“Where do we draw the line? [...] I was appalled, quite frankly, that security didn’t do more,” said Harvard Law School Professor Hal S. Scott. It is Harvard University policy not to hurt people's feelings, which trumps the right to free speech. If "security" (campus police) did more they would hurt the feelings of the protesters. Nothing new, just one element of the Therapeutic State, run by psychiatrists, who make up illnesses by consensus, and masquerade as scientists. The university may begin offering to pay protesters not to protest.
Here's more evidence of negligent training of the Harvard University campus police. The US Constitution guarantees to speakers and listeners, First Amendment individual speech rights, under the Massachusetts and US constitutions. Harvard University campus police are sworn to uphold and to defend the constitution and laws of the United States and Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 37 makes it a felony to intimidate a person in the free exercise of a constitutionally guaranteed right. HUPD failed to protect the rights of the speakers and listeners. They are negligent and did not perform their duty. One element of negligent training is campus police, who have jurisdiction on Harvard University property, failure to enforce state laws (but not city ordinances). HUPD allowed protesters to intimidate the speakers and listeners, preventing them from enjoying their constitutionally guaranteed rights. It is the failed duty of the campus police, who failed to protect individual rights on Harvard University property. Are they acting under direction of the faculty and administration? Or are they abusing their power for personal and political purposes? While they failed to enforce laws, the same negligently trained campus police take time from their busy primary mission of fighting crime, to abuse their power harassing, provoking and slandering a 70-year-old man with a legal disability. They exhibit misguided values of the elitist university with a $37 billion endowment.
[From article]
Housing rights advocates interrupted an event featuring Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Melvin Watt at the Law School Monday evening to protest Watt’s housing finance policies, prematurely ending the event and prompting questions about security protocol at the school.
The event, organized by Law School professor Hal S. Scott, was intended to be a “fire-side chat” about federal housing policy. Scott said he heard beforehand that activists might protest, and as a result, Harvard University Police Department assigned two plainclothes officers to the event at the request of Law School administrators.
Several minutes into the event, members of City Life—a Boston-area community organization that advocates for tenant rights—stood up and interrupted Watt’s remarks. City Life community organizer M. Antonio Ennis coordinated the protest with advocacy organizations Lynn United for Change and Springfield No One Leaves, and estimated that around 75 of the 85 event attendees were protesters.
The activists—who are not affiliated with the Law School—presented Watt with several demands primarily focused on principal reduction, a policy that reduces mortgage principals for qualifying homeowners. Ennis said City Life members had helped put Watt in office two years ago after Watt promised to make principal reduction a centerpiece of his agenda. Watt has not yet created such a policy.
“If he couldn’t do it, why can’t he tell us—the people who are losing our houses?” City Life volunteer Ramon Sepulveda said.
Representatives from Watt’s office at the Federal Housing Finance Authority declined to comment.
Ennis said that City Life had attempted to reach the Federal Housing Finance Agency director several times unsuccessfully. When he heard from a Law School student who does clinical work for City Life that Watt would be speaking at the school, Ennis saw an opportunity.
“Our objective in coming here was to show him the faces of people who have lost their homes,” Ennis said. “We’re embarrassed to be losing our homes, so we wanted to embarrass him here on his platform at Harvard.”
After protesters interrupted Watt in a manner Scott characterized as “screaming,” Watt attempted to answer their questions, but was unable to talk over activists. Scott said the HUPD officers did not ask protesters to leave, and seeing no way to continue the discussion, Scott escorted Watt from the event.
“An HLS administrator asked the protesters to stop disrupting the event. The event ended shortly thereafter,” HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano wrote in an email. “As a matter of policy we are not going to get into specifics on what our officers did.”
Scott expressed disappointment that Watt was unable to finish the discussion, and raised concerns over security protocol in place at Harvard. Scott said he thinks security should have removed the protesters.
“I would hope Harvard’s policies are that we don’t allow people to come and disrupt events,” he said. “Where do we draw the line? Can these people come into classrooms, and we do nothing?... I was appalled, quite frankly, that security didn’t do more.”
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/4/6/protesters-interrupt-hls-event/
Protesters Disrupt Law School Event, Raising Security Concerns
By CLAIRE E. PARKER,
Harvard CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
April 5, 2016
April 5, 2016
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