Kendall DeJonge’s letter, “Veishea riots were a form of protest,” (Feb. 28) was one of the most asinine letters I’ve ever read.

There is a huge difference between a riot and a protest.

A protest is something organized and usually peaceful in an attempt to better yourself or others, or “a formal statement of objection” as defined by Webster’s Dictionary.

A riot is a malicious act, or “wild or violent disorder, confusion; a violent public disturbance.”

You have the right to peacefully protest. You don’t have the right to riot. The two cannot be compared.

To compare the April 18 riot to Vietnam protests is even worse.

Vietnam was protested because people were dying in an unjust war.

Veishea was “protested” because the right to drink on-campus was taken away for a weekend. And it’s not like Welch Avenue was closed, you simply couldn’t drink on campus.

The riot was started because a party that was too big was rightfully broken up, and, in a drunken stupor, students started a riot.

This was not organized and it was not peaceful — it was just stupid.

We’re all college students here. It’s time we grow up and stop trying to blame our problems on other people and other things. Instead of blaming others, we need to just admit this was stupid and find a way to resolve it, like the adults we’re supposed to be.

Ben Bramsen

Senior

Pre-Journalism and Mass Communication