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Now don’t get me wrong. I love stupid jocks. They make it much easier for me to focus all my anger, my frustration, and yes, my hatred, on this mythical figure of the white hat wearing
sports star whose racist, sexist, homophobic and makes fart jokes at dinner with his grandparents. If such a character exist, one that combines all these characteristics into one blatantly
offensive person, then I love him for being so easily identifiable and easily avoided. But I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that all that I have to fight is so easy to target.

I chalked. Twice. I wrote that "gay is good." I wrote that "its okay to be gay" and all the tame bullshit that would only offend said "stupid jock." But I only wrote these phrases once, and
it was a joke at that. The rest of the time I was writing explicit language that conjures up everything that even the
rainbow-ribbon-wearing-liberal-arts-college-attending-race-class-and-
gender-class-taking-all-around-great-kid would take offensively. Because their homophobia is not so easily
targeted, it can be subtle instead of explicit, it can be internalized instead of expressed by yelling the words "we hate faggots." 

We are at a place that is so weird sometimes– someplace where even the tamest kid here is revolutionary in some public suburban high school. I understand that, but I refuse to be
complacent and grateful for the opportunity to live in such a "liberal community." I’m going to take this opportunity to challenge even these kids at a level I believe is a privilege to be at.
I left last semester having been challenged in the same way– by my friends, by other students, and by the chalkings– all that questioned and refined my "revolutionary" ideas down to
their core. I was prepared for the homophobia and misogyny I encountered this summer. I was prepared with everything they threw at me– from the use of the word dyke– not in the
reappropriated sense– to their general assumptions that I, as a lesbian, must listen to Ani Difranco, hate men, and aspire to work at a gay book store in San Francisco. 

There has been all this talk about how the chalkings do not speak for the whole queer community. I believe they speak for our diversity. I believe they speak for our selves, the part that
society does not agree with– and that includes the way we have sex, the partners we choose and the fact that we refuse to be silent about these things. To compare the hatred and
stereotypes of queer people to that of these "stupid jocks" or "frat boys" is not only offensive to me, but an invalid statement. No kid’s parents are going to stop paying their college
tuition because they came out as a jock. No employer is going to think twice about hiring someone because he says he lived in DKE. But someone is going to think twice about hiring me
because I wrote that I was a member of the Queer Alliance. And I am at danger of losing my college tuition if my grandparents ever find out that I’m queer. How can you be oppressed if
your entire culture constantly represents you as the norm? 

Homophobia is an inexorable component of this norm. So is this image of the "stupid jock." I resent these things because they are exactly what tell me I’m not normal. My identity may be
threatening to these norms, to you who don’t identify with me, but you have a whole system to reaffirm your existence. So you who identify as stupid jocks, walk a block away from the
chalkings and find yourself a friend who can remind you of how normal you are, and how fucked up the queers are. Because I’m sure there are hundreds there waiting for you. 
 

Other student sponsors included Amnesty International, Students Organized Against Racism, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Black and Latino Brotherhood, Queer Alliance, Students Organized Against the Death Penalty and the School of America’s Watch. The event was organized by the Student Unity Network.

The march was kicked off with an introductory speech by Lopez following the opening of Black and Blue, an art exhibit in the Zilkha Gallery which speaks out against police brutality. She was followed by Rachel Wallis ’03 who discussed the conditions of the jails in Philadelphia during the Republican National Convention, and Sarah Dalsimer ’01, a co-founder of Refuse and Resist, who discussed the 2000 plus people killed by police since 1990. 

They were joined by Roxanne Aaron-Selph, a spokesperson for the Middlesex County NAACP.

With fists raised, the group marched to the MPD on Main Street, chanting slogans such as "There ain’t no power but the power of the people cause the power of the people don’t stop." Upon reaching Main Street, they became silent and circled the police department.

Approximately five uniformed police officers, who had been given advanced notice of the protest, greeted them outside the building. 

According to Saj Rahman ’03, one of the co-founders of Refuse and Resist, the police were mostly tolerent.

"They were not acting aggressive, or interrupting, which made people feel more safe," Rahman said. "Because people get scared, then the police get scared and chaos breaks loose."

Once they had gathered at the precinct building, other speakers came forward with their own stories of police brutality, as well as speeches  from representatives of the Black and Latino brotherhood. Andrew Rothman ’03 then presented a list of demands to Sgt. Pessina, the public relations representative for the Middletown Police Department. 

Included in the list were requests that the police be required to wear visible identification at all times andthat they give their names when asked. The students also asked that the officers participate in sensitivity training and community meetings with Wesleyan and Middletown.

"I hoped they’d take our demands seriously," Lopez said. "We hope every single one of our demands is addressed. We’re waiting to hear back from the public relations officer, Passina, to talk about setting up a community relations forum."

"We want to see that all of our demands get attended to," she added. "We understnd it might take a while but as long as we’re here we want to see it gets done."

According to Rahman, one significant moment was achieved when Jahi Lake ’01, a member of the Black and Latino Brotherhood, asked all officers who were against police brutality to join with the students. Two of the officers, Sgt. Passina and a plain-clothes officer shook hands with Lake.

"I thought it was great that they did [shook his hand]," Rahman said. "But I didn’t expect more of them to do it."

As the rally ended, Dalsimer read a statement of support and encouragement written by Danny Hoch, renowned writer and entertainer, who had spoken at Wesleyan last Spring. According to Hoch, it is important for a community to show active disapproval, otherwise, passivity is the same as approval.

Many of the students who participated said they felt the protest ran smoothly.

"There is nothing worse than being silent on something that is important to you," said Peter Morgenstern-Clarren ’03, a participant in the rally who co-heads Amnesty International here on campus.

"We made if very clear [to the Middletown Police] that there has never been an excuse for brutality and there never will be," Lopez said.

"With police brutality and racial profiling they are not looking at the victim as a person but rather their race," said Rebecca Ticotsky ’03, the second of three Amnesty co-heads, as to the organization decided to endorse the rally.

According to Lopez, Oct. 22 has been a national day of protest for the past five years. While the timing between this rally and the recent arrest and alleged harrasment of Ray Dophin ’01 earlier last week was not entirely planned, Lopez said it was more than coincidence.

"I would be lying if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that the incident was a catalyst for a lot of the students who otherwise might not have been interested in the rally," Lopez said.

Lopez said while there is nothing definite, she and other students are prepared to continue their campaign, so that they will be better prepared for events in the future.

"If there is ever another case of police brutality in Middletown we are definitely going to rally," Lopez said. "And as far as the campaign goes we’re trying to establish a solid connection between the Middletown residents and Wesleyan students so that someday we can have a kind of cop-watch committee. If there is ever an issue they know that we [watch]their backs and they [watch] ours."