The Midpeninsula Free University

MFU Articles Published by The Stanford Daily
1968

More ‘Wake’ Arrests; Franklin, Sapir Cited

Palo Alto police have arrested English professor H. Bruce Franklin and have issued a warrant for Marc Sapir, a fourth year medical student. Both are charged with "failure to disperse" at last Tuesday's Electoral Wake on University Ace. in Palo Alto. The Daily has also learned that further arrests are being contemplated.

Franklin was arrested Friday night in front of the Free University store in Menlo Park. He has been released on $350 bond. The demonstration, sponsored by an array of anti-war and student groups, was broken up by police after several bonfires were set on University Ave.

Sapir has not been arrested and has indicated that he will not turn himself into police. In a statement to The Daily, Sapir said he was asking the university community for support and sanctuary. He called the arrest of Franklin Friday and of Cubberley High School student Chris Menchine Tuesday night for inciting to riot serious political intimidation.

Sapir also said, I intend to remain wanted for failure to disperse. When he brought his statement into the Daily office he was wearing a sign reading Wanted for Failure to Disperse.

Store in Menlo Park

The Free University store where Franklin was arrested is in Menlo Park. He was picked up by, among others, Palo Alto police sergeant Antony Poso. Sgt. Poso was seen at last Wednesday's White Plaza rally sponsored by the same group that sponsored the Election Wake.

Palo Alto police chief William Hydie yesterday told The Daily that Poso had not been on White Plaza, on police duty. At the time, Poso said he, and two Menlo Park officers who were at the noontime rally were there on their lunch hour. A picture of Poso and the two Menlo Park officers was in The Daily last Thursday.

Franklin also told The Daily that he was meeting with his lawyer, Jim Wolpman, at the Free University store when he was arrested. He accused the police of tapping his phone because, he said, there was no other way the Palo Alto police could have known he was going to be at the store.

The fact that it was the Palo Alto police who picked him up is further evidence, Franklin said, that his phone is being tapped. He said he had phoned Wolpman shortly before going to the store and asked the lawyer to meet him there. Franklin said the police showed up at the store within five minutes after his arrival there.

Arrests Attacked

In a letter published in today's Daily several medical students attacked the moves against Franklin and Sapir. The letter questions the logic of arresting someone for failure to disperse three days after the offense occurred. The charge has also been attacked by others as being in violation of the right of free assembly.

Chief Hydie said police issued the warrants several days after the offense because we know who remained on the scene after orders were given to the crowd to disperse.

Hydie further stated that one reason the pair was not arrested Tuesday night was that police were not trying to make mass arrests on the scene.

More Arrests?

The police chief continued, There are others we have been considering depending on how much evidence we can establish. These two aren't the only ones. There is a possibility there may be others. He did not elaborate on this.

Hydie said police were not actively searching for Sapir. As for any active search, we don't have any. When we come about him, we'll arrest him. The police chief's comments were given in a phone interview with The Daily.

The arrest of Franklin brings to eight the number apprehended as a result of the election night demonstration. Most of the others were also charged with failure to disperse. Menchine is the only one charged with a felony.

Stanfordites Arrested

Stanford students arrested Tuesday night include Fred Cohen, a leader of the Stanford SDS, and Robert Shinkosky, a member of the conservative Young Americans for Freedom.

Both Sapir and Franklin have been involved in many demonstrations against the war in the past several years. Sapir was prosecuted, in the campus judicial system, for his role in last year's anti-CIA demonstration.

Franklin also participated in the demonstration, but no action was taken against him because the judicial system in effect at that time did not apply to faculty and staff. The new judicial system was recently extended to cover faculty as well as students.

Some faculty members feel that this extension of jurisdiction can be traced to Franklin's past activities.

Singled Out?

Sapir termed the recent arrests selective ones. He added that selective justice should not be tolerated. Other sources also suggested that the arrests of Franklin and Sapir are moves by police to single out prominent demonstrators. The letter published in today's Daily suggests that the police are attempting such a tactic.

In a phone interview with The Daily Franklin's wife said, It's very political. They're arresting known activists… You can understand why people break cameras. She continued, I think they're going to bust as many activists as they can and harass them…. I think they're trying to isolate them.

Franklin is a tenured associate professor of English who has often been called the only Maoist teaching at Stanford. He freely admits he is a Marxist of the Mao Tse Tung school. He is on sabbatical leave this year and has been active in several high school demonstrations in the Bay Area.