BYU CANCELS FREE SPEECH FORUM................... So We Held It Anyway.

"This is what you'll get. This is what you'll get.
This is what you'll get when you mess with us."
-'Karma Police' by Radiohead

About two weeks ago, I was invited by a Political Science student at Brigham Young University to screen my documentary THIS DIVIDED STATE at a forum on Free Speech and then speak to other students about academic freedom. This invitation came on the heels of some recent student protests over an unjust firing of a faculty member.

Todd Hendricks was abruptly fired from BYU after he spoke out about apparent faults in student elections. BYU decided they didn't like what he said, so they fired him and took away his health insurance. Hendricks' wife will have a baby in June, but she'll do so without the health benefits given by BYU. All because her husband spoke out. So, last Thursday, BYU students held a protest against the Hendricks firing and voiced their concerns about other examples of Free Speech Oppression at BYU.



So, the Political Science students planned to have a Free Speech Forum and screening of THIS DIVIDED STATE this Thursday, April 6th (yesterday) at 6:30pm. A room had been reserved and invitations had been passed out. The university even allowed the Political Science students to set up a booth in the student center where they displayed gigantic posters for THIS DIVIDED STATEand passed out hundreds of flyers. A buzz spread around the school and soon we were expecting maybe even 200 students to show up.

And then at around 1:00pm today, I got a phone call from one of the students saying that he had just been grilled by some Administrative Piggy about my movie being "offensive". This student (who is just 18 and a freshman) then was forced into more meetings and MORE meetings until finally they told him, "You're not doing this tonight. We won't allow it" He called me and told me the bad news. The BYU Karma Police had just pulled the plug on Free Speech. Of course, my reaction was "I'm going to do it anyways. Watch them try to stop me."

So, we show up in the rain at 6:30 and BYU had sent an Administrative Big Brother Henchman to guard the door to the Free Speech room and turn everyone away by telling them to "Go Home". Emboldened by this scary, little stooge, I went outside into the rain and began gathering the masses. I told everyone, "Hey, if you're here for the film, we're going to screen the film in room 132 instead of room 32. There's a scary, little stooge in room 32." While some students left confused and bewildered, others gladly joined us as we descended into the basement classroom.

Sucking on Freeze Peach.

Within minutes, we had filled the little classroom up and then BAM! The two biggest local papers show up with reporters and photographers. You see, I had called them an hour before this and told them "BYU cancelled it, but we're doing it anyways in secret." Everyone settled in and sampled some of the FREEZE PEACH treats that the political science students had made. It was frozen peach juice on tooth picks and the name was just brilliant. After a minute or two, I got access to the video projector, put in the DVD, and then we watched THIS DIVIDED STATE.

Things were going great until right around the half way point went the classroom door suddenly opens! It was the scary, little stooge from Room 132! Busted! ...but wait... he stares at all of us confused...then angry...then...he leaves in a huff. He never returns.

Braving the possible ire of BYU Administration Stooges, a group of BYU students gathered in a basement to watch THIS DIVIDED STATE

Laughter and applause erupt and then the film ends. Credits roll. There's an air of accomplishment in the room. We all shake hands and then answer some questions from the reporters. And then we leave, looking over our shoulders in fear that BYU Karma Police would be after us. Nothing happens. We all go our seperate ways in the cold, rainy night, with grins holding fast on our wet faces.

Read the 2 Newspaper Articles Here:

THE DAILY HERALD:
FILMMAKER MAKES DEBUT, WITHOUT BYU OK

THE DESERET NEWS:
Y PULLS PLUG ON FORUM