To the Editor:
Your recent article that appeared in The Gazette troubles me deeply. Yes, it was ultimately a violent scene that ended our event at The Wave on Friday. No, we do not condone meaningless, violent behavior nor do we organize parties anticipating that such events will occur.

However, your article fails to point out what I perceive as fundamental human rights violations that took place in the University Community Centre on Friday night. You made mention of the unruly crowd and numerous assaults on police officers, but you did not mention how we were forced out of The Wave and into the blistering cold without being able to retrieve our winter coats.

I have noticed an error in the way that authority figures approach those of us of Caribbean/African descent in general. For fear of being perceived as intimidated, these authority figures approach us in a very aggressive manner. However, they frequently get a reaction contrary to that which is desirable. All we would have liked on Friday night was to be treated as dignified human beings.

I have served on the executive body of the Caribbean Students’ Organization for two years now, and I have witnessed firsthand how we are constantly discriminated against as a group.

Are your readers aware that CSO’s entire weekend was geared toward raising money for hurricane relief in our region? Are they aware that we won ‘Best Overall’ in Western’s Homecoming parade? Do they know of the dry events we have organized which include a culture and fashion show, a comedy show, costume bowling and a domino tournament?

I feel as a newspaper, The Gazette has fallen victim to bad news bias on too many occasions. Yet, when I attempt to point this out, I am told that “it is a feature of the business.” What business? The business of ruining the reputation of a club by giving a partial report on an event?

I wish only that your readers do not make hasty generalizations about Caribbean people both here and abroad. There are bad apples amongst every group. Let’s all remember that.

Chase Bethel
President, Caribbean Students’ Organization

To the Editor:
I really don’t know who frustrates me more: the authorities or The Gazette. First let us flash back to Friday night at The Wave.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. a fight broke out close to the bar and everyone involved was removed from the club. Extra security and police were hired by the student club, not by The Wave, to make sure things ran smoothly as the University Students’ Council required. With countless security and police already on the scene, you’d think one of them would have enough common sense to realize that the front and side exits to The Wave both lead to CentreSpot.

Coincidentally the two groups of fighters were not escorted off campus but merely escorted to each exit. Guess where they met up — CentreSpot. Now, if a reported 18 police officers with guns, batons and tasers cannot handle one fight with one switchblade and magical baseball bats that appeared somewhere between the UCC and Somerville, then I don’t blame anyone for not feeling safe.

Did you know that part of the proceeds for the weekend go to hurricane relief for the islands that were recently hit? Did you know that the Caribbean Students’ Organization provides academic scholarships, intramural sports, bowling nights, food drives, comedy shows and won the best Homecoming float for 2004? No? Why?

It’s because the CSO has never had front-page coverage, if any coverage, for any of these events except when a beer bottle gets into someone’s hand. I still don’t know how that happened, since all drinks were served in plastic cups.

Why doesn’t the CSO get positive coverage? I am not asking for front-page coverage for this response. All I am asking is that you think about what you print before you print it because it could be extremely detrimental to clubs that are trying to lift their people in a society that already has predetermined views about them.

Kareem Henry
Finance & Computer Science IV