Marzette v. McPhee

294 F. Supp. 562, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8012
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedDecember 9, 1968
Docket68-C-199
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 294 F. Supp. 562 (Marzette v. McPhee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marzette v. McPhee, 294 F. Supp. 562, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8012 (W.D. Wis. 1968).

Opinion

JAMES E. DOYLE, District Judge.

The seven plaintiffs allege that they are Negroes who were students at Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh (hereinafter referred to as “the university”) until November 22,1968, when they were suspended. They undertake to sue on their own behalf, on behalf of all students at the university similarly situated, and on behalf of all students in the Wisconsin State University System similarly situated. The defendants are the director of the Wisconsin State Universities, who is also a member and secretary of the Board of Regents of the State Universities (hereinafter referred to as “the Board”); the members of the Board; and Roger E. Guiles, the president of the University.

Jurisdiction is invoked on the bases, among others, of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and 28 U.S.C. §§ 1343(3), 1343(4). The complaint sufficiently alleges, for jurisdictional purposes, that the defendants, un *563 der color of state law, have caused or permitted the plaintiffs to be subjected to the deprivation of rights, privileges and immunities secured to them by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Plaintiffs have applied for a temporary restraining order requiring defendants to reinstate the plaintiffs and all other students similarly situated, pending a hearing in this court upon plaintiffs’ prayer for permanent injunctive relief. 1 Affidavits and briefs in support of said application, and in opposition thereto, have been received, and oral argument has been heard.

On the present state of this record, comprehensive findings of fact cannot be made. However, from the complaint and affidavits certain facts appear to be agreed upon.

The affidavit of President Guiles, those of other administrators of the university, and that of a captain on the police force of the City of Oshkosh, with respect to many of the events of November 21, 1968, will be taken as fact solely for the purpose of acting upon the plaintiffs’ present application for a temporary restraining order. These allegations have neither been disputed nor conceded on the present record in this action, except that each of the seven named plaintiffs alleges that he or she is innocent of any violation of the law or of any valid university regulation.

From these affidavits it appears that on that date, at about 8:40 a. m., a group of people entered Dempsey Hall on the university campus. This group consisted of about 94 persons. It included about 90 black students (among whom were the plaintiffs) and a few non-students. 2 These persons will be referred to hereinafter as “the group”. The group moved to the second floor and massed outside the office of the president. About 40 surged into the president’s individual office, in which he was present; among these was plaintiff McCreary, who appeared to be among the spokesmen and leaders of the group; these 40 entered without invitation, prior appointment, or permission. The remaining members of the group stood in the adjoining office of the president’s secretary, in the president’s reception room, and in the halls and other offices of the building. Members of the group stationed themselves at several telephones in the building to prevent their use.

The 40 who entered the president’s individual office packed it, pressing upon the president tightly; some sat upon his desk; one seated himself in the president’s chair; another sat in another chair with his feet placed upon the president’s desk. One of the plaintiffs who was acting as a spokesman placed upon the president’s desk a document containing certain “Black Student Union” demands with respect to university personnel, curriculum, and programs. The president was told to sign the document, signifying his acceptance of the demands. He was told that the group was not there for discussion, but only to obtain his signature. The president declined to sign, and attempted to explain that he was awaiting the report of a faculty committee on the subject. The conversation lasted about 20 to 25 minutes. The president was interrupted so constantly that he was unable to complete a sentence. A great many insulting, degrading, and humiliating remarks were directed at the president by many members of the group. Menacing gestures were made to him. From time to time members of the group took papers from a file or other objects and threw them on the floor. An architect’s model of a new building was taken from a shelf and broken up piecemeal. Two vice-presidents of the university entered the president’s office during this period. *564 They and the president were prevented, by the closed ranks of those present, from leaving the room.

At about 9:05 a. m., one of those present in the president’s individual office shouted “do your thing”. Immediately, persons present in his office began to throw typewriters to the floor, rifle files and scatter the contents on the floor, overturn a table, and tear draperies and blinds from the windows. The president was prevented from using the telephone.

Within a short time thereafter (the duration of which is not entirely clear from the affidavits, but appears to have been about five minutes), a number of destructive actions occurred in Dempsey Hall, including the following: Some members of the group ransacked the office of the president’s secretary and the president’s reception room, rifling the files and strewing the contents on the floor, slashing furniture, and overturning equipment. A member of the group broke the glass window in the locked door of the business office, also on the second floor, and a crowd entered it; outside windows of this office were broken, the window blinds damaged, office equipment overturned, the contents of files and other objects were strewn on the floor, and at least one typewriter was damaged. A large number of black people moved slowly through the first floor corridors breaking glass, damaging paintings, and upsetting statues; this was done behind a row of black people and individual acts of destruction could not be observed by the witness (Assistant Vice-President Richard G. Netzel); during this time, a person hurled an object through the glass portion of the locked door of the Financial Aids office on the first floor and unlocked it, about 30 to 50 black students then entered the office, and within about one minute desks were turned over, typewriters were hurled to the floor, chairs were used to break windows, and files were emptied onto the floor. At about 9:10 a. m. persons who had been engaged in these activities on the first floor ascended to the second floor. Also at about that time, a large number of black students massed in front of the open door of the executive offices on the second floor, and moved into the offices solidly massed together despite the efforts of three police officers to prevent them from entering.

Oshkosh police captain Kliforth received word of the disturbance at 9:04 a. m., and he and two other police officers reached Dempsey Hall about five minutes later; no other police officers were present at the time. Thereafter, until about 11:45 a. m., other police officers were arriving at Dempsey Hall. Apparently starting at about 9:3Ó a.

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Bluebook (online)
294 F. Supp. 562, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8012, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marzette-v-mcphee-wiwd-1968.