What's the price of a free society? Lunatics running around loose: online threats have lead UC Hastings to shut down, just for today. What are the threats? Who's responsible? We don't know. What we do know is there are a lot of unhappy, unpredictable, desperately fragile folks in the world, some of whom have had the bad luck of being burdened with pain from which it may seem impossible to ever recover; and we can only hope that our compassion for their misfortune is never fully erased by our anger at their deeds.

Date: April 18, 2007
To: Hastings Community
From: Dean Nell Newton
Re: Security Threat


Dear students, faculty and staff,

Today we have received information from an internet discussion board regarding a copycat threat of violence to the Hastings community. We have met with representatives of the FBI and the San Francisco Police and in light of the advice they have given us, we have decided to close the law school immediately. Offices will reopen and classes resume tomorrow (Thursday) as usual.

We have also secured the Hyde Street entrance to the law school, so that the only entrance and exit to the 198 Building will be from the beach. The San Francisco Police is patrolling the area with special attention to the 198 Building and the Tower.

As a precaution going forward, we will have to require that all members of the Hastings community present their IDs upon entering any Hastings building. All visitors will have to show a photo ID and sign in.

Additional security will be present throughout the Hastings buildings. Please report any suspicious individuals or activity to security personnel on the first floor of the 198 building.