CU Boulder Closing Campus To Public Next Friday

For almost 50 years, the students of the University of Colorado at Boulder have held "the Great Smokeout" on April 20.  Not cigarettes and/or cigars.  It is a celebration and gathering of like-minded thinkers to literally blow smoke into the faces of police offices and college officials.  Weed. Grass. Mary Jane. Wild wood flower. Loco-weed. Marry-ju-wanna. Marijuana.  I grew up with Gainesville Green, Micanopy Madness, August Alachua, Windsor Wild weed, and Waldo Whack.  After all, I was a teen in Gainesville, home of the Gators - a college town.  In any event - and not to start any controversy - I, personally, believe that marijuana use should be legalized.  Folks here in Boulder have been thumbing their noses at authority for quite some time on April 20 - and without a huge police crackdown.   Last year more than 10,000 people showed up at the Norlin Quad for the smokeout - and more than half of the people there were not CU students.  Norlin Quad itself has three functioning teaching halls and one of the best libraries on campus; with more than 10,000 people packed into the Quad, it is very difficult to move from class to class, or to visit the library.
   But CU is going to close the campus to outsiders next Friday, and only those people who have pre-registered to be on campus will be allowed past security.  CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard cited a Boulder campus rule  - "Campus Use of Facilities" - that allows the chancellor to restrict access because of weather, safety concerns or "disruption."  He said that the April 20 closure falls into the latter category.  "This is definitely a measure that is unique, " Hilliard said.  "That should be a signal to people that we are very serious about ending this event on our campus."  The closure has ignited concerns from the Boulder County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has asked its lawyers to look into the legality of closing a public college campus. Several weeks ago, the campus had already notified the public that no parking would be available on campus the day of April 20.
    Because of the shut down of the campus, one of the Student groups has arranged for a free concert (for students only) at the Coors Pepsi Center with singer Wyclef Jean, scheduled to start at 1 in the afternoon.  This is intended to keep the students out of trouble.  However, several grad students have opined that with Norlin Quad a "no-go" and the campus closed to visitors, that the Smokeout will spread throughout downtown Boulder and that there will be several riots.  VT had asked me a couple of weeks ago if he, as Security, should be worried about next Friday - I told him, "Of course not!"  Now, I'm not so sure....