Defend the Student who Pied Friedman

[thanks, Helmy]

In Defense of Student Who Pied Friedman
http://www.petition online.com/ 422buml/petition .html

To: The Administration of Brown University

On April 22, Brown University student Molly Little threw a pie at New
York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in protest of his pro-war,
pro-corporate views, and the prominence he receives in promulgating
those views while others are suppressed. Friedman received no injuries
from the fluffy pie, and resumed his full lecture after five minutes.
Due to the harmlessness of the incident, no legal charges were pressed
by any party.

Nevertheless, on May 15, after a hearing conducted by Brown's Office
of Student Life, the administration sentenced Molly to a
'suspension' --in fact an indefinite expulsion. As a result Molly is
unable to enroll at Brown in the fall semester, or even set foot on
the campus. She is not guaranteed readmission, but must reapply to the
same administration which has committed this miscarriage of justice.

The punishment imposed on Molly is severely disproportionate to the
incident to which it supposedly responds. It is not compatible with
Brown's mandate as an educational institution. The University has put
its desire to draw 'marquee' speakers--regardles s of their
intellectual value--and control student activism above its mission to
teach.

Further demonstrating Brown's abandonment of responsibility to
students is its indifference towards the actions of Assistant
Professor Stephen Porder, who physically attacked and detained Molly
in an absurd act of self-righteous vigilantism. The dean who is
supposed to be investigating the matter simply refuses to return
calls.

We, the undersigned, categorically reject the so-called 'suspension, '
actually indefinite expulsion, of Molly Little. We demand her
unconditional readmission to Brown University without fines, fees, or
red tape.

__,_._,___