First Published: The Stanford Daily, Volume 197, Issue 67, 30 May 1990.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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We are all currently active members of the Chicano community who, as liberal Democrats, have had first-hand experiences with the League of Revolutionary Struggle.
Three years ago, members of the League obtained key positions in MEChA, at which point they began to physically encircle, verbally harass and generally intimidate students who opposed their political views. Their actions created a rift in our community so deep that, as noted in the University Committee on Minority Issues report, only 15.2 percent of the Chicano student body has ever participated in any single MEChA event.
We commend The Daily for documenting the League’s existence, and we salute the Daily for its professionalism. Most of all, we thank Richard Suh, Steve Ostrander and Bacardi Jackson for bravely speaking out about the League. They have given us the courage to finally say what all students should know. For too long the League has bullied us into silence. We refuse to make that mistake again.
Stanford students should not underestimate how dangerous the League really is. The League is not dangerous because of its political ideology (we, too, value elements of Marxist thought). Rather, the League is dangerous because of its insular self-righteousness and active intolerance of moderate political elements on campus.
Some examples:
When we questioned MEChA tactics at community meetings, we were called “disrupters,” “community destroyers” and “sell-outs.” When we posted open community letters questioning MEChA’s views, they were torn down. When we held meetings to create an alternative Chicano organization, they were crashed. When we were vocal in our opposition to the League, we were followed, confronted, verbally harassed and physically encircled by League members.
On a larger scale, the League’s willingness to let the ends justify the means resulted in the campaign to force El Centro Dean Juan Yniquez to resign in the spring of 1989 and in the illegal seizure of University President Donald Kennedy’s office on May 15, 1989.
Furthermore, the League consistently labels white students who speak out or document League activities as “racist.” Certain members of The Daily staff are the latest the League has tried to discredit. (Interestingly, the recent League smear campaign against The Daily has not questioned The Daily’s named sources.) For the record, as students of color: we do not consider the Daily stories to be racist in any way.
The League has indeed operated in secret, as reported in The Daily. Most of us were active members of MEChA for over a year, quite ignorant that it was actually controlled by another organization. A number of us were recruited by the League, ultimately rejecting it.
When we began to question the League, we did not speak out to anyone, because we were intimidated into silence. Only slowly, one by one, at different times, we talked to each other, finally realizing the extent of the League’s control over our community.
We invite all students, particularly Chicano/Latino freshmen and Daily reporters, to ask us about our experience with the League. The University is an open and tolerant community. League ideology has an inalienable right to exist here, but intolerance, secrecy and harassment do not.
Miguel Canales
Michael Canul
Student staff, UCMI report
John Cuerva, Former staff writer, The Daily
Daniel Luna, Resident assistant, Casa Zapata
Jesse Luna, Editor, Estos Tiempos
Helen Rodriguez, Staff member, El Centro Chicano
Monica Martinez
Rebecca Flores, Former staff members, El Centro
Marcella Renteria, Former theme associate, Casa Zapata