I found your editorial chiding of the ministers from Detroit about the planned demonstration to be na've at best. If past experience is to teach us anything, to suggest that they should allow the investigation to take its course, is to prepare for no justice to be done in the case of the nooses. The track records of this prosecutor and CMU are not very good, particularly when it comes to matters of racism.

About 13 years ago a black female student was gang raped by members of the soccer team and others. What was the result of that investigation? Even though the assailants were known, no charges were brought by the prosecutor. What did CMU do? The soccer team was disbanded.

Two or three years ago when there were threats and an assault by the Neo-Nazis on some black students on campus, the investigation found nothing and consequently no charges were brought.

In another case, which had nothing to do with race because the victim was white and the assailants were white, no charges were brought. This was a case in which a young white male was severely beaten by a gang of white students on Washington or Main streets and was in a coma for a month. No witnesses would tell what they saw. Yet these students were not accused of having a "culture of silence."

Then, in an almost identical case when it came to the death of DeMarcus Graham, the prosecutor charged the black students who were witnesses with contempt of court and perjury. One female student spent a month in jail. For the alleged assailants, these black students were not charged with "assault with the intent to do great bodily harm" or manslaughter, but MURDER!

I say right on to the ministers. This prosecutor and the investigations seem to be blind when it comes to justice for African Americans. Unless attention is brought to this case, it is likely to suffer the same double standard as previous cases.

I say right on to the demonstration. The double standard needs to be exposed for the world to see.

Robert Newby Professor emeritus, Deptartment of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work

First Amendment rights

The Bill of Rights, found in the Constitution of the United States of America, provides inalienable rights to all citizens of our noble nation. The citizen has a civic duty to protect these rights from all enemies foreign or domestic. When Central Michigan University endorses a policy which infringes on these rights, they do a disservice to the men and women who sacrificed their lives to protect the freedoms enjoyed by us all. Amendment I of the Bill of Rights demands the government shall endorse no policy or law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The publicly founded Central Michigan University, a campus on public land, cannot deny any student the rights afforded by the First Amendment. All students have the right to peacefully distribute political flyers on the grounds of campus. The university tried to silence a minority conservative student by looking for technicalities and loopholes. Ironically, the liberal ACLU came to the assistance of Dennis Lennox II. The university has foolishly based their reactions to Lennox based on the content of his grievance. Why must the student enlighten the teacher?

Griffin G. Hicks Milford sophomore