Judge to make ruling on Ayers, Lanker case today
After listening to countless hours of testimony and arguments from both sides, United States District Judge William Downes told those assembled he would issue an oral ruling at 1:30 p.m. today on whether the University of Wyoming can ban Bill Ayers from speaking on campus in the face of what UW President Tom Buchanan described as angry opposition “unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my 30 years (at UW).”
Thomas Rice, the attorney for UW and Buchanan, introduced testimony from UW publication relations officer Milton Ontiveroz, Buchanan, UW trustee Howard Willson and UW College of Education Dean Kat Persichitte detailing the vast amount of angered correspondence and communication many UW employees dealt with in the lead up to the cancelling of Ayers’ originally scheduled appearance at UW April 5-6. Only Ontiveroz could testify that he contacted law enforcement in any way.
Ontiveroz stated that as calls he received from angered citizens were getting “edgier, madder” on March 29-30, the e-mail he cited as most appalling in its rhetoric was actually sent after UW Social Justice Research Center Director Francisco Rios rescinded Ayers’ speaking invitation.
Sent from someone identifying themselves as Michael ball Smith, the e-mail said that whoever invited Ayers in the first place should “eat a mouthful of buckshot.”
“Unfortunately American’s [sic] (which you aren’t) have to tolerate your socialist speech, based on your First Amendment rights. That is also what affords me to call out what ungrateful douchebags you are,” Smith added.
Ontiveroz testified that he forwarded the e-mail to UW Police Chief Troy Lane but that he never looked further into whether the threat was deemed credible or investigated.
The only law enforcement officer called to testify was Laramie Police Chief Dale Stalder, who was questioned about Laramie law enforcement’s capability for dealing with controversial figures and crowd control events.