Thank you, Mr. Rubio, for giving me my protest song.
Get on board, little children, get on board While the moon is shinin' bright Come along, little children, come along We're gonna raise a ruckus tonight
“Raise a Ruckus Tonight” is an old African American song passed down from the 19th century South. It has been embraced by folk and bluegrass musicians and even made its way into Hollywood films. Its lively chorus invites the listener to join in and “raise a ruckus tonight.”
Why do I feel the need to raise a ruckus? And why should you?
Like many people I have watched the video of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fullbright scholar at Tufts University, being accosted by a number of tall, masked men in black. No badges. No visible identification. They just zip tie her hands and take her away.
As a woman, my reaction was visceral.
I know what it is like to feel unsafe. As I was watching the video, I remembered the fear I felt when I was followed at night by a man in the street. Fortunately, I could fall in step with a friendly couple who helped me. I remembered the time in an elevator when a stranger tried to kiss me, and I reacted by pushing him into the corner ─ the key in my hand very close to bloodying his nose. And I remembered the time in an overnight train in India when I woke up with an unwelcome hand on my breast and my reaction was to push and yell ─ waking up the entire compartment who then came to my aid.
Good people were there when I needed them. Ms. Ozturk had no one there to help her.
When Free Speech Becomes a Crime
Ms. Ozturk’s visa was revoked after her arrest. Why? She allegedly supports Hamas. There has been no evidence found to support this claim. Her real “offense” seems to be nothing more than signing her name to an op-ed published in The Tufts Daily last year. This well-written op-ed did not call for violence. It simply asked that the University President and the Tufts administration “meaningfully engage with and actualize the resolutions passed by the Senate.”
The students who wrote and signed this op-ed were exercising their rights to free speech ─ something, which according to the op-ed is encouraged in the Student Code of Conduct. “[a]ctive citizenship, including exercising free speech and engaging in protests, gatherings, and demonstrations, is a vital part of the Tufts community.”
But for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this exercise of rights was enough to warrant deportation.
When asked about her case, he replied, “If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you’re coming to the United States is not just ’cause you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we’re not going to give you a visa”.
Raising a Ruckus: A call to action
There it was: “creating a ruckus.”
I grew up in the South and I cannot count the times I was told that ladies don’t do this, and ladies don’t do that, and ladies certainly don’t raise a ruckus.
But history tells a different story.
The civil rights movement was built on raising a ruckus. Sit-ins, boycotts, marches, and persistence. Change was made because people were willing to speak up, protest and disrupt the status quo.
We cannot sit quietly while students are being arrested for peacefully stating an opinion.
It is easy to think that this “doesn’t concern me.” But it does. If the government can arrest a student for exercising their right to free speech and ignore their right to due process it can do the same to you ─ despite previous Supreme Court rulings protecting these rights.
Some may ask if the Constitution protects non-citizens when they are in the United States. This question has been addressed by the Supreme Court before, and it will most likely come up again in the future. In the meantime, let’s have a look at how the Court has ruled in the past.
Legal precedents
First Amendment rights:
In 1920, native Australian, Harry Bridges, legally entered the United States and worked as a seaman and dockworker. He was a labor activist and a member of the International Longshoremen’s Association, where he aligned himself with the Albion Hall Group. His unionizing activities would go beyond maritime workers to include other sectors including the organization of Hawaiian sugar and pineapple workers in the 1940s. The government tried multiple times to have him deported under anti-Communist laws.
In Bridges v. Wixon, 1945, the Supreme Court ruled that non-citizens in the U.S.A. have the right to free speech. In a concurring opinion, Justice Frank murphy wrote:
“… once an alien lawfully enters and resides in this country, he becomes invested with the rights guaranteed by the Constitution to all people within our borders. Such rights include those protected by the First and Fifth Amendments and by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. None of these provisions acknowledges any distinctions between citizens and resident aliens. They extend their inalienable privileges to all ‘persons’ and guard against any encroachment of those rights by federal or state authority. Indeed, this Court has previously and expressly recognized that Harry Bridges, the alien, possesses the right to free speech and free press and that the Constitution will defend him in the exercise of that right.” (p. 161).
This case was an important win for due process and free speech, and Bridges went on to become a citizen in 1945.
We often hear people talking about “due process,” but what exactly is it? In simple terms it is the rules by which laws are enforced. Due process ensures that people are treated fairly by the government and are granted procedural protection.
Procedural Due Process is the “how” of fairness. It means, for example, a person must:
be informed about what is happening and why.
be given a chance to respond ─ usually through the courts.
have an audience with an impartial decision-maker (a judge).
Substantive due process protects the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution. These rights include Freedom of Speech, Trial by Jury, Protection Against Self-Incrimination, Protection Against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures, Equal Protection, and the Right to Vote.
The fifth amendment prevents the federal government from taking away these rights and the fourteenth amendment prevents state government from taking away these rights from any person. The key word is person.
In Zadvydas v. Davis, 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that due process applies to all persons in the U.S.A. and not just citizens.
Rubio’s response suggests that it is enough to remove someone from the country if the government suspects that they might raise a ruckus, but freedom of expression and due process are still guaranteed rights and not just for citizens of the United States.
Go out and raise a ruckus today, tonight, and tomorrow – until things change for the better.
From the editor of Voices for Resistance: Raise a Ruckus ─ its patriotic
History has shown us how democracies can erode from within when fear and nationalism are weaponized against the very freedoms they claim to protect. The rise of a personality cult, the suppression of dissent, or the criminalization of marginalized communities are not new.
And history has also shown us something else: resistance works. From boycotts to sit-ins to voting – direct action has shaped society before, and it can do so again. Your voice matters. Your actions matter.
So, how can you raise a ruckus?
Support your local library. Accessing knowledge and information is a direct way to fight back.
Find an organization or activity that meets your needs: Volunteer Opportunities, Events, and Petitions Near Me · Mobilize This site offers a wealth of information including about Hands Off events, LGBTQ+ events and activities, and much more.
Join a grassroots movement: Homepage | Indivisible
Learn about your rights: The American Civil Liberties Union has a wealth of resources you can use. Know Your Rights | American Civil Liberties Union
Contact your congressperson. There are multiple ways you can do this:
5 Calls – A simple way to call your elected officials about key issues.
Find and contact elected officials | USAGov – A USAGov directory
GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress – Tracking legislation and lawmakers.
Make sure you are registered to vote: How to register to vote | USAGov
Confirm your voter registration status: How to confirm your voter registration status | USAGov
Help others do the same.
Democracy depends on your engagement. Hope lives in action.
Excellent article and advice. Be the good you want to see in the world. And thank you, Christina, for all you do!
Thank you for your passion to make the world a better place. The world needs more good humans like you, Christina.