More than 200 students from across the country have sent e-mails to the Chancellor’s Office, saying the University has not done enough to punish those who allegedly vandalized the anti-abortion display of crosses on the Parade Grounds last week.
For the past week, frustrated Catholic students and community members have been trying to draw national attention to the vandalization of 4,000 crosses put up to protest the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property took notice and prompted students to e-mail the University. In spite of the e-mails, officials are defending their actions.
TFP — a Catholic activist group self-described as dedicated to resisting liberal, socialist and communist ideas — posted a “call to action” Tuesday night on its Web site. The message asked students to send e-mails to Interim Chancellor and LSU System President William Jenkins, telling him they are “personally offended that vandals got away with brutally destroying the religious symbols.”
University spokesman Gene Sands said the University has done enough.
Sands said LSUPD issued misdemeanor summons to six University students whom officers allegedly caught tampering and pulling up crosses from the ground.
“It’s a criminal issue now,” Sands said. “It’s not an LSU one.”
Sands said the University “deplores any sort of vandalism,” but the issue will be handled by the District Attorney’s Office — not the chancellor.
John Ritchie, director of student action for the Pennsylvania-based TFP, said the University should make it clear that vandalism to religious exhibits should not happen again.
“It would be nice if students knew where [Jenkins] stood on this,” Ritchie said.
But Ritchie said when he posted the notice urging students to contact the chancellor, he did not know police had issued misdemeanor summons to the six students.
Ritchie cited The Daily Reveille’s first article about the cross vandalism on his Web site. The Daily Reveille published that article when LSUPD had not taken any legal action yet.
Ritchie said he did not read or know about the article The Daily Reveille ran on Jan. 27 about the six arrests.
“The ball is in the University’s court to see what they do,” he said. “We urge the chancellor to take more steps telling the Catholics at LSU you don’t mess around with people’s religious symbols.”
Students for Life President Mary Higdon said that although she does not think the issue should be pushed under the rug, she and others in the group are not interested in making a national issue of it.
“I want them to pay for what they did, but I’m not about this,” she said. “I’m about the rights of the unborn.”
She said she thinks others, like Richard Mahoney, are trying to make this situation a national issue.
Mahoney is president of the foundation that owned the 4,000 crosses placed on the Parade Ground. He told The Daily Reveille he will pursue civil lawsuits to get back the $9,000 of damage he claims the vandals caused.
Mahoney also said the vandalism is a hate crime against the Christian faith.