Where is the civility?

This fall Boise State University students were introduced to a new aspect of the Code of Conduct known as the “Statement of Shared Values.” This statement, which went into effect this semester, makes it clear that freedom of speech is an important value we share on campus, as well as in the U.S. more generally, but with freedom of speech comes responsibility. Quoted in the statement is P.M Forni’s ideal that “Being civil means being constantly aware of others and weaving restraint, respect and consideration into the very fabric of this awareness.” It is in this context that BSU makes the commitment to all its students by promising that “Boise State strives to provide a culture of civility and success where all feel safe and free from discrimination, harassment, threats or intimidation.” Some of the qualities that BSU will uphold under this framework are fairness, respect, and caring.

Although the Boise State administration took the time to craft such an admirable document one might wonder how it is that Chris Simcox, Founder and President of Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, was invited to speak on campus. His vigilante organization is founded upon violent principles that target Latinos crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. According to human rights organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, since October 1994 there have been 10,000 people who have died crossing in order to work low-wage jobs in the U.S. or to reunite with family members. That figure reached record levels in April 2005 when Simcox founded his militia. Mexican deaths on the border are due to vigilante shootings as well as deaths related to people being forced to cross under more extreme conditions in order to avoid militias like the Minuteman. A lack of water, food, and extreme weather have contributed to these deaths as well as fear of vigilante groups detaining, harassing, and shooting them.

The Orwellian name of Simcox’s vigilante group likens them to the Minutemen, the Massachusetts militia fighting for independence (albeit independence dependent upon the genocide of the indigenous population in the Americas), perhaps hoping that the association will make them seem patriotic. Likewise their “civil defense” title obscures the fact that they are offensively attacking innocent people crossing the border. In fact, the Minuteman organization, like all such post-9/11 organizations, inverts and distorts reality to serve their own political agenda. Indeed, the Minuteman militia would best be likened to the Ku Klux Klan, an organization that was founded upon the intimidation, harassment, and lynching of African Americans. Indeed, the Southern Poverty Law Center, whose work yielded success in Idaho in 1999 when they shut down Richard Butler’s Aryan Nation compound in northern Idaho. That same organization has been dedicated to documenting and fighting legal battles of those affected by the violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

By bringing Simcox and his ilk to campus we tread upon the safety of non-dominant students on campus. Simcox’s hateful rhetoric is not only intimidating, it also has a violent past and present to back it up. Would BSU deem it in line with its commitment to civility by inviting the Ku Klux Klan to campus? Or does the “Statement of Shared Values” only apply to the majority white student body? It is perfectly appropriate to discuss issues related to the U.S.-Mexico border on campus, but it should be done in an academic context with non-white scholars or artists who are capable of engaging with the facts and who use research rather than weapons to make their points. There is no room for hate-speech on a university campus, especially one that claims to value civil discourse and respect.

Marcy Newman is an assistant professor in the English Department at Boise State

Marcy Newman
Guest Opinion

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