Opinion ID: 323207
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Case Against the Active Participants (Aikens and Little)

Text: 46 Aikens and Little were apprehended during the course of the riots on the night of November 2, 1972, after being caught in the dragnet of police officers which closed in on the group of students who had returned to the square in front of the administration building after tear gas shots had been fired to disperse the group. Aikens was identified as he left this group of students and approached two deputy sheriffs who were part of the dragnet. We have no difficulty in concluding that Aikens violated the Grambling College regulations as to 'disorderly assembly,' see note 3 supra, and therefore was properly suspended. 47 The record and, more particularly, the Board's findings of fact show that Aikens 'loitered' in the vicinity of the gathering which, without question, disturbed the public peace and caused damage to property. He had no explanation for his presence at the scene of the disturbances and did not testify in any manner to contradict the testimony of the officers who saw him actually leaving the group of students who remained present after the order of dispersal. In the absence of any testimony to the effect that he had come on the scene only after all of these occurrences, it is clear that the Board's suspension must be upheld. 48 There is, however, no evidence to support a finding that Little was 'loitering' after the command to disperse. The Board found only that 'Mr. Little was arrested by a Campus Security Officer (while) crouching behind the base of the flag pole.' The testimony of the Campus Security Officer is that he saw Little fifteen or twenty minutes after the firing of the shots and after the time when the final group of students had dispersed. This fully coincides with Little's testimony that he did not leave home until he heard the shots, at which time he came across the campus and was on his way to the village when he was arrested by the Campus Security Officer. To the extent that there is a dispute in testimony, we must, of course, credit the testimony which was credited by the Board. Looking at the evidence most favorable to the Board's finding, there is no evidence to establish that Little had any knowledge of the orders to disperse or had in any way refused to obey them or had stayed on and thus become a 'loiterer' in relation to the crowd that had done the damage to the property. For these reasons, the suspension of Little cannot be upheld.