The annual pro-marijuana event Hash Bash may be shut out of the Diag on April 6th 5th. Supposedly, another student group previously booked the whole Diag on the same date. Says Michigan spokesperson Linda Green: “It’s simple. It’s first come, first serve. When it’s full, it’s full.”

And for good reason, the University will respect the privacy of the group and choose not to release their name. But this situation is quickly escalating. Hash Bash organizers still plan to storm the Diag and bring in their own amplified sound, a situation that may not sit well with DPS or the organizers from the other event.

The best resolution for this event would probably be for the anonymous student group to read about the publicity of Hash Bash and respectfully reach an agreement with Hash Bash organizers and accommodate both interests. Perhaps even a rescheduling of their event would be most prudent. Given that I have no idea what event is being planned for April 6th besides Hash Bash, perhaps it would be imprudent to comment on the merits of the scheduled festivities. But Hash Bash has a marked foot print in Ann Arbor history, dating back to 1972, and is a response to a real political injustice in the criminalization of Marijuana. This event was the evolution of an expression of conscience that involved Bob Seger and John Lennon. The have their own Wikipedia page! So if it sounds like I’m placing the interests of Hash Bash above the interests of other nameless event, I am. I’m not arguing over the legality of said anonymous group’s right to hold the event. I’m simply arguing that it would be best for the Ann Arbor community as a whole if they voluntarily gave up their claim, for this important day.

Oh, and to the student chapter of NORML, given the significance of the event, don’t be morons next time. Reserve the Diag sooner than a few weeks in advance.

*Image used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License