Karl Rove's Secret Service detail and American University campus police dragged protesters from the road between Kay Chapel and the Ward building Tuesday night after 16 AU students and community members broke through police tape to lie in front of Rove's car as he exited a College Republicans sponsored event.
More than 80 people gathered to protest what Ben Litwack, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, called Rove's "illegal political involvement and the corruption of the judiciary."
Several photos taken at the scene document claims of 22 people who said they were touched by security or police during the protest, but a Secret Service spokeswoman interviewed by The Eagle denied that any of her office's agents came into contact with students. Four people said they saw a man dressed in plainclothes shove a protester, flash a gun and tell him, "I'm a fucking cop, I'm going to arrest you." Public Safety has confirmed that this man was with the Secret Service.
Pre-event planning
The College Republicans e-mailed its listserv on Sunday, advertising a "candid, intimate discussion" with Rove. The e-mail said tickets were free and available through The College Republicans' Web site or at its general meeting. No flyers were posted and the event was not advertised on Today@AU.
Also on Sunday, The Eagle received an e-mail saying reporters and photographers were not allowed into the event, "as per Rove's conditions for having the event be candid and off the record." Signs saying "no press" were posted at the event.
"We didn't require that you were a Republican to get in," Seth Johnson, the College Republicans secretary and a senior in the School of Public Affairs, said. "We wanted to ensure students that came got to enjoy the event, were safe and got to ask a question."
Clubs may not exclude students from membership, but they are permitted to hold events just for their members, according to Gary Wright, AU's assistant vice president of Campus Life.
Some protesters said the College Republicans should have publicized the event more openly.
"He's the most high-profile speaker to come since John Kerry and we as students have a right to know about it," RJ Pettersen, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said.
Two hours after the College Republicans e-mailed its listserv Sunday night, the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition sent a message over Facebook encouraging its members to get tickets to the event. The message included an excerpt from the College Republicans e-mail. CASJ sent another message early Tuesday morning calling for people to meet before the event to coordinate action.
According to Josh Goodman, a junior in the School of International Service, CASJ found out about the event when it saw a Facebook group set up by Will Haun for his campaign for College Republicans president. Listed in the group's description was Haun's "record of accomplishment," where Haun said he brought "the biggest speaker in the history of the ACUR's [sic], Karl Rove."
Goodman said CASJ then went to AU's Office of Special Events Web site and searched the room reservations for College Republican events and inferred that the reservation for Ward 1 was for Rove's speech.
Protest begins
A group assembled outside Kay at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, planning to block Rove's entrance into Ward 1. As the group made signs and worked out logistics, Matt Kent, a junior in CAS and SPA, passed out fake badges.
The protesters then entered the Ward Building and linked arms in front of both doors to Ward 1. They decided not to block the back entrance because of a line of security stationed there.
Security told the protesters that they must allow ticket-holders through the blockade. The protesters complied, insisting they were there to make a citizen's arrest of Rove.
Although CASJ sent the original message calling for a group to meet before the event, protesters said they were not affiliated with a particular group. People continued to join the group as they found out about the demonstration in Ward, on the quad and through friends.
Rove began speaking shortly after 7 p.m. and the demonstrators organized outside to wait for his exit.
Inside, Rove briefly discussed national political issues and his experience as the national president of College Republicans, according to Caryn Devins, a freshman in SPA. Rove spent most of the time answering questions from the audience, Devins said.
Making a statement
Matt Kent, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and president of the College Democrats, declared to the crowd that Rove is a federal criminal because he violated the Presidential Records Act of 1978, which was passed by Congress after Nixon's resignation to ensure that all White House written communication is open to the public.
To comply with this legislation, officials must submit copies of letters to the Office of Records Management, including e-mails. Kent said Rove violated this act by setting up a separate e-mail server for the White House that was not open to public scrutiny.
"As such, he is a criminal," Kent said. "He broke federal law. And we as proud citizens of the U.S. of A. cannot sit idly by as this fugitive of the law runs amok on our campus to clandestine meetings."
Goodman said to group as they organized that their goal in the demonstration was to make a citizen's arrest of Rove, not to stage a sit-in.
Anticipating the arrival of campus police during the protest, he and Kent instructed the group to act as though security was there to take over the arrest.
"The College Republicans tonight are hosting a fugitive of the law," Kent said. "We don't have the power of the law, but we have the power of citizen's arrest."
Protest gets physical
By the time Rove exited Ward, a crowd of more than 100 protesters and onlookers were waiting and chanting behind police tape at the side entrance, where a black Concorde and a black Chrysler were parked.
About 16 protesters rushed from the crowd to lie in front of the vehicle Rove entered.
Goodman said after Rove got into his car and "it was clear he was not turning himself [in], a group of 20 students laid down in front of his car to block his exit."
Security guards and campus police immediately ran to the protesters and pulled them from the road.
"I was dragged with my head on the ground, while I was called an idiot [by Pubic Safety]," said Eugene Johnson, a freshman in SIS. "I'm not saying this to cause mass hysteria about Public Safety, but tonight they failed this campus."
According to Seth Johnson, the College Republicans' secretary and a senior in SPA, the incident lasted no more than five minutes.
"Public Safety and Secret Service told people to move back and they also started removing people from the ground," Johnson said. "They told them not to come across the line and they did. Secret Service tried to keep them from the car. Public Safety did a lot of the moving."
Those who lied in front of the car disregarded Rove's First Amendment right to free speech, Director of Public Safety Michael McNair said.
"The protester's actions leave a chilling effect on future speakers who may be invited to campus to voice their views and opinions," McNair said.
But SIS Professor Miguel Carter said the First Amendment protected the protesters' actions.
"The people who laid down in front of that car were exercising their freedom of speech," Carter said. "They were saying life is not going to be easy for you, Karl Rove because it hasn't been easy for us."
Officers cleared the road enough for the car to inch through with protesters mobbing the back. Some protesters pounded the window. Joel Gardner, a sophomore in CAS, said he mooned the car as an act of disrespect to Rove.
"I think it's violent when a political figure comes in with an armored presence," Gardner said. "I don't think these politicians come in talking. They come in telling. And we need to tell them something."
Gardner also threw his tattered canvas shoes at the car once it got to Massachusetts Avenue, but they did not hit it. The press has disputed whether objects were thrown at the car. Gardner said he threw the shoes because he was enlightened by the fervor of the protest.
Goodman alleged that the Secret Service and Public Safety aggressively removed the protesters.
Haun, on the other hand, said the Secret Service did an "exceptional" job in controlling the crowd.
Kim Seigfried, a sophomore in SIS, said the students "were not peaceful protesters," saying she saw one student assault a Secret Service agent.
Kim Bruce, a spokesperson for the United States Secret Service, told The Eagle that the Secret Service agents did not remove students, rather campus police did.
"The Secret Service did not take part in clearing anyone," she said.
Bruce also said the incident was a "controlled event."
Matt McCoy, a junior in SIS and a student protester, said in a written statement that the Secret Service was "more physical and abusive than AU Public Safety."
Seigfried applauded Public Safety for their response.
"Public Safety did an amazing job," she said. "They had control."
Mike Haack, a graduate student in the School of International Service who was one of the protesters that got dragged away, said Public Safety did not protect students.
"Campus officers and the Secret Service were protecting the wrong people," he said. "Karl Rove should be dragged across the street. The second they let me free, I ran back in front of the car. I was tackled down by a man in a suit and the car drove away."
Seigfried said Public Safety was not aggressive, rather they were doing their job.
"Public Safety only physically touched students when removing them from the front of the car," she said.
Chris Palko, a sophomore in SPA and media relations director for the College Republicans, said he saw some students in plastic handcuffs, but no one was arrested.
McCoy said he had "a better view than any other protester, on-looker or counter-protester," and that nothing was thrown at Rove by student protesters.
"I am the most credible witness to the fact that - despite what the media has reported - there was not one single object thrown at Karl," McCoy said.
Protesters allege further Secret Service misconduct
After Rove's car sped down Massachusetts with its lights flashing, some of the protesters met on the quad to debrief.
As they shared their experiences, Daniel, a D.C. community member who requested his full name not be published, told the group that as he ran after Rove's car, a man in plain-clothes began shoving him. The man threatened to arrest him and revealed a gun under his shirt, according to Daniel. Goodman said that campus security took the armed man into their car.
"We backed off because we thought they [Public Safety] had it under control," Daniel said.
As the group debated what to do next, Duval Guimaraes, a junior in SIS, walked over shouting that the man was at Public Safety and everyone needed to go there right away. Guimaraes, who did not lie down in front of Rove's car, said he saw a man with a gun shoving Daniel and that was when he became more involved.
The protester marched across campus chanting, "This is what democracy looks like" and "Cops here, troops there, U.S. out of everywhere!"
Outside the Public Safety office, campus police told the group that the man was not there. McNair said those who say they saw the gun could file a complaint in the morning and the matter would be investigated.
McNair confirmed that some of his officers saw a gun and that they knew who the man was, but would not disclose his identity.
McNair confirmed Wednesday that the man with the gun was a Secret Service agent, which was revealed to him during the riot in front of the car.
"When you invite someone protected by federal interests, that's what you get, and there's nothing you or I can do about it," McNair said.
Three or four students filed complaints about the Secret Service agent, according to McNair. The complaints were referred to United States Secret Service.
Students speak out
Some walked away praising the spirit and solidarity the demonstrators displayed.
"When you sense that there's an alternative, you get this kind of energy," Carter said. "You wouldn't have seen this five years ago. It's a great day for AU."
Haun, a sophomore in SPA and vice president of the College Republicans, said the protesters were out of line and disrespectful.
"What I witnessed was a group of people who say they are tolerant for others, but only tolerant to those who agree with them," Huan said. "I saw a group of people who pride themselves on being intellectuals being childish."
Joe Vidulich, SG-president elect and a junior in SPA, said he thought the protesters went to the extreme.
"I'm all for people protesting," Vidulich said. "But there's a fine line between what's right and what is just excessive."
He also said he saw students fight with Secret Service.
"This is not the kind of free debate we want to be engaged in, on the most politically active campus in the nation," Vidulich said.
McNair said it was likely Public Safety would have acted different if they'd known about the protest in advance.
"I would have met in advance with the protestors and helped them understand more thoroughly how to be more responsible and considerate of others rights in staging a protest," McNair said. "I would have provided more acceptable options like leafleting, alternative speaker, etc."
Eagle Staff Writers Brian Kalish and Kyra Smerkanich contributed to this report
