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FREEDOMWAYS    FIRST QUARTER 1973 

and the Governor (he accused the students of firing the first tear gas canister from a window), the Committee recessed. On November 29 the Committee issued a preliminary report. The report confirmed the students' contention that Leonard Brown and Denver Smith were killed by shot-gun blasts fired by sheriff's deputies. Edwards immediately appeared on television and branded the findings a "blackwash." "I think very few of the panel came to Louisiana with an open mind," he exclaimed, "I didn't really expect an impartial hearing."

Three weeks later the Guste Committee came out with identical findings to those of the Black Committee. Yet Edwards still maintained that it was the students who provoked the confrontation by firing the tear gas at the deputies.

The Baton Rouge campus was closed the day after the murders and was not reopened until January 3, 1973. The New Orleans campus closed for the Thanksgiving holiday and reopened on November 27. Students had continued to negotiate with Dr. Asa Sims, Dean of Academic Affairs, even though the State Board had rejected Dr. Bashful's resignation. In November, an accord was reached between the students and faculty on the list of seventeen grievances. Among the agreements reached was the establishment of an executive and departmental council. However, the accords still had to be approved by Dr. Netterville and the State Board of Education. But in mid-December Dr. Netterville refused to accept the agreed upon decision that the councils would have decision-making power.

Moreover, the day before the Christmas holiday was to begin, Dr. Bashful returned to campus at SUNO and sent out letters to all the students saying that all the grievances had been met, thus trying to defuse the boycott effort which was still sixty percent effective. Throughout the Christmas holiday students tried several times to get the administration and the State Board to grant the councils decision-making status. But all they were prepared to do was to make the councils advisory.

Consequently, when both campuses reopened on January 3, the leadership decided to continue the boycott of classes. Since the reopening the situation at both campuses has been one of repression, intimidation and harassment. The students on the Baton Rouge campus, after having to sign a "loyalty oath" to the school are still required to present two identification cards, one issued when they signed the loyalty oath, before gaining entrance to the campus. Moreover Guards have been tripled and the sheriff department is on constant alert. Injunctions have been filed against the leadership of

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