Bull-Moose Party Rocks Old Main Lawn with “BUILD THE WALL”
Bull-Moose Party Rocks Old Main Lawn with “BUILD THE WALL”
Members of the Bull-Moose Party took over Old Main lawn in a demonstrated that went from 11:30 a.m. to around 4:30 p.m. The group set up a hexagonic wall with hinges to keep the structure standing around the American flag at Old Main. A member pulled up on College Ave. with the wooden pieces and members in groups of two or three lifted the boards up Old Main lawn to the flag. Once there, members enclosed themselves inside the wall and communications director Chris Baker triumphantly lifted a sign with the words “Hillary for Prison 2016.”
Members interacted (and sometimes argued) with passerby for the first two hours, and had a visit from campus officials, who advised them that while they were free to have a demonstration at Old Main, it was illegal to erect a structure on the property. Baker refused to take down the wall. “We are going to leave things as they are and just stand here,” he said. “This is our free speech.”
At around 1:30 p.m., students advocating for Hillary Clinton interrupted the demonstration. Ricardo Rojas, a fellow for the Democratic advocacy group Victory PA used a megaphone to voice his opposition to the demonstration. “This is not who we are!” He said. Several students were arguing and holding “Stronger Together” and Trump Pence” signs. The students stood around each other and a significant portion of the lawn was covered.
Toward the beginning of their demonstration, campus employees lowered the state flag at half staff. It was later determined that it was to honor Penn State student Stephanie Inman, who died Friday from a pulmonary embolism.
However the event went with the student body, the event was a success in the minds of Trump supporters, who eyed exposure for the event. It was a front-page story on both The Daily Collegian and the Centre Daily Times, as well as the main story on Onward State.