This past Saturday, I became an eye witness to what the term 'police state' really means. The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote to the school newspaper the following day. I'm not sure if riot control has been used on any other Universities, other than during the Pittsburgh G20. Please spread this message!

Dear editor:

I am writing as a response to the events that took place at the Wheeler Block Party at Western Illinois University this past Saturday. It is of my opinion that the destruction of property should not be allowed. It is also my opinion that the actions taken by the police were extremely excessive and sadly predictable.

The police presence throughout the majority of the day provided a peaceful atmosphere for the students. As the day developed, police could be seen asking people for identification and making sure the roads were kept clear. I'd been hearing warnings about attending the block party for weeks, and even rumors of riot police. Finally attending the block party had me thinking that all of the rumors had been false, but then something interesting happened.