MCC lecture on Guantanamo stays relatively quiet
Lawyer and author Marc Falkoff never said that all of the suspected terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay are innocent, he told a group of more than 100 people gathered at McHenry County College Thursday to hear him speak.
What he argues is that there's a strong possibility that many prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are regular civilians because they weren't picked up on battlefields, weren't secured by American troops and because there were no hearings held to rule out any errors.
"I will say it on my deathbed," Falkoff said. "There are scores, if not hundreds of men who are entirely innocent of wrongdoing."
Falkoff, editor of "Poems from Guantanamo Bay: The Detainees Speak," has defended 17 people suspected of terrorism and fought for their right to have their day in court.
Thursday, Falkoff read two poems from the book that highlighted the despair the detainees felt at the prison.
Falkoff's hope with the book is to educate readers about the people at Guantanamo Bay and to highlight their experiences.
"What I think is important is that we get a nuanced sense of who is there," he said.
The talk took place under a cloud of controversy.
The school's Student Peace Action Network originally planned it for Dec. 3, but the school canceled it, with officials saying they did not think they would have enough police to staff the event.
The lecture caused an uproar in the community because it was being held the same night as the wake for U.S. Army Sgt. Jason McCloud of Crystal Lake, who was killed in Afghanistan.
Thursday, there were about a half dozen Crystal Lake police officers and four security guards staffing the lecture.
About a dozen protesters picketed and later attended the lecture, accusing Falkoff of presenting the suspected terrorists as "warm, fuzzy fellas."
There was only one minor incident during the lecture, which started when Beverly Perlson of Aurora interrupted it with questions before it was time to ask them.
Later on in the program when it came time to ask questions, Perlson asked several about a suspected terrorist Falkoff said he never defended, but wouldn't let him finish answering.
Moderator Todd Culp ordered Perlson to leave and a majority of the audience cheered when a Crystal Lake sergeant escorted her out of the lecture hall.
"You're not telling the truth," said Perlson, founder of the Band of Mothers, a group that supports veterans. "I am a seeker of the truth."