It's all just a little bit of history repeating. In an event that somewhat mirrored the Dec. 1, 2006, Tom Tancredo debacle, protesters crashed a presentation put on by Chris Simcox, co-founder and president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps at Conrad Hall on Thursday.
Much like Tancredo, Simcox was there to speak out against illegal immigration. And, also like Tancredo's visit, the protest turned nasty, with five people arrested — four of them MSU students.
After Tancredo, what haven't people learned?
When it comes to events like these, usually sponsored by MSU's media-happy Young Americans for Freedom and the MSU College Republicans, protesters can't win.
There is little doubt that Simcox, and what he stands, for are abhorrent, but the worst thing anyone who opposes him can do is yield the high ground. When people start screaming, banging chairs, ignoring police officers' repeated requests to calm down and start getting arrested, they lose the high ground.
When an event turns into chaos, you make him look well-mannered in comparison, and you're also playing into his hands by giving him more media exposure.
Yelling and saber rattling, while attention grabbing, are rarely effective techniques. Letting Simcox say his piece, then putting him in his place afterward by asking questions that force him to plainly state his racial and hate-filled motivations are more effective.
Like any other provocateur that depends on shock, it seems doubtful that Simcox would have the rhetorical skills able to mount a proper defense of his positions.
This tactic would give those protesting the opportunity to expose Simcox's racist message.
Or, better yet, ignore the event altogether so it gets little media coverage and then few people besides those in attendance will hear Simcox's argument.
However, if you feel a public forum would be best to state your case, try to get a counter-speaker or presentation to run concurrently with the one you're protesting. That way you get a platform, you get press and you don't embarrass yourselves by getting arrested. Instead, a much-needed dialogue can occur.
From the reports, it seems police acted appropriately by giving students a warning before asking protesters to leave. A video on The State News' Web site shows police calmly asking disruptive students to leave, citing MSU Ordinance 15.02, which states, "no person shall disrupt the normal operation of any properly authorized class, laboratory, seminar, examination, field trip or other educational activity of the university."
However, MSU officials must look into allegations that arrests were the result of racial profiling. Although it seems unlikely the police targeted Chicano/Latino people, the fact that all of those arrested were Chicano/Latino is unnerving.
Protests like the one Thursday only serve to make liberals look bad, even if those you're protesting are terrible. You can't let someone like Simcox get the better of you. When protesting something like this, passion and sincerity are not enough. You've got to protest in a smart manner in order to get them at their own, media-savvy game.
