Rutgers Students Detained by University Police for Chalking "RON PAUL"

[MelissaWV]

1. Chalking requests must be submitted in writing five days prior to actual chalking.
2. Complete a Chalking Request form and deliver to the Student Involvement Office at 613
George Street, in the Student Activities Center.
3. Contact person must be present at the chalking and have a copy of the form with them.
4. Messages must be written a minimum of 30 ft. from the entrance to any building and 2 feet from all grassy areas.
5. Messages can be displayed on concrete or asphalt walkways (not brick) as long as the area is exposed to the elements.
6. Messages cannot be posted on any vertical surfaces, such as buildings signs, pillars, doors, bus stops, etc.
7. Chalk must be both water-soluble and erasable. No spray chalk or grease based chalk allowed.
8. Drawings may not be destructive or libelous in any way.
9. Chalking is allowed for 5 days and at the end of the 5th day, the requester is responsible for cleaning up the chalking.
10. If the chalking is not removed, there will be a $50 cleanup charge.
11. We reserve the right to deny any request.

Please note #10.

At most, then, this is worth a $50 fine. I wonder if the geniuses offered that as an option? Doubtful. This is a public university. Searching and detaining someone for scribbling with chalk is not suddenly okay because it's done by university police. At least it does not seem that either side resorted to some physical escalation.

 

[TheGrinch]

This university is a public university, not private.

A public university is still private property. Most everything is now anyways, but it's not public in the sesne like a public library that anyone can go to (even though even that is still private property).

Yes, it was definitely excessive by the police, but I don't think it helped that they did it on a wall and not a sidewalk. Yes, it is as far from permanent as it gets, but it doesn't have to be a political message for it to be heavily frowned upon to go chalking up buildings.

This is in no way to excuse the cops using that as an excuse, but it most certainly is going to invite trouble, and should be somewhat expected if you're going alter building's appearances, even in this insignificant way... That's not the way I want it, it's reality. Actually hell, I stand up for property rights, just not police state excessiveness.

 

[MelissaWV]

A public university is still private property. Most everything is now anyways, but it's not public in the sesne like a public library that anyone can go to, even though even that is still private property.

Yes, it was definitely excessive by the police, but I don't think it helped that they did it on a wall and not a sidewalk. Yes, it is as far from permanent as it gets, but it doesn't have to be a political message for it to be heavily frowned upon to go chalking up buildings.

This is in no way to excuse the cops using that as an excuse, but it most certainly is going to invite trouble, and should be somewhat expected if you're going alter building's appearances, even in this insignificant way... That's not the way I want it, it's reality. Actually hell, I stand up for property rights, just not police state excessiveness.

When I was younger, we would pick up "chalk rocks" and scrawl our initials on the sidewalk, or walk alongside brick buildings and just draw a horizontal line along the walls. No one cared. Now, apparently, there would be a police swarm and a bunch of backup called in.

 

[Gravik]

Don't forget we need drones flying overhead to make sure they don't run...

 

[Captain Shays]

Backup was called in???? Was the officer afraid of getting hit with a piece of chalk by people promoting peace signs? lol

This story reads like it came from out of a communist country.

Keep in mind where this happened......New frigging Jersey

Last summer we had health dept officials harrassing little girls for selling unauthorized lemonade in front of their own houses. We need the gumment to protect us from little girls and chalk. Don't you know?

Brought to you from the people's republic of New Jersey

 

[Captain Shays]

I went to Hillsdale College (private) and Greeks would chalk up the sidewalks all the time. It always washed off.

.... not a big deal. Certainly not worth detainment.

Jeez. The Greeks creating all kinds of debt and riots and now chalk. What's this world coming to?

 

[TheGrinch]

When I was younger, we would pick up "chalk rocks" and scrawl our initials on the sidewalk, or walk alongside brick buildings and just draw a horizontal line along the walls. No one cared. Now, apparently, there would be a police swarm and a bunch of backup called in.

A couple innocent kids writing chalk lines down the wall, no, I don't even think today some young kids are going to get harassed about that... Than again you never know with a police state (only slightly sarcastic).

But at the university I went to, there was plenty of activism, demonstrations, handling out pamphlets, putting them up in the designated areas, etc., and yes plenty of chalk with messages on the sidewalk... But we didn't go putting our pamphlets up on the outside of buildings and chalking them up. We had too much respect than to spam up the institution with our message. Be better than the people you're trying to beat.

Again, I in now way condone the cops behavior and sympathize with how the kids are treated, but do I agree with turning sides of buildings into your own canvas for your message, no not really...

 

[hXcLibertarian]

A couple innocent kids writing chalk lines down the wall, no, I don't even think today some young kids are going to get harassed about that... Than again you never know with a police state (only slightly sarcastic).

But at the university I went to, there was plenty of activism, demonstrations, handling out pamphlets, putting them up in the designated areas, etc., and yes plenty of chalk with messages on the sidewalk... But we didn't go putting our pamphlets up on the outside of buildings and chalking them up. We had too much respect than to spam up the institution with our message. Be better than the people you're trying to beat.

Again, I in now way condone the cops behavior and sympathize with how the kids are treated, but do I agree with turning sides of buildings into your own canvas for your message, no not really...

I attend the university and know the students that were involved. The issue is that there were liberal, environmentalist chalkings less than 100 feet away from the Ron Paul chalking. The college usually doesn't care about chalking on that specific wall, but they did this time.

 

[Keith and stuff]

I know one of the students and told him about CopBlock, perhaps the best know chalking group in the US. He said he would contact CopBlock.

 

[Danke]

This is definitely a case where Tasers would have been justified.