The hysteria that exists today regarding the violation of civil liberties is not something far removed from the past.

The concern about a violation of civil liberties was prevalent when Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested in 1920 for the murder of a paymaster in Boston, Mass., and it has been brought back to public eye at Syracuse University for the 80th anniversary of the trial.

‘An evening with Sacco and Vanzetti,’ held Monday at E.S. Bird Library, included a dramatic representation of the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, as well as a discussion led by history professor David Bennett.

Coordinator Michael Flusche explained that the purpose of the event was to not only recognize the 80th anniversary of the trial, but also to support the special collections of materials that the library has about the Sacco and Vanzetti trial.

The commemoration event, sponsored by SU Library Associates, is linked to Ben Shahn’s mural, located outside of Huntington Beard Crouse Hall, which documents the Sacco and Vanzetti trial in a pre-eminent piece of work. ‘(He) wanted to recognize that SU has a significant piece of art (and) is important because it represents a moral statement about injustice.’

The discussion after the evening’s performance raised questions as to whether Sacco and Vanzetti were guilty and whether they had a fair trial. The event’s controversy surrounding immigrants parallels the fear that existed during the ‘Red Scare’ of 1917, a time when people were being alienated because of their race and ethnicity.

‘We are in a moment of crisis now where a large number of Americans feel their civil liberties are at risk,’ Bennett said.

Bennett explained how this was similar to the Red Scare, when violations of civil liberties existed across the country. ‘Today, there is a belief that you can declare certain people combatants and violate their civil liberties,’ he said.

‘It is important that people are educated about Americans acting counter to principles,’ said Barrie H. Gewanter, executive director of the Central New York chapter of the New York American Civil Liberties Union.

Many students found the event to be inspirational and informative.

‘The event made an interesting point about the differences as to what’s going on today,’ said Bethany Richards, a senior drama major.

‘The skit helped to explain the story,’ said Melissa Pujols, senior drama major.

Stephen Cross, a drama professor, who helped put together the dramatic segment, still questions whether people have learned from their mistakes about unfair trials.

‘If the trial was pushed because we wanted to change something, did we succeed?’ Cross said.

Published on December 3, 2007 at 12:00 pm