Marijuana Legalization Protest Remains Well Attended, Controversial
Julian Brizzi
Issue date: 4/27/04 Section: News
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The protest, an event that in the past has brought upwards of 1,500 students together to smoke marijuana on the library green, was ended three years ago when UVM Police Services began cracking down on the festivities.
A crowd of about 200 students began to gather on the Redstone Green during the late afternoon on Tuesday. The gathering was mostly composed of students playing music hrowing frisbees, and anxiously anticipating the oncoming of the iconic 4:20pm.
"I think its great that all these people are gathered here", said junior Ezra Lipp as he looked upon the growing crowd, "even if people don't choose to get high, it's important people get together to voice their opinions".
Organizers of the Redstone gathering had been handing out signs on Tuesday, and putting up flyers during the previous weeks.
The number of protestors grew to an estimated 800 people by 4:15pm.
The police presence made itself known as they circled the crowd; closely monitoring and video taping the event as it transpired. The police officers began to impede attempts made by some to "pull in" the crowd and unify by infiltrating and breaking apart some of the denser groups of students.
"The one driving concern for us [last Tuesday] was safety, we didn't want anyone to get hurt," said UVM Chief of Police, Gary Margolis. "When you have one person stirring other people up, the crowd stops thinking for themselves and begins to think as one. One of our goals was to be very careful of the kind of activity that turns a large crowd into a mob...that is under the discretion of the officers there. It is not a science it's an art."
Three students, Nikolai Sears, Thomas Wheeler, and "Eli C," all sophomores were detained. One for usage and posession, and the other two for disorderly conduct.
Sears, as he was being escorted away, was able to tell the Vermont Cynic, "All I said was for everybody to get together. I didn't light up. I'd like to say that this is a testament to the UVM Police, I am being dragged away for bringing people together."