2008 Woodie Awards
News Briefs
Issue date: 9/29/06 Section: News
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Students Arrested in CLQA Protest
Five Hendrix students were arrested Wednesday for criminal trespassing at the Armed Services Recruitment Center on Museum Rd. After staging a sit-in protest of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, members of the Conway League of Queer Activists were taken to jail, including Hendrix sophomores Greg Cooper and Unity President Houston Hughes, and freshmen Jacob Fluharty, Derek Easttom, and Joseph Hayden.
"We followed the same model of civil disobedience taught by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.- only breaking the law to expose an unjust one," Cooper said. "We were as civil as possible, we took our punishment and were respectful to the law enforcement officers. Everyone understood that it wasn't personal, it was political."
The protest began after a gay woman tried to enlist in the Navy, and revealed to the recruiter that she was openly gay.
"When we got there all the offices were closed," Cooper said. "We suspect they knew that we were coming. Law enforcement officers actually knew the names of some of the people that were there, so we think it may have been from Facebook because law enforcement does have access to the site."
The only office that did open was the Navy recruitment office.
"As soon as they opened we sent a woman named Esther in," Cooper said. "She went through the entire process with flying colors. At the end when they asked if they had any concerns, she said she was openly a lesbian.
"Under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, the armed services must eliminate people from their services if they find out they are a sexual minority."
After Esther was denied the opportunity to enlist, protesting continued outside the recruitment center and at the intersection of Oak St. and Museum Rd. through mid-afternoon.
"Ultimately we wanted to raise awareness," Cooper said. "Currently no Arkansas representatives are supporting the bill currently before Congress to eliminate the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
Five Hendrix students were arrested Wednesday for criminal trespassing at the Armed Services Recruitment Center on Museum Rd. After staging a sit-in protest of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, members of the Conway League of Queer Activists were taken to jail, including Hendrix sophomores Greg Cooper and Unity President Houston Hughes, and freshmen Jacob Fluharty, Derek Easttom, and Joseph Hayden.
"We followed the same model of civil disobedience taught by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.- only breaking the law to expose an unjust one," Cooper said. "We were as civil as possible, we took our punishment and were respectful to the law enforcement officers. Everyone understood that it wasn't personal, it was political."
The protest began after a gay woman tried to enlist in the Navy, and revealed to the recruiter that she was openly gay.
"When we got there all the offices were closed," Cooper said. "We suspect they knew that we were coming. Law enforcement officers actually knew the names of some of the people that were there, so we think it may have been from Facebook because law enforcement does have access to the site."
The only office that did open was the Navy recruitment office.
"As soon as they opened we sent a woman named Esther in," Cooper said. "She went through the entire process with flying colors. At the end when they asked if they had any concerns, she said she was openly a lesbian.
"Under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, the armed services must eliminate people from their services if they find out they are a sexual minority."
After Esther was denied the opportunity to enlist, protesting continued outside the recruitment center and at the intersection of Oak St. and Museum Rd. through mid-afternoon.
"Ultimately we wanted to raise awareness," Cooper said. "Currently no Arkansas representatives are supporting the bill currently before Congress to eliminate the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
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