The NEIU Independent

Issue date: 3/6/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Mario Go This is where the alleged battery occured in room 2140 in the P.E. Complex.

Media Credit: Jonathan Winkler Chris Poulos, student and Socialist Club member, was witness to the arrests.

Two student protesters were arrested for battery after being barred from entering a Central Intelligence Agency information session in the P.E. Complex on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

The two students, Matthew Larson and Kenneth Barrios are members of the Socialist Club and Campus Anti-War Network. The two allegedly pushed, struck and reportedly caused "bodily harm" to Robin Wagner, Chief Clerk of the Placement Office, as documented in an NEIU police report of the incident.

Both Larson and Barrios adamantly refuted the charges. They have a court date pending and plan to have legal representation. Larson and Barrios said they have been in contact with the National Lawyer's Guild.

"Ms. Wagner claims that reservations were needed to enter the meeting, but none of the fliers announcing the event claimed students would need to make reservations," according to a statement released from four other club members.

The flyer for the event stated, "To reserve your space, contact the Placement Office." The Placement Office reported that there were 44 people in the room at the time of the incident, and that there were only 25 spaces allotted for candidates to meet with CIA recruiters.

Socialist Club member Angela Vela quoted Wagner as saying, "you missed the deadline." No deadline for reservations could be confirmed for the event from the Placement Office.

Also, according to the police report, Wagner told the two protesters that, "The room was filled to capacity and that they could not enter." The Director of the Placement Office, Lorn Coleman, confirmed the room was full when the incident occurred.

"We weren't out to start violence, we just wanted to tell the CIA we didn't want to have them on campus," said Vela.

An e-mail message sent to the Socialist Club from Dean of Students Michael Kelly prior to the CIA event said, "I would like to meet with you or your representatives, to answer questions you may have on university policies pertaining to demonstrations, and the distribution of information, should you wish to protest the presence of these groups [military recruiters] on campus." This was included in a statement supplied by the Socialist Club.

According to the incident report, Dean Kelly was at the event, but declined to comment to the Independent. Wagner refused to comment about the sequence of events at the protest, but did say, "That they could say anything they want about me."

Larson and Barrios were released on their own recognizance the same day as the incident and have a court date pending.

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