Close to 250 students participated in an emotionally charged protest of the Michigan Daily on April 2nd. The protest was endorsed by various campus activist groups, including Fuerza Latina, the Free Mumia Coalition, Lo Voz Mexicana, the Black Student Union, the Native American Student Alliance, and the Minority Affairs Commission. Their complaint? That the Daily was guilty of racism and attacking minorities on campus. The protesters' main allegations of racism were due to:
- the March 28th front page story in the Daily that had an anonymous source state that "four to six people, possibly some who were members of Alianza" were responsible for the theft of approximately 8,700 copies of the March 27 edition of the Daily.
- the refusal of the Daily to print the party platform and adequately give coverage of the United People's Coalition (UPC). The UPC is one of five parties currently represented in MSA, having won two seats on the Assembly in the recent election.
- the Jan. 27 editorial of the Michigan Daily regarding the Dental School Three, in which the Daily made the argument that the Dental School Three were merely shouting unfounded claims of racism.
- various cartoons created by Daily Editorial Page cartoonist Jim Lasser. At issue was one of his cartoons regarding affirmative action, in which the protestors felt he took an anti-affirmative action stance.
At first gathering on the Diag and playing music, the protestors soon swung into action. Shouting "Raza si, Daily no!" and carrying a large banner reading "LATINA/OS: Defiende lo tuyo!" the group of people began to walk. The protestors walked from the Diag into Mason Hall, passing the Angell Hall Computing Center and into Angell Hall itself. After passing through Angell, the protestors proceeded to walk through the Michigan Union, around the Fleming Building, and stopped in front of the Student Publications Building (SPB), lair of the Michigan Daily. The protestor continually shouted as they proceeded, some waving the Cuban, El Salvadoran, and Mexican flags.
At the SPB, various leaders from the protesting groups made speeches denouncing the Daily. One of the speakers denounced the Daily as "a bunch of hypocrites", while other comments about the Daily were less positive. At one point the crowd actively booed at the mention, by one of the speakers, of cartoonist Jim Lasser.
The protestors themselves seemed far more interested in the racial aspects of the Daily than of the other leftist causes trumpeted at occasional intervals. In fact, at the end of the protest, one protestor was given the microphone to champion the cause of the Dental School Three, but was faced with a dissipating crowd. In contrast, the most applause was given to Nora Salas, co-chair of Alianza and the UPC's presidential candidate, when it was her turn at the microphone.
The protestors made the following demands of the Michigan Daily and of the University:
--that the Daily commit to fair and equal coverage to the issues important to students of color.
--that the Daily make a public apology for the Daily's unsubstantiated and insensitive remarks made against Latina/os.
--that the Michigan Daily present an accurate account of the charges made by the UPC against the Daily.
--that the Daily cease making unsubstantiated and speculative investigation against Alianza and Latino/a students.
--that there be an institutionalization of an affirmative action program for Michigan Daily staff to address concerns relevant to people of color.
--that the University strengthen its commitment of the rights of students, faculty, and staff of color such as those initiatives such as those suggested by the Alliance four Justice.
--that the University live up to its "Commitment" to Diversity, similar to that which is stated in the Michigan Mandate.
The multiracial crowd also included some members that one might not expect to be at such a rally. Nicholas Kirk, president-elect of the College Republicans, was also present to protest the liberal bias of the Michigan Daily. Kirk told the Review that "We hate the Daily even more than we hate affirmative action."
After the barrage of speeches, the last speaker as a symbolic "act of retribution" set fire to one of that day's copies of the Michigan Daily, at which point the protest ended.
The event was given heavy media coverage, with reporters and cameramen from the Michigan Review, Michigan Daily, the Ann Arbor News, and WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit.
Members of the Michigan Daily who were asked how they felt about their paper being accused of racism replied that only the EditorÑinÐChief, Ronnie Glassberg, would be able to comment about that matter.
Glassberg told the Review that the flap over the March 28 article connecting Alianza with the Daily theft was a "misunderstanding", and "not as clear as it should have been." Glassberg stated that the "source knew (the suspect) and knew (the suspect) to be a leader of Alianza".
To put the effect of the theft of the 8,700 copies of the Daily in perspective, approximately half of the day's press run was stolen, resulting in losses close to $10,000 for the Daily due to printing expenses and advertising refunds. The Daily also had to reprint its' popular "Summer Sublet" supplement.
Glassberg, repeating statements also printed in the April 4th issue of the Daily, told the Review that the Daily was "disappointed that a technicality will prevent the criminal from being brought to justice." Due to the fact that the Daily is a dropped off paper and that it is free, the law essentially states that wide scale theft of the paper is legal, because precedent has established that since it is distributed for free, nothing of value is being taken. The prosecutor's office has stated that they will be unable to prosecute this case.
Glassberg also stated that the Daily will look at all other legal options available to them, but will oppose using the Code of Student Conduct.
Glassberg also stated that a "change is needed in the Michigan Law". regarding the status of free-drop papers as this sets a "dangerous precedent to free- drop papers" and it "opens the paper to theft by anyone who disagrees" with the editorial content.
However, the theft of the Michigan Daily by the "Ad Hoc Committee Against the Bullshit in The Michigan Daily" is not an isolated incident of theft on U-M's campus. The Michigan Independent also fell victim to a similar incident two years ago, and the Michigan Review became the first victim to censorship by a small group in 1989 when a large portion of that month's issue of the Michigan Review was burned on the Diag by angry students.