EDITOR
Doug Kouma
OPINION
EDITOR
Anthony Nguyen
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Paula Lavigne
Joshua GiHin
Jessica Kennedy
Jeff Randall
Erin Gibson
Our
VIEW
In the debris
Heaven's Gate visit
a warning sign to all
”We know whatever happens to us after
we leave our bodies is a step forward ” —
videotaped message by Marshall Applewhite,
leader of Heaven s Gate.
Last Wednesday, 39 members of
Heaven’s Gate, driven by the belief that the
comet Hale-Bopp as it swooped to within 122
million miles of Earth was actually “the ar
rival of the spacecraft from the Level Above
Human to take
[them] home to [the «
extraterrestrials*]
world,” committed As
suicide in a Rancho
Santa Fe, Caiit , members of
mansion. , .
Over a three- ttllS
day period, fueled
by the belief that university
Applewhite was dy- COmmu
tag of cancer, the cornrnu
members put on uni- flity We
forms of black -
pants, shirts and should USe
new Nikes —- ironi
cally emblazoned the
with the white jj ,
comet-like tieaVeTl S
“swoosh”trademark
—and ate a concoc- §roup
tion of applesauce na nn
and pudding mixed ut> un
with phenobarbitol, example”
washed down with
vodka. Placing plas- _______
tic bags over their
heads, the members settled down on comfort
ers — $5 bills tucked in their pockets —
waiting for death.
On Monday, the Daily Nebraskan re
ported on Heaven’s Gate’s visit to this very
university in 1976.
At the time of their visit, Heaven’s Gate
was a small group of people with outlandish
ideas and beliefs. The DN reported it as so.
The word “cult” did not even appear in the
articles. Rather, “a sect of Unidentified Fly
ing Object (UFO) evangelists” spoke to about
100 people about a “higher level” of exist
ence.
And tragically, 20-odd years later, mem
bers of Heaven’s Gate thought that by com
mitting suicide they would move to this higher
level of existence.
As members of this university commu
nity, we should use the Heaven’s Gate group
as an example. Similar groups can still be
found today at UNL and on other college cam
puses, seeking young, enthusiastic minds to
join their causes.
It’s easy to discount those groups; to not
take diem seriously. *
But if ever there were an example of what
one small group springing up through
grassroots recruiting can become, one need
only look at Heaven’s Gate 1976 and
Heaven’s Gate 1997,
Unsigned sdifcirisli are She npinism of the
Spring 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do not,
necessarily reflect die views of (be Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoin, its employees, its
" student body or the Uaivenity of Nebraska
Board of Regents. A column is soteiy the
opinion of its author: The Board of Regents
serves as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan;
policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Edito
rial Board. The UNL Publications Board,
established by the regents, supervises the
production of the paper: According to policy
set by the regents, responsibility for the edi
torial content of the newspaper lies solely
in the hands of its student employees.
Letter Policy
fhr Daily Nebraskan1welcomes brieflet-y
tea to the editor and guest columns, bnt
dsmrmt guarantee their pubKcation. The
Daily Nebnslun retain the right to ecSt
or reject any material submitted. Sub
mitted material becomes the property of
die DeHy Nebraskan end cannot be «o
tumed. Anonymous submissions will not
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Mehs ling’s
VIEW
f
(WOKEWH '
spffltott
6
Jessica
KENNEDY
open ey es
Neighborhood requires citywide support
Three kids, two parents, two dogs
and one cat later and we’re still
missing one Easter egg.
It’s really only a minor concern
this Easter season. For a holiday
that’s supposed to spread hope and
joy, Lincoln has a surprising lack.
Gun shots ripped through a north
Lincoln neighborhood almost two
weeks ago, leaving a huge gash in
the city’s collective consciousness.
The situation brewing at 29th and
Dudley has left Lincoln citizens
shaking their heads. Nestled in
“safe” neighborhoods, the clashes
seem removed. Almost as if the
fighting is occurring in another city.
The violence is a shocking
reminder that Lincoln is not a little
city any more. As it enjoys the
benefits of growth it must also deal
with the costs.
As you drive by the Burger King,
Walgreens or Laundry Land, peer
down the residential side streets.
You will not be struck by immacu
late lawns, upper-end autos or
sprawling homes.
The Clinton neighborhood is not
wealthy; poverty is very present.
It is also a very loyal neighbor
hood.
Area businesses have pledged to
stay in the area, despite die possibil
ity of decreasing profits because of
the perception of being in a “bad”
neighborhood.
Obviously, family and friends are
L TO Jo¥« ifeH9»W*e 3ri)j
“Mississippi" group *
coin” group are not new.
incidents are only the first to be '
thrust into public view. The strife
has been going on for more than a
year, yv- •
There will be more name calling
and fighting.
There may be deaths.
The police say, thus far, that the
incidents are not gang related.
Maybe they aren’t, maybe they
are. Does it really matter?
What we have are youths and
adults acting out their frustrations in
a violent and destructive manner,
which is not going to get better
without some serious help and
intervention.
Maybe the problems will stop
when they all end up in the city
county jail.
The worst thing that can happen,
the one thing that will guarantee
escalation of the violence is sheer
indifference from the community.
I don’t just mean people around
29th and Dudley.
I mean everyone — students, the
police department, civic leaders,
business people—must take an
interest in the health of this fractur
ing neighborhood.
Looking the other way or driving
loogiwayi around.$ill, not help
if Mia^-dgfafttytg a8»dmsinesses*nn
b) jMSfr wilt qrIm the
You must care. You must gi ve a
damn, You must worry that this
violence is happening in your city.
Though die outbursts have been
limited to a few city Mocks in north
Lincoln doesn’t mean it’s going to
stay there.
These groups could spread their
fighting to any place in the city ... O
Street, Gateway, the movies, your
neighborhood.
You must care.
That doesn’t mean you have to
befriend tomorrow’s front page news
and it doesn’t mean that you have to
move into the neighborhood.
What it means is that you support
those area businesses.
Caring means not closing your
eyes and minds to the problems
surrounding the violence.
Beyond the friction between the
two factions are issues such as
school attendance, family problems,
poverty and cyclical criminal
histories.
• •* ( • V
Support measures that address
the behaviors rather than just the
results.
Please don’t abandon the Clinton
neighborhood and don’t abandon the
people.
Mayor Mike Johanns is wrong to
ask the Mississippi group to “go
home.” That’s not a feasible answer.
It doesn’t solve any problems.
The city needs to be sensitive to
the neighborhood’s concerns. So far,
I think the police department is
being rightly cautious. Bid the
worries are not over.
