that was being delivered and still he continued his attack while claiming the right to see id and detain the MIM Notes distributors by force. Indeed, he referred to "papers" with his own made up story as if there were not distribution stalls right outside the buildings that MIM Notes appeared at.
When speaking with Eugene police, MIM learned that the University of Oregon is attempting to have things both ways. On the one hand, it does not want to close off its roads, because it wants access to the public, but on the other hand, it wants to close off to the public.
The Supreme Court has already ruled that public thoroughfares cannot be declared private property, even at an airport--precisely to disallow such security set-ups. The alternative to the University of Oregon is to gate off its property and make it invitation-only or allow the public through.
As usual, university security justified itself with reference to thefts on university property. Again, that could be a reason to gate off the property. If theft is such a problem, then University of Oregon can inconvenience its own people to that extent. Instead, in all likelihood the question is one of having things both ways. Theft is not such a great problem that University of Oregon wants to gate off its own property. On the other hand it thinks nothing of attacking and detaining the public.
We are sure that faculty, researchers and students will find it absurd that the University of Oregon Eugene is trying to prevent the distribution of communist papers with reference to being "private property." We recommend that all prospective members of the Eugene community consider some other university until that day University of Oregon's administration allows Eugene interaction with the outside world. We're quite sure that it is not only communists who do not want to be protected from communist papers by university officials with too much security money in the budget to spend. Eugene is not the kind of place that the world's most intelligent people will want to live, study and work.