Graham says police treatment of Black studentswill only improve if Harvard is punished. Sheurges Ntshanga to file a complaint against Harvardwith the Massachusetts Coalition AgainstDiscrimination.

But students, she says, do not seem willing totake punitive measures against their University.

Ali agrees, saying many Black students tend todecide, "Fine, I'll ride on the back of the busagain. Fine, I'll go find another bathroom."

But Ali warns, and recent history bears himout: "Sometimes it builds to a boiling point."

'The Harvard Plantation'

Tensions between students and Harvard policereached just such a boiling point" in April of1992.

During the month, the BSA door-dropped anewsletter called "The Harvard Plantation," whichdescribed four cases of students allegedly beingharassed by police.

In interviews with The Crimson at the time, thestudents and the police officers gave similaraccounts of the incidents, but they disagreed asto whether racial harassment had occurred.

Johnson forcefully denied the students'charges.

"I felt the need to address the specificcharges made by the BSA," Johnson told The Crimsonat the time. "There are glaring misstatements inthe flyer-errors of fact."

Both Rodriquez and Raymond Joseph '94 wereinvolved in one of the incidents described in the"Plantation," flyer. The two students were walkingwith a group of friends near Hollis Hall when theywere stopped by police because, officers said,they were yelling loudly. Rodriquez and Joseph saythey were rapping, and not disturbing the peace.

Joseph stops short of calling police behaviorin the matter racist. But he says officers wereout of line because they accused the studentswithout evidence.

In another incident, a University securityguard ignored the cries of two Black women afterfive half-clothed white men made sexuallyharassing comments and gestures at them outsideClaverly Hall, alleges Ali, who was then BSApresident.

But Robert J. Dowling, who manages theHarvard's security guard force, responded that theguard "didn't think anything was wrong. It was notbecause they were Black."

Ali says the BSA pressed Harvard administratorsto investigate. No probe ensued, but Johnsonagreed to a meeting with the BSA.