Georgetown Independent

Issue date: 7/9/08 Section: Commentary

Media Credit: kerfluffles.blogsome.com

Greetings, froshies and transfers! It goes without saying that as a Georgetown student, you are more politically involved than your peers at lesser institutions (Ignore those cocky kids in the Ivy League - they're just jealous that you're located in the center of everything!). Upon your arrival in D.C., you may feel the need to take your strong feelings or emotions about a topic to an interactive level and go join a protest, but there are certain things you should remember. Here are a few:

Figure out logistics before you go.

Are you meeting a friend for a big protest? Be very clear about where you're meeting. In any situation with large crowds, it will be difficult to hear your friend on a cell phone, so it's better to be very clear about where you plan to find each other. More importantly, check to see if the protest has the proper permits. Not only does this prevent you from being arrested as long as you keep the protesting under control, but it likely means police, EMTs, and other personnel will be present to keep everyone safe.

Consider the impact of your venue.

An easy rule to follow is Red Square for Georgetown matters and the Mall for national matters. I'm sure you've guessed that nobody cares about campus issues on a national level, but protests on campus for national matters aren't really the best use of your time. As I mentioned before, Georgetown students are already very politically aware. You're not going to raise much awareness. Red Square is, however, a great place to sign up students for your protest, to recruit volunteers for your cause, and so on. To use an example, you're highly unlikely to tell a fellow Hoya something they don't already know about the war in Iraq, and if you try, you will likely annoy them. If, however, you wanted to tell people to attend your protest on the Mall Saturday or collect items for care packages for the troops, Red Square is your place.

Realize the full impact of what you're doing.

Some students take civil disobedience one step further and get arrested on purpose, feeling this makes a greater statement. If that's what you feel like doing and you've got the money to pay any fines, that's your choice to make. If you've got that amount of money to spare, though, there are certainly many worthy charities, some of which might be related to your cause, that can probably make better use of that money.

Know what the hell you are talking about!

Sure, some of you might be itching to begin protesting, but wait until you know about the issue. Joining a protest because your friends are going is pretty lame, and you should be able to speak intelligently about an issue if you really care about it. A chanting group in Red Square in the fall of 2007 illustrated another facet of my point: your protest loses some credibility if you can't pronounce the name of your cause. Perhaps I'm nit-picking, but Jena, as in the controversial cases of the Jena 6 in Louisiana, is pronounced like the girl's name "Gina," not like the girl's name "Jenna." The less-than-subtle mispronunciation made what was likely an impassioned outpouring of solidarity feel like a bunch of kids hopping on the latest trendy cause.

However you choose to express your first amendment rights, please do it in a safe, considerate, and intelligent manner. Happy protesting and welcome to the Hilltop!

Wertenberger is a government senior.

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