Hamline University hosts successful “Deep Web” screening

[This post was written by SSDP Hamline University President Gunnar Aas.]

I first had the opportunity to see Lyn Ulbricht speak at a Students for Sensible Drug Policy conference in Washington D.C. last spring. Ulbricht is a libertarian activist who is fighting for the release of her incarcerated son Ross Ulbricht, who is currently serving a life sentence for allegedly operating the Silk Road, the first wildly successful “Darknet Market”, an internet service where users can buy and sell goods, regardless of their legality, using Bitcoin. Drugs were all now available to anyone with the click of a button. This one small idea ended up changing the face of prohibition, and served as a simulation of an economic system unburdened by the systemic use of force.

Our student organization was excited to host an event that would shed light on the topic of Ross’s tragic case. We were thrilled when we heard about this collaborative event between Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Young Americans for Liberty, and Students for Liberty. We could show the documentary “Deep Web” and hold a live Q&A session with Alex Winters (the film’s director) and Lyn Ulbricht.

On the night of the showing, students poured into our rented lecture hall, hungry for dinner, and ready to learn about Deep Web’s alternative perspective on the Silk Road story: something the media regularly demonizes in its reporting. I was joined by Charity Hayden, Minnesota’s state chair of Young Americans for Liberty, in order to open the event, and also promote some upcoming events we have planned.

In the audience were a group of students who previously weren’t particularly involved in the liberty movement. They are now in the process of starting a liberty-minded student organization here at Hamline. We consider that a major success; our event had the ability to enlighten our peers, and inspire them to get involved in the wider movement for a transition to a society truly built on liberty and justice.