University of Virginia Library

Police Raid?

I was quite surprised to read
your article, "Police Raid Fraternity
Party," in the CD of October
1, having no idea that the incident
of September 26 at the ATO house
would have such a mammoth impact
on university life; or so your
article suggests. I was also surprised
at your reporting of the alleged
facts surrounding the incident,
since I was a personal witness to the
entire affair. For this reason, I feel
it my obligation to correct and
comment on your article.

You stated that, after the police
had surrounded the house, "Brothers
in the fraternity then stopped
the police from entering the
house...". This implies that the police
were preparing to attack. They
were not. At no time was the house
in danger of being raided by the
Charlottesville Police Dept.

You stated that "... one local
policeman refused to talk to the
students...". Al Hadeed, President
of ATO, went with the officer in
question to his squad car, at which
time Mr. Hadeed explained fully his
position and the position of the
ATO brothers.

You stated that "Mr. Hadeed
supposedly followed the police to
their cars and was shown a warrant
that the police had to enter the
house." The police had no such
warrant.

You stated that "the security
guard, who has not been identified,
did not have authorization to accompany
the police to the
house...". This statement is not
relevant to the situation. The fact is
that the security guard served as a
valuable intermediary between the
brothers and the police. The brothers
thank him for his aid.

You stated that Mr. Houchens,
Chief of University Security,"...added
that the information
about the presence of the security
guard was 'absolutely false'." Your
statement is absolutely false, as can
be attested to by Mr. Hadeed as a
result of his conversation with
Chief Houchens on September 28.

These are the major misrepresentations
of your article. For now, we
are willing to excuse them as simple
error. Any fool can bungle the
facts. What we cannot excuse, however,
are the implications and intent
of this article. This incident was not
an instant replay of the events of
last May, nor was it an example of
further police repression as your
article implies. The police department
received complaints about a
loud party at the ATO house. It is
their duty to these citizens to try to
alleviate the situation.

When an injustice occurs, such
as last May, the brothers of ATO
will stand up and be counted, as we
did last May. However, we recent
your involving our fraternity in
your paper's attempt to make
U.Va. a center of revolution in
America and the CD its vanguard.
We will not tolerate your distortion
of the facts, and the sensationalist
slant to your writing.

The fraternities, The Cavalier
Daily, and the Charlottesville Police
Department are all part of the
university community. As such we
must work together as best we can.
By pitting one segment of our
community against another, no one
gains.