Following the basketball game on Saturday, my friends and I decided to go to another friend's house to visit and continue celebrating in a reasonable, responsible manner. While walking, we witnessed countless bystanders, nearly all of whom seemed only to have committed the crime of being on Grand River Avenue, tear gassed, handcuffed and generally publicly humiliated.

This on its own was disturbing. We decided it would probably be safer to return to our dorm for the evening. On our way back, while walking by the Auditorium, we encountered a cloud of tear gas residue and were quite afflicted. We committed no crime. We were simply trying to get home because we felt too much in danger to even celebrate responsibly in the home of a friend. I thought that the point of having so much law enforcement was to make students feel protected, not victimized.

In the future, perhaps the law enforcement should not be so overzealous, so quick to accuse and attack. It makes East Lansing a hostile environment and not one that I particularly desire to be a part of.

Kiersten Paine
film studies sophomore