University To Permit Inaugural Rally

After initially banning the protest, the University has now granted the Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) permission to rally on Friday.

Reinforcements from the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) will free up enough Harvard officers from Friday’s inauguration of Lawrence H. Summers to supervise the demonstration.

Billed as a “community welcome” for Summers, the rally is now scheduled to take place outside Holyoke Center Friday afternoon before the official inaugural events.

‘We’re pleased the situation’s changed,” PSLM member Benjamin L. McKean ’02 said. “I think that it’s always been the case that the administration’s giving us the permit makes things easier for them. They know where we are and what we’re doing.”

After the University denied the group permission to rally, PSLM members approached the City of Cambridge to request a permit to hold the rally in the “pit” instead.

As a result, City officials called Chief of Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) Francis D. “Bud” Riley to ask why HUPD would be unable to supervise the protest.

“I don’t doubt the city would rather Harvard take care of our protests,” McKean said. “A rally runs a lot smoother with HUPD than if we’re working with Cambridge people who don’t know us and don’t necessarily trust us.”

Riley explained that HUPD would be stretched to capacity due to Friday’s installation ceremony. The City then offered to place more CPD officers at the inauguration rather than supervise the rally.

“The decision was made that, with additional details from Cambridge, there would now be enough officers to allow the rally to take place without security worries,” said Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth ’71, who originally denied the group permission to rally.

Illingworth had e-mailed group members last Friday, telling them that any breaches of procedure would be dealt with as “security violations.”

But with reinforcements from Cambridge, the demonstration—slated to feature faculty members and graduate students speaking in support of a living wage—is now sanctioned by the University.

Though group members said they would have preferred a more central location, McKean said he is satisfied with the Holyoke Center compromise.

“This is not meant to be a rally that disrupts the installation,” McKean said. “It’s not meant to be an aggressive or confrontational event and for that reason I’m not particularly bothered by the location.”

After all, McKean noted, Holyoke Center does house Human Resources and Labor Relations offices.

“If we had been placed in the Mac Quad, this would have been a different phone call,” McKean said.

‘I think this is a good solution,” Riley said. “[PSLM members] are not violating any city or MBTA rules. It’s just much easier this way.”

Illingworth and Riley met with PSLM members McKean and Stephen N. Smith ’02 yesterday afternoon to grant the group permission to rally and explain increased security concerns.

McKean said he understands that in light of the terrorist attacks on September 11, PSLM is not HUPD’s main concern.

“I don’t flatter myself into thinking that we put a lot of pressure on them or anything,” McKean said.

“The heightened security for the inauguration is because of world events—not because of PSLM,” Riley added.

—Staff writer Daniela J. Lamas can be reached at lamas@fas.harvard.edu.