"Man allegedly assaults police," read the all-too-familiar headline in Monday's Daily Collegian. Later that day, I discovered that the "man" was Andy Porter, a student in two of my science, technology and society (STS) courses. Our green design class had planned a workday at Andy's house on Monday, but that project dwindled to insignificance as 20 of us sat in grim silence, trying to make sense of what had happened to him -- and to us.

Though I was not there in Calder Way Saturday morning to witness first-hand what transpired between Andy and the police, I do see Andy for three hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in two classes, and I can confidently testify to the following:

Andy is a young man whose roots run deep in the State College community and who cares about its health and well being. Andy is a person with a big heart and loving spirit who has earned the respect and affection of his classmates and his teacher. Andy is a student whose intellectual curiosity is in service to a vision of a more peaceful world. He has a conscience and an awareness of the suffering of the world. His maturing manhood still retains a simple sweetness and hopefulness, rare in these cynical times. For nine weeks, I have witnessed the words and deeds of Andy Porter, this "man" who allegedly assaulted two officers. And, I confess, I can't make much sense of it.

In groping toward some understanding, I come upon a condition I also witness first-hand. It is an invisible assault of fear and distrust which makes it difficult to escape the sense that our very individuality might be just that deviation from some unspecified "norm" which could justify an "arrest." All of us, including the police, are victims of this oppressive fear, a fear which as it escalates, drives us further and further from one another.

We have become an increasingly adversarial society. From the courtroom to the boardroom to the locker room, we practice conflict -- and we have become experts. Despite the pain we inflict and the pain we suffer, we continue moving blindly but inexorably toward Pogo's strangely hopeful insight that, "We have met the enemy and they are us."