It’s Just a Farce: Ward Churchill and the Research Misconduct Inquisition
February 17, 2007 on 3:39 am | In AnalysisCornell American Indian Studies Professor Cheyfitz Condemns CU’s Report
February 11, 2007 on 9:58 pm | In AnalysisA small group of students and professors gathered this week in A.D. White House at Cornell University to discuss the maelstrom that has erupted over Ward Churchill, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado who has been subject to academic review and public scrutiny for his comments on the victims of the World Trade Center attacks.
The statements, posted to a blog a day after the attacks and expanded into an essay in 2003, refer to the office workers in the Twin Towers as “little Eichmanns” and called into question the presumption of their innocence.
“True enough, they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break,” Churchill wrote. “They formed a technocratic corps at the very heart of America’s global financial empire.”
Cornell Professor Eric Cheyfitz, who testified before a review board at the University of Colorado in defense of Churchill, led a discussion that shifted alternately between academic freedom and the particular allegations levied against Churchill, whose dismissal a university hearing board has recommended.
“(The report of the Standing Committee on Research and Misconduct) turns an academic debate about how we are to understand U.S. history into an indictment,” Cheyfitz said . . . . read more.
Shareef Aleem Acquitted! - Monday February 5, 2007
February 6, 2007 on 2:43 am | In Act NowAlmost exactly two years ago, Shareef Aleem attended the public meeting called by the CU Board of Regents to discuss Ward Churchill’s criticisms of U.S. foreign policy. When the Regents refused to let the students speak, Shareef demanded to know why. He was arrested and charged with assaulting an officer, a felony for which he faced up to 16 years imprisonment.
In 2006 Shareef’s first trial resulted in a hung jury, and the Adams County prosecutor insisted on re-trying the case. In the second trial, which began last week, the jury deliberated most of the day Thursday and was sent home over the weekend. This morning, they returned a verdict of NOT guilty.
The courage and faith of Shareef and his family throughout this ordeal — as well as the support from the community, the CU students and faculty who testified, and the lawyers who worked pro bono — are an inspiration to all who struggle for justice.
Support Free Speech - Support Shareef Aleem
February 3, 2007 on 2:49 am | In Act NowMonday February 5, 2007
10:00 am
Adams County Courthouse
Div. G. - Room 404
1100 Judicial Center Drive
Brighton, CO 80601
Shareef Aleem, a Denver community activist, was arrested in February 2005 when the CU Board of Regents met to discuss the Ward Churchill “controversy.” While advertised as a public meeting, the Regents refused to let the hundreds of CU students and faculty who attended make any public comment.
When Shareef persisted in asking why the Regents weren’t letting the students speak, he was surrounded by CU police and arrested. Although there was much protest at the meeting, only one other person was arrested — a CU student who was charged with a misdemeanor. Those charges were ultimately dropped. Shareef, however, was charged with a felony assault on the police officer arresting him. As a result Shareef, who has several young children, faces up to 16 years in prison for defending the students’ right to speak to the Regents.
The prosecution is determined to make an example of Shareef, sending the message that community activists who support CU students and Ward Churchill will be crushed. Shareef’s first trial resulted in a hung jury. The case is now being re-tried in Adams County, and the jury is out. They began deliberating Thursday morning, and will finish on Monday.
Let the state know that we are not intimidated by such heavy-handed tactics. Come to the Adams County Courthouse at 10:00 am on Monday to show your support for Shareef, his family, and our collective right to freedom of speech and political dissent.
