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Disruption was inherent in the appearance of five_members of the United States Department of Just1ceon the University of Denver campus on Monday,November 16, 1970.No one, not Dean Kauffman, not Dr. Gerald Foster,not the justice people, held any illusions prior toattending the open meeting. They were all _awarethat sometime during the afternoon a guenllatheatre presentation would be attempted, and wereprepared for a potentially hostile reaction.Dr. Foster was quite confident that he had the meansof diffusing the guerilla theatre. As he introduced theofficials to the crowd of about three hundred people,he informed them that "a little theatre group" wouldperform following the presentation by the JusticeDepartment. The guerilla theatre had thus becomean official part of the program. The panel wascontinually harassed as the presentation progressed.The officials were seldom allowed to finish theirresponses, as members of the audience were quitevocal in expressing displeasure with thepolicies of the Department. Had the audience allowedthe panel to answer the questions, they would havefound that the panel members were past masters atskirting the main issues.The timing of the guerilla theatre could not havebeen better; its presentation could not have beenworse. When Ned Perkins, clad in the robes of ajudge, took the stage to open the "little theatre",everyone was taken by surprise. Dr. Foster wanderedaimlessly around the stage, muttering, "This isn'tpart of the script." A tomato flew from the crowd,barely missing one of the panelists.The justice Department officials sat patiently througha fifteen minute harangue by student Ken Jones, andfinally left. They were so rattled that they cancelledappearances at several of the dorms. They were notrattled enough to cancel their appearances at acocktail party later that evening.The situation at this point was clear. The people whohad appeared in the guerilla theatre had blown itand blown it badly. What took place could onlybe viewed as infringement upon the right of theofficials from the Justice Department to speak.240