Truly By Any Means Necessary

The Detroit Free Press has an article on the childish intimidation antics of the group By Any Means Necessary which opposes Michigan's ballot proposal to rid the state of affirmative action.

The group used high school students to intimidate members of Michigan's Board of Canvassers.

In October, the Michigan Court of Appeals ordered the canvassers to place the initiative on the ballot because it had far more than the necessary 317,757 signatures.

But on Wednesday, after the meeting was repeatedly disrupted by about 250 rowdy Detroit high school students and the group By Any Means Necessary, the board could muster only two votes -- Republicans Lyn Bankes and Katherine DeGrow -- to comply with the court order.

The students and other protesters yelled, "They say Jim Crow. We say, hell no," when the board first attempted to vote around noon.

About 50 students advanced toward the board, knocking over a table before being stopped by Lansing police. Others jumped on chairs and stomped their feet. Board members adjourned the meeting for two hours......

This has been a victory of mob rule," said Chris Thomas, director of elections for the Michigan Secretary of State. "Never before have I seen such absolutely incredible and unprofessional behavior from lawyers urging this disruption. They used these children as pawns."