I’d like to comment on the official justifications of an undercover police officer investigating a student activist group last spring.
One justification offered for this action was that group members participated in violent protests against the World Trade Organization, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
The World Bank and IMF protests in Washington, D.C., did not take place until April 16, 2000, but, as The State News has noted, Officer Jamie Gonzales was first planted in the group on Feb. 19, 2000. Therefore, student participation in the Washington, protests was obviously not a factor in the decision to investigate Students for Economic Justice (then United Student Against Sweatshops), despite officials’ claims.
A second justification, offered by MSU police Assistant Chief Jim Dunlap, was that “an investigation was ordered because officials were concerned a scheduled visit by World Bank President James Wolfensohn to speak at commencement could spur violence from protesters.”
Once again, one must consider the time frame. Wolfensohn’s on-campus speaking engagement was not well-known on campus until the week of April 17, 2000, when an article announcing the engagement was published in The State News.
The first major meeting to plan on-campus protests took place on April 24, 2000. Furthermore, as of February 2000, there was not yet any evidence there would definitely be protests in Washington against the World Bank come April.
Hence it’s highly doubtful Dunlap’s justification was in officials’ minds nearly two full months before the Washington protests took place. This second justification for the investigation is also highly questionable.
The two timing discrepancies above demonstrate one of two things. Either the “officials” who decided it was necessary to spy on student activist groups back in February 2000 could tell the future, or the real reasons for this spying are not being revealed to the press.
If officials were truly afraid of violence, then they would concern themselves with sports and alcohol. The investigation of student organizations leads me to believe university officials are simply afraid of activists’ demands for change.
Liisa Bergmann
environmental policy sophomore
