Fifty-six years ago, in 1968, my friend Michael and I heard that our college campus had been taken over by anti-Vietnam War protesters. They’d seized the administration building and effectively shut down classes for the day, if not longer.
Michael and I didn’t like that. It had nothing to do with our thoughts on the war itself. What bothered us was the intransigence of the protesters, who were acting as though they were the sole possessors of truth, and everyone who disagreed with them was evil. It bothered us that the vast majority of students, who simply wanted to pursue their education, were prevented from doing so.
So Michael and I went downtown to a theatrical supply store, where we bought tubes of black and white face makeup. Each of us painted our faces right down the middle, half black, half white. From there we went to a high point on campus, where everyone below could see us. We soon caught their attention, and then we said something along the lines of (to quote the Buffalo Springfield), “Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong.”
Needless to say, the protesters ignored us.
I was reminded of this today when I heard that the University of California President “directed chancellors of all 10 campuses to strictly enforce rules against encampments, protests that block pathways and masking that shields identities” during anti-Israel protests over the war in Gaza.
I am in favor of such a ban. Again, this has nothing to do with anyone’s position on the Gaza war, or on Israel’s tactics. I have not taken a public position on those issues. I empathize with the war’s opponents, who deplore the carnage in Gaza, and I also empathize with Israel’s right to defend itself by “any means necessary,” to use an old Black Panther slogan much beloved by wokes today, who decry Israel’s tactics. But I’m emphatically against two things: protests that limit the rights of students to get an education, and the masking that many of the protesters engage in to prevent themselves from being identifiable.
My question to these masked protesters is: What are you afraid of? If you can intellectually defend your position, then you should be proud to be identifiable. The Founders of America were not afraid to risk “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” when they signed the Declaration of Independence.
What are you risking?
I hate protesters who do their dirty work behind masks. They have no courage. Their need for anonymity completely undermines their cause. I first understood this during the Occupy Oakland protests of 2011-2012. I failed to understand why they had to hide their faces with black bandannas. If they were so proud of their cause, why not let themselves be seen as the patriots they thought they were? The reason they hid behind masks was because they weren’t proud of what they were doing, which was wantonly wrecking downtown Oakland. They were embarrassed to let their parents and family members, employers and co-workers and friends know about it. Their masks were badges of shame that delegitimized everything they stood for.
Again, let me emphasize that this has nothing to do with your position on the events in Gaza. But it has everything to do with honor. True moral courage doesn’t hide behind a shield of anonymity. It proudly pronounces itself.
And while I’m on the topic of moral delinquency: Pamela Price just dropped all charges against one of the thugs who was involved in the obscene murder of OPD officer Tuan Le. Price, at a press conference, refused to explain why she took this unusual step, but it appears to be consistent with her campaign pledge to go soft on Black defendants, who she alleges are victims of racism. As the Oakland Police Officers Association notes, Price’s decision “sends a dangerous message that undermines public safety and emboldens those who threaten the peace and security of our neighborhoods.” If Pamela Price has her way, it’s open season on cops.
Price consciously and with impunity frees murderers and other violent criminals to return to the streets, where they can prey on us again. Please, for the love of God, vote to recall this dangerous radical on Nov. 5!
Steve Heimoff