GO BLOW YOURSELVES ELPD.
These crass words, written in block print on the back of T-shirts made after the April 2-3 disturbances, might adequately convey the feelings of students who feel they were wronged that evening. The front of the garments reads: "Tear gas is not designed to extinguish fires." The shirts apparently have sold well - their creators claim to have sold about 50 online, and efforts are in the works to obtain a permit to peddle the items on campus.
Perhaps conveying a statement that seems to fly in the face of authority provides catharsis to students. Perhaps those who bought the shirts simply want to call attention to their belief that the ELPD should, in fact, blow themselves.
Whatever the reason the shirts have garnered interest, it seems fairly certain that by donning the shirts, students will not cause the change they might be hoping for. No T-shirt has the ability to ensure that public officials and local police departments respect students. In fact, vulgar statements probably will make these people respect us less - no matter how humorous students find them.
If you are a student who adamantly believes the actions police took on April 2-3 were wrong, by all means purchase a shirt if you want to. But don't stop there. Attend East Lansing City Council meetings to voice your opinion. Approach ASMSU to see if you can assist in any efforts it might be mounting. Do your part to ensure that students are not treated unjustly in the future.
Admittedly, many students have been doing just that. City Council meetings have been well attended by students, and videos have come out clearly showing excessive force on the part of police officers. But students have yet to be vindicated.
As the "riots" slip further into the past, it is easy to lose sight of exactly what happened that night. Students are busy worrying about studying or passing classes and might not have time to be concerned with stifling the city's anti-student actions.
Still, if this momentum is allowed to continue, there's no telling what policies East Lansing officials will come up with next. They might even make a law banning anti-police T-shirts.
