Brown University students prevented New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly from speaking at the university on October 29 to protest the city’s stop-and-frisk policy and its surveillance of Muslims. One student called the protest “a powerful demonstration of free speech.” (Huffington Post, October 30, 2013, by Associated Press)
Mona Charon, in The Southern Illinoisan, November 2, 2013, criticized the university for not staunchly defending the Kelly’s free speech rights. Referring to the incident, Charon wrote, “Episodes like this are tolerated in America because college faculties, administrators and the press almost uniformly share the students’ prejudices and haven’t the spine or the integrity to uphold boring American values like free expression. Brown’s president issued a wan apology noting that it was a ‘sad day’ for the university, but there were no suspensions or other punishments for those who organized and carried out this thuggish intimidation.”
But The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf, November 8, 2013, thought his alma mater’s response against the free speech shutdown was “heartening.” He praised the administration for ordering an investigation, the president for her “excellent statement” and Professor Glenn Loury for his remarks on the incident.