Who IS this guy?

Navigation

User login

Online users

Rob Richards
Zero_One
Rick
ashley

Support OlyBlog

OlyBlog is run by volunteers who care about Olympia. If you like what we're doing, make a donation:

OlyBlog is powered by:

Who's new

itsthewater
tsunamizombie
Brooks
Teresa Marie Staal
Jeff151

Upcoming events

FROdependence Day Pizza Party(19 hours)
Kimya Dawson, Ghost Mice, Heathers and June Madrona at Freeschool Fundraiser!(2 days)
Lunchtime Stories in the Park(3 days)
Jerry E. Smith on HAARP and Weather Warfare!(5 days)
OAR - Basic Sculling Class - Offering 5(6 days)
Oly Free Herbal Clinic Cob-Oven Pizza Benefit(7 days)

Poster Calendar

Who IS this guy?

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:38pm.

Help me out here. I am reading the Olympian, and run across this article, and read:

Evergreen professor Peter Bohmer said he was concerned about the increasing reliance on police to control crowds.

"I urge people not to cooperate with police," Bohmer said, to both applause and jeers. "I think we need to handle this among ourselves, instead of having a community of other people handle it."

That this comment came from an instructor at TESC is pretty disturbing to me. I'm not in the, "get rid of Evergreen." camp. I'm not a huge fan, but I think it's good to have alternative views. Anti-societal views bother me though, particularly when presented by a mentor within a college. He seems to be presenting the opposing view of the schools President. What does this man teach at TESC? With this odd view of acceptable behavior in our society, why is a man like this allowed to teach? If he is presenting his views to his students I don't feel he should be allowed to stay on as an instructor.

Norm Cook

EDIT: I've decided to copy/paste this and email it to staff at Evergreen tonight.

Norm's blog
Login or register to post comments

topic of KIRO now (12:40)

Submitted by chad360 on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:41pm.

no text

He's allowed to his opinion.

Submitted by Rob Richards on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:51pm.

I agree with him, personally. I think the TESC community has things to figure out about their relationship to Olympia and with themselves and they need to look inward and not let "outsiders" get in the way of that process.

I'm alright with his second

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:53pm.

I'm alright with his second sentence, in theory at least. If that's all he said, or was quoted on, that'd be one thing. But the first sentence turns it off for me and many others in the community.

“I urge people not to cooperate with police”
Peter Bohmer, Evergreen Professor

I think he is allowed his opinion

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:54pm.

I just worry if he is influencing his students in that way. If you were teaching at Evergreen, and made a comment like this (not a stretch for you) I would be making this thread about you Rob.

The students are adults.

Submitted by Guglielmo on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:59pm.

The alternative is to provide an education with a social seat belts (or full-face helmets) so no one gets upset. I understand why the guy bugs you, but I just don't think that merrits the solution you suggest.

Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.! --John Maynard Keynes

He is directly going against the President of the institutions

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 2:01pm.

suggestion. I think my solution is in line with what most businesses in this country would do if someone were to openly suggest going against the CEO.

Here you go Norm

Submitted by Guglielmo on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 2:43pm.

Academic Freedom.

Your CEO analogy is, fortunately, way off the mark. You'll have to come up with some other justification or policy for policing bad thoughts on campuses. Non-cooperation with law-enforcement and other authorities is common among certain minority communities and American sub-cultures. Probably becasue not everyone enjoys your faith in the value of toeing the line. You are free to disagree, but supressing political speech is damned un-Ameican.

Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.! --John Maynard Keynes

It is an alternative view

Submitted by Guglielmo on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:53pm.

but not one deserving of censure or loss of employment...especially in a higher-education institution where academic freedom is a long respected and useful tradition. I don't care much for some of the things Bohmer says, but I don't find it particularly alarming or dangerous..especially considering the fact that Bohmer doesn't have nearly the mind control powers of TJ or Rob R. What's wrong with suggesting that they "handle this among ourselves?" I don't see how these words represent a threat to public safety in any way whatsoever.

Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.! --John Maynard Keynes

You're funny.

Submitted by Rob Richards on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:55pm.

Nothing

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 1:58pm.

What's wrong with suggesting that they "handle this among ourselves?"

There's nothing wrong with the sentence you quote, it's the first sentence (which I bolded) that I have a problem with. This situation was NOT handled among Evergreen. An Evergreen officer was in fear of her safety and had to call backup from outside of the college system. The college system failed to handle this among themselves. Since the failure, we now have an instructor telling people not to cooperate. He is a danger to learning minds imo.

Great comment Norm.

Submitted by NWarty on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 2:41pm.

Great comment Norm and in my opinion, spot on.

On a side note

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 2:05pm.

our very own Rick ended up in the comments section of the story. Here is the link.

I PM'd him about it. I know

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 2:08pm.

I PM'd him about it. I know a thing or two about how it feels to have that kind of accusation thrown in public when it's not true.

First, I considered the source where the comments were made.

Then I kept an open mind and was satisfied with the response. I didn't feel the need to dig further.

“I urge people not to cooperate with police”
Peter Bohmer, Evergreen Professor

Being a college professor is dangerous work...

Submitted by Rick on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 2:53pm.

...don't you know.

Talking about race and its relationship to language can be especially tricky. In a class last year, a student made the point that African Americans use the n-word in lots of non-derogatory and non-oppressive ways. I echoed this by pointing out how other communities have also changed the semantics of words by practicing identity politics and claiming the epithets that have been used against them (e.g., "queer," "bitch," and "fag"). Another student thought that I had advocated that everyone should use these words in order to dilute their meaning. He stood up and walked out before anyone could explain that he'd completely misunderstood the discussion. Now, he posts his rant whenever he gets a chance.

Do they sell insurance for this?

> It's OK to be nice. <
enpen's social contract

Dang it, Rick

Submitted by Anonymously Larry on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 4:28pm.

I was just getting used to you being a racist and Conservative.

Actually, I had to quit reading The Olympian thread when someone called you a Conservative. I was laughing too loud for the office.

Well, Rick is one of the

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 4:38pm.

Well, Rick is one of the many Right-Wing Professors at Evergreen. I couldn't suppress laughing either when I read that.

“I urge people not to cooperate with police”
Peter Bohmer, Evergreen Professor

The community is more than Evergreen/ What about Feminism?

Submitted by Laurian on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 3:38pm.

Gotta echo the notion that Evergreen did not handle the situation. The security force didn't handle it nor did the students and their guest at the show. No body stepped up t handle it so it fell to the lowest common denominator, the Thurston County Sheriffs Department to handle it. There are conditions under which resistance to the police is not just acceptable but obligatory. The hip hop riot was not one of them. On Peter Bohmer. Great teacher, intellectual activist, and theoretician. Sadly, he sometimes gets lost in his own propaganda. He has a talent to urge civil disobedience then forgo the pepper sprayed and arrest. At his age, class and tenure there may be good reasons he avoids the physical consequences of his words. Lenin wasn't on the front lines and neither was Shrub. In his role as a theoretician Pete is obliged to say the things that fall outside polite society but I disagree with him. I believe eye witnesses should help find and prosecute the handful of individuals who rebelled without a cause. As an aside. From the accounts I've read I have to conclude there were only two woman involved that night, the responding security officer who was threatened by the mob and the woman who identified the person detained. From what I've seen rioting is a macho, testosterone fueled dick thing. I'm curious: How many women threw punches at the show. How many women threw garbage at the cops? How many women helped to turn over the cop car? I ask these questions because I wasn't there and therefore do not know. Please do not interpret my words as dismissing the power of women to physically defend their beliefs. Women have a centuries-long history of being on the front lines of the barricades. Women were on the front lines of the WTO police riots in Seattle and they were there at the Port military resistance. Their actions speak louder than any words I can write. What I'm raising for discussion is the role patriarchal bias plays in the conversation over the riot.

Academic Freedom

Submitted by Guglielmo on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 3:45pm.

Crafted by the American Association of University Professors and of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure have been endorsed by many associations of higher learning and scholarship. It is the foundation of employment contracts with faculty. Paragraph 3 under Academic Freedom states,

College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.

Clarifiying statements regarding this paragraph state that

If the administration of a college or university feels that a teacher has not observed the admonitions [stated above] and believes that the extramural utterances of the teacher have been such as to raise grave (emphasis added) doubts concerning the teacher’s fitness for his or her position, it may proceed to [file charges]. In pressing such charges, the administration should remember that teachers are citizens and should be accorded the freedom of citizens. In such cases the administration must assume full responsibility, and the American Association of University Professors and the Association of American Colleges are free to make an investigation.
The controlling principle is that a faculty member’s expression of opinion as a citizen cannot constitute grounds for dismissal unless it clearly demonstrates the faculty member’s unfitness for his or her position. Extramural utterances rarely bear upon the faculty member’s fitness for the position. (emphaiss added) Moreover, a final decision should take into account the faculty member’s entire record as a teacher and scholar.

Obviously I disagree with this

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 6:31pm.

I feel that there is a difference between educating students about a subject, and trying to convince students to practice a subject. I can certainly understand why some folks would want Evergreen torn down, with instructors like this I question where our society is headed.

This is a repost from a different thread, but it belongs here:

Submitted by a.future.with.n... on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 7:52pm.

Pete Bohmer

I took many classes with Pete Bohmer while I was at Evergreen. He's a really great Econ professor. I think I can clarify what the olympian reported. I believe that what Pete was saying is that the riot was an internal affair, that Evergreen has a very different approach not only to education but to conflict resolution and that the participants, if they were Evergreen students, should have to face Evergreens consequences, not the states.

Now, this may not extend to the cop car smashing, but I think there were very few people involved with that. I believe Pete was encouraging people to work out their problems without the police, which I for one think is a great idea. Feelings about the police aside, I think it's good when people can use conversation and mediation to solve problems rather than courts and jails.

Again, this may only be possible when dealing with the bottle throwers, spray painters etc., but I'm led to believe that more people were involved with stuff like that than were smashing things.

Pete taught the best class I took at Evergreen called Economic Justice and Social Movements. He's also very critical of socialism but is particularly knowledgeable about Participatory Economics, which I feel is the most vibrant and fresh economic idea since John Maynard Keynes.

nice quote by the way Gug!

My repost from another blog

Submitted by DJW on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 8:57pm.

I have a question for many of the Peter Bohmer fans.

It's obvious that this man is very influential and well respected among students and individuals in the community. With his standing does he have a moral obligation to help unite the community instead of making statements that have (read comments) further divided the community and at worse, foster more resentment for the school?

I realize that Bohmer has every right to speak his mind but I was looking for someone to stand up for the 'good of the community' argument. Anyone? THoughts?

Welcome to the

Submitted by security_six on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 9:25pm.

Independent People's Socialist Republic of Evergreen. We can handle everything ourselves. Really. Go away. Until we need your tax dollars. Thank you. Have a nice day. We now return to our regularly scheduled anarchy and rioting.

This is pretty much how a lot of folks are viewing TESC now... Do I? Not really. I've just recieved an email from an admissions counseler assuring me all rights enjoyed by citizens of the State of Washington are also enjoyed on TESC's Campus. I may be taking a class or two there soon...

"Safety is a tyrant's tool; no one can be against safety."--Unknown

Six, did it occur to you

Submitted by Anonymously Larry on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 10:19pm.

That Evergreen students provide one hell of a lot of revenue for the Olympia area, thus a tax base?

I think we all realize your intent to open carry on campus. If that is what you need to do to prove a point, have at it. I'm not so sure that we really expect much else.

I am not talking

Submitted by security_six on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 10:22pm.

about OC at all, nor do I wish to.

I'm sure TESC provides a lot of tax base to the community. It's kinda like robbing Peter to pay Paul. I do want to take some writing classes, but will not spend my hard earned unless they live up to the "all rights respected" stuff they print.

Anyway I kinda rolled a bunch of stuff together.

Or as a neighbor of mine pointed out once "Hippies don't pay taxes" That is still the prevailing opinion of TESC. I'm starting to see that it isn't the horrible place people would have it to be, and it interests me.

Still strange to have a taxpayer funded institution pay tax money to a government entity. Maybe they could have a bake sale or something to pay for the cruiser. THAT would impress me to no great end.

"Safety is a tyrant's tool; no one can be against safety."--Unknown

Pete Bohmer

Submitted by a.future.with.n... on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 12:32am.

Has a moral obligation to be genuine in his beliefs. Thats about it as far as "moral" obligations go.

And as for returning to the regularly scheduled rioting, Evergreen has it's own disciplinary process for everything from minors in possession to physical fights to noise violations. I believe Pete was discourage retaliation against the rioters by involving a legal system that hasn't had a place in the past.

The rioters should face academic consequences as Evergreen students. Expulsion from college is a pretty serious punishment, but 10 year maximums are over the top. I'm for letting Evergreen handle it the Evergreen way.

As far as non-students go, Evergreen has every right to decide how much they owe, what kind of punishment is just, but it should be Evergreens call.

As for the cop car smashing, that is probably out of Evergreen's hands.

peace cakes

Submitted by chad360 on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 10:21am.

good idea Six!

That is cool, and I bet many folks that did not riot (are embarrassed) would participate in a "peace cake" sale or something...

If I was at TESC now, I'd organize a volunteer trash pickup squad and roll-around picking up trash OFF CAMPUS, to show love for the community

OlyBlog.net

OlyBlog is devoted to hyperlocal news and discussion specifically about Olympia, Washington. Contributors to OlyBlog are citizen journalists who care about their community and are tired of corporate media.

If you'd like to contribute, please register for an account. Here is a list of local news beats that need to be covered. You can post your news as a personal blog entry, and it will be reviewed (and possibly edited) for promotion to the front page. You can also send news via email. All members of OlyBlog agree to abide by our Social Contract. You should also look at our comment and fair use policies. If you are frustrated about something said in a comment thread, go here.

Olyblogger of the Month:

decorabilia

Online users

Comment viewing options