Ames Police Cmdr. Jim Robinson said, “Officers can’t differentiate [between onlookers and rioters].”

Perhaps that’s because they didn’t make any effort to do so, but whatever the reason, it seems a lot of other people can’t do so either.

I love hearing from alumni like Christopher Nelson, who plans to support the side opposing students in the future because, in his words, “… you’ve shown you have no respect for this university, city or fellow residents, [so] you deserve no respect.” Perhaps Cmdr. Robinson and Mr. Nelson can’t see the difference between those who rioted and those who did not, but I certainly can.

The rioters were the people who set stuff on fire, threw objects at the police, broke windows or knocked down poles and signs. The onlookers were the people standing there watching or simply trying to go home, many of whom were maced, gassed or clubbed anyway.

And be sure to not forget the largest group of students by far: those who simply weren’t there. What part did the students who were sleeping, out of town or partying elsewhere play in the riots?

Here in Ames there is very much of an “us against them” mentality, fostered in a large part by the police, Ames City Council, other Ames residents and the university itself and their generalizations about the students.

To avoid generalizing myself, I’m sure there are members of those groups who are fair in their assessment of each student, but I haven’t heard from them in my three years here.

The editorial board of the Daily said we need to prove ourselves to the rest of the community, but I believe it is the other way around.

Until the rest of the community stops treating students as the enemy for the actions of a few, I’m not going to give them any more respect than I give anyone else who judges me based on the group I’m a part of and not my actions as an individual.

Students are not a group to be simply tolerated when necessary and controlled whenever possible. We are a major part of Ames and Iowa State.

Brian Lund

Senior

Computer Engineering