Forum looks at nonviolent protest

Marissa Boyer, director of University City Hospitality Coalition, moderated the discussion, which centered on what constitutes a nonviolent protest. She said that nonviolent protests do not involve harming people, but when property is involved the term nonviolence becomes vague. "If you want to be nonviolent, it can only work with people that are moral and humane," said College sophomore Amadee Braxton, a member of the Progressive Student Alliance. After discussing how nonviolence can be effective, Boyer and the three others in attendance discussed ways that "social justice" groups on campus can function more effectively. Those in attendance said they were disappointed with the effectiveness of PSA and other groups in dealing with social issues. College sophomore Mayu Okawa said that she agreed with PSA's ideology but there is not enough support for each issue it covers. She said it that it is "difficult for one group to cover all the issues." Boyer called for better communication between different social groups on campus on common issues. Braxton said that those groups must realize "that every social issue that people are struggling for . . . relates to the overall messed-up [state] of our system." The people at the meeting said that the catch-all nature of PSA was only one of the reasons it was not as effective. University employee Nathan Grey said that editorials in The Daily Pennsylvanian and other sources of criticism make it hard for people to "feel comfortable" with PSA. Braxton said another reason is that PSA challenges students' lifestyles and status quo. Boyers suggested that PSA might be "too visible." All those in attendance said they were hopeful that Penn for Peace could provide a forum for discussion and support group for people who shared the common conviction for nonviolence. At the same time, they said, Penn for Peace hopes to increase student awareness on campus of issues of war and peace.

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