Is Justice Blind in Harvard Square?

To the Editors of the Crimson:

Two Cambridge youths were seen attempting to steal a bicycle from in front of the Hasty Pudding Club last spring. Harvard students notified the Cambridge city police, who soon arrived and administered justice. The two youths, no older than the Harvard students, were thrown against a concrete wall, frisked, slapped around by the police, and thrown in the back of a police car. Bystanders thanked the police for their prompt response, the police thanked the bystanders for their vigilance, and the two criminals were whisked away. The Harvard students then returned to their party, secure in their property.

When Harvard students steal, things are different. Shari Rudavsky's article "From Roads to Roorhs" (11/21/84) reports "a new craze to break up the first semester freshman blues--stealing street signs." It is designed for "bored" freshman who find "Harvard isn't quite what it was cracked up to be." Signs are now "a symbol of status...you ain't cool unless you've got a sign," states one freshman. Another concedes. "It is stenling, so by definition I am a thief," but another concludes that "It's the thing to do." Rudavsky notes that freshman proctors seem "unconcerned by street signs in their entry," while the Cambridge police are said to rarely fine or arrest sign thieves.

The episode in front of the Pudding and the Crimson articles make several points clear. When a Cambridge youth steals, he is a vandal; when a Harvard student steals, he is simply, high-spirited. The Cambridge youth is a threat and a menace, the Harvard student is a regular guy doing "wild and crazy" things. The Cambridge youth steals, we suppose, because he is in need, he is inherently bad, or he is bored; the Harvard student steals because he is in need of a challenge, he is inherently fun-loving, and he is also bored.

A Cambridge official is quoted in the articles as saying the city does not arrest or prosecute sign thieves because such activity would bring attention to the problem--one assumes the official believes such arrests would only increase the challenge and excitement of the thefts. If neglect was the city's strategy for combatting the problem, then the Crimson article should bring an effective end to such an illogical program of prevention. Now well-publicized, signstealing should attract the attention of police who, for too long, have appeared to dispense two types of justice--a harsh one for Cambridge youth, and a forgiving one for Harvard students.

Proctors too should take note. A situation or activity which fosters the belief among certain Harvard students that they are above the law seems to me to be a dangerous proposition, particularly for an institution which prides itself on producing future leaders and professionals. Does the law not pertain to sign thieves? Not even Harvard students could be so arrogant as to answer yes. Jonathan Shapiro