Opinion ID: 323207
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Day of the Disturbances

Text: 13 The next day, November 2, 1972, the class boycott continued. No student assembly meetings were held, although around 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. a number of students, including Scott, Jenkins and Acorn, gathered in the square near the administration building. It was shortly after this that the disturbances and violence began on campus. Around 5:00 p.m. tables were overturned in the campus cafeteria. The evidence is in conflict as to whether Scott led a group of chanting students through the cafeteria while the disturbances were taking place or prior thereto. In any event, Scott was identified as standing a few feet from one overturned table and was heard saying 'Don't loot the cafeteria.' No other appellant was seen in the cafeteria. 14 Later that evening approximately 200 students, led by Campbell and Thibodeaux (both original plaintiffs who have not appealed their dismissals), assembled in front of the administration building and proceeded to the women's dormitories, where students hurled bricks, stones, and bottles at the dorms. Upon returning to the area of the administration building, campus security officers attempted to disperse the crowd by asking them to leave and clear the area. The crowd refused to obey the request and was given a warning that the officers would sprinkle tear gas in the area if it did not disperse within five minutes. After this period of time the security officers carried through with their ultimatum and proceeded to sprinkle tear gas in the midst of the crowd. This moved the group back from the administration building toward the middle of the square around the flag pole. A large number of the students left the area, but approximately 75 to 100 students remained around the flag pole. 15 Around 11:00 p.m. a Volkswagon was overturned in front of the administration building and stripped of its hubcaps. At this time the officers proceeded to fire shots over the heads of the students in order to disperse them. Most of the crowd did move out of the area. Those who did not leave, or who came back into the area after the firing stopped, were caught in a dragnet of police and campus security officers and were arrested. 16 Jenkins, Scott and Pitre were not in this area at all during the disturbances. Acorn was seen briefly in the vicinity but was not among those caught and arrested on the night of November 2, 1972. Little and Aikens were arrested that evening because they were in the area after the gun shots and tear gas dispersals. Aikens was identified as he left a group of students who had returned after the shots had been fired and walked toward two officers who were stationed between the gym and the administration building. While 'crouching behind the base of the flag pole,' Little was arrested by a campus security officer after the dragnet was employed. 17 During the course of these disturbances, Jenkins and Scott made several attempts to restrain and stop other students from engaging in or committing any illegal acts. They approached Dean Whittaker around 8:30 p.m. and requested paper and stencils to run off material calling the boycott to an end. Jenkins also discussed with the security officers the idea of forming a student police force to curtail the disturbance, but could not find any students to participate. By this time, the peaceful boycott had turned into a violent campus disruption.