I know people love to hate him, but he really is a spectacular professor. I took classes with him at Evergreen and he's overseeing a contract research paper on Spanish unionism I'm working on. He's teaching one of the best classes I took at Evergreen, Political Economy and Social Movements. He's a really open and friendly guy, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few sit in's for a day. 

Seriously, he's objective, reasonable and open to just about any view point. Many times in that class I nearly lost my cool with some people I will never see eye to eye with, but Pete was able not only to befriend them, but work their criticisms into our seminars. 

I have total confidence that if anyone who doubted him at least took the effort to check out his class they would come away with a better understanding of where he's coming from and who he is. He's not a cultist out to brain wash anyone. I promise you'll be safe. 

Carver said Schram made her "feel more self-conscious about breast-feeding by equating it to a horrible, icky thing," namely urinating in public.

In a way it is an honor to get "Schrammied", I suppose. However, the reason that Schram's Schrammie of Bohmer bothers me is that Schram pays no attention to the background of the incident.

It's not that I agree with the reactions of those concert-goers who tipped a car, or stole police property.

I disagree with it because it doesn't reflect the reasons behind the concert-goers' reactions.

From what I have heard, there were no objects thrown until police entered the fray and, without a warning, began shoving and hitting and spraying the concert-goers with pepper spray.

But then again, I am naturally defensive because I love Evergreen and think it's a great school. I also think Peter Bohmer is a good person.

Peter Bohmer is a friend of mine and I can honestly say that he is one of the most consistently principled people I know.

I'm sure that Peter was well aware that his statement at the TESC forum would leave him vulnerable to taunts from people like Ken Schramm. Nevertheless, when it became apparent to him that an unjust process was unfolding, he chose to speak out. The following day, he posted a statement providing further context and analysis of the situation and why he took the action that he did.

Comments on Dead Prez concert events

by Peter Bohmer

I would like to expand and explain more the comments I made at the February 19th, 2008, Noon forum called by Evergreen President Purce to discuss the events connected to the Dead Prez concert. Although I did not attend the concert, I have spoken to many eyewitnesses and I am also relying on the eyewitness accounts collected and posted by Tony Zaragoza, Tuesday morning on Tesc Talk. President Les Purce in setting terms for this forum in his opening comments, focused on the overturning of the police car, not what led up to it. This is similar to what the Olympian newspaper did in their sensationalist reporting on February 16th. They both omitted or downplayed the context, which I am including in 1-6, which follows.

1) So called security people who tried to grab some one for smoking what may have been a marijuana joint. If they had not tried to physically grab this person, it would have been a really powerful and peaceful evening with socially relevant music. These “security people” picked fights, escalated the situation, and acted in a very aggressive manner.

2) The only person detained by the Evergreen police officer was not a major participant in the fighting, and was the only African-American near the fighting. Other people told the officer the person detained was not centrally in the fighting and may have been trying to break up the fight, yet she ignored that evidence. Racism is far more than intent. Whether or not the Evergreen police officer is racially prejudiced, I am sure she does not intend to be—the effect of her actions was to single out an African-American based on incomplete evidence and handcuff him while the whites who very involved in the fighting were her main witnesses.

3) The growing crowd outside the CRC was at first peaceful although loud and asked for the person detained for the charge of misdemeanor assault and in handcuffs to be let go. This is commendable--to show support and solidarity for an unjustly arrested person.

4) At least one of the Thurston County Sheriffs who arrived said they believed the person detained should be released. The Evergreen police officer refused to do so. This would have ended the growing confrontation as the crowd would have met its objectives and had not yet been subject to any police violence.

5) The growing crowd blocked the police car but they were not doing property damage or any violence. The Olympia Police Department then arrived and began clubbing people. A few members of the crowd reacted by throwing empty water bottles at the attacking police who responded by firing large amounts of pepper spray or mace with no warning whatsoever. During this time, the person who had been detained was released but by now the crowd was much angrier because of being attacked by the police and some were no longer satisfied by the person’s release.

6) The police and sheriffs retreated leaving a police car behind which was turned over and trashed.

The behavior mainly being criticized and discussed is what occurred after the Olympia police began clubbing people and makes invisible what happened before. This is why words such as mob and violent behavior are used. Actions have causes. We need to analyze the whole set of events and past and present police behavior.

President Purce and many others at the Tuesday noon forum talked about the Evergreen community but a healthy and real community must be based on equality- not where one side makes the rules and has the guns and the power to arrest and imprison people. Whether one supports the overturning and destruction of the police car or not, it needs to be contextualized and people should not be facing prison time or felony charges over what happened last Thursday night. The person detained should not be charged with any crime. We need to have a real community discussion and about what happened (1-6) and not just the end of the evening to be followed by internal to Evergreen, democratic decision-making about possible consequences and policy changes for the future. Are some police going to be charged, disciplined for assaulting people with clubs and pepper spray?—I am certain they won’t be.

The top administration at Evergreen and the Evergreen police force is working with various law enforcement agencies to try to identify people for prosecution. If we had a community that dealt with problems internally and democratically, of course we should be open and cooperative. However, given the growing attempt by those in power, nationally, to criminalize those who resist injustice, and their attempts to limit protest, we should not cooperate with this investigation and ask that our administration at Evergreen not pursue a witch-hunt and not select scapegoats; and that they not press charges against the person detained or others present last Thursday night during or after the concert.

The larger context is a society that is more and more unequal, a government waging an immoral war in Iraq, one that openly tortures people and is becoming more and more repressive, e.g., attacks on immigrants, the Patriot Act, more and more surveillance. Dead Prez is speaking about these injustices and oppression. Let us invite and welcome them back.

Let us think more about the consequences of our actions and explain better to members of the Evergreen and broader Olympia community our ideas and actions. Let us also oppose the collaboration of the Evergreen administration and some students and staff with police agencies, as this will result in the arrest and prosecution of people who were reacting to provocation.

This is why I suggested at the forum called by President Purce, non-cooperation and remaining silent if questioned by law enforcement or TESC administrators and staff working with law enforcement.

Sincerely, Peter Bohmer

2. Says who? Was Pete there?

3. Gathering together and asking nicely is fine. Blocking a civil servant from doing their job isn't.

4. If we let everyone go then all criminals and their enablers will be happy...until they turn on each other and don't have anymore cops to call. At least one TCSD said he should be let go...does Sheriff Kimball concur?

5. Blocking the car was still illegal, especially when they refused to disburse.

6. That's one of his points? Seriously, I don't get his use of bullet-point number six. Other than to verify that a group of concert-goers engaged in destructive lawless behavior, of which I quite agree with Doc Bohmer.

His further "reasoning" and "justification" does more to cement his reputation. He considers himself and his students above society's law, and in return society has little to no respect for him.

You say that a good cause will even sanctify war! I tell you, it is the good war that sanctifies every cause!
Friedrich Nietzsche