A year after Rushdie attack, Chautauqua Institution has renewed sense of purpose — and security

When Wade Haubert initially applied to be the Chautauqua Institution’s director of safety and security, the idea that someone could be attacked at the tranquil educational space in western New York seemed outlandish.

But on the morning of Aug. 12, when a knife-wielding man rushed the stage of the institution’s 4,000-seat amphitheater and brutally attacked renowned author Salman Rushdie and entrepreneur Henry Reese, Haubert — who was still being interviewed for the job — knew times had changed.

For nearly 150 years, the Chautauqua Institution has prided itself as a haven for free expression, a place where families and friends could gather in the summer for lectures and debate faith, philosophy and current events.

Its grounds evoke a sense of community and Americana, like entering a Norman Rockwell painting, complete with wooden porch swings, well-trimmed gardens and a spacious plaza where patrons can picnic, play frisbee or go for a morning jog.

But the attack, which left both men injured, particularly Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times and ultimately lost an eye, has put a spotlight on the institution's path forward and how best it can protect its visitors and its mission.

Haubert, who was hired two months after the attack, said the incident strengthened his resolve to join and protect the Chautauqua community. A 20-year police veteran who most recently served as senior emergency management specialist for Prince William County, Virginia, Haubert said the institution, like any organization that experiences a major incident, had to reassess its security protocols.

"There will be some changes," he said of security at the institution. "There will be some things from time to time that patrons who come here will recognize as a little different from previous years."

While Haubert said he didn't want to publicize some of those changes for security reasons, he said patrons should be assured the institution — which begins its 150th summer assembly June 24 — stresses safety and remains a welcome venue for notable guest speakers and the general public.

"I don't have any hesitation about the fact that my family will be here attending events and my daughter will be participating in youth activities," he said.

Weapons detection devices, 'see-through bag' policy

Security measures at the institution will be largely familiar this summer.

Patrons will be required to show a photo ID at the ticket office to pick up gate passes and to purchase them on-site.

Also, like last year, weapons detection devices will be in use. Emily Morris, the institution's senior vice president and chief brand officer, said the institution cannot publish where and when they will be used for security reasons.

A new policy will require bags to be see-through or transparent for the duration of the nine-week summer season.

"People will be required to use a clear bag if it's bigger than a wristlet-sized (bag) or a clutch," said Shannon Rozner, the institution's senior vice president for community relations.

Patrons might also see a greater presence of the institution's uniformed security officers, which, according to Haubert, doesn't necessarily mean staffing has increased but that officers will simply be more visible.

"There are nuances to how you actually patrol and serve a community and one of them is having a visible presence and being able to engage (with the community)," he said. "Hopefully, through that engagement with citizens, they will feel that there's more security officers when in fact there may or may not be."

Haubert declined to reveal staffing numbers.

Following the Rushdie attack, the institution had considered designating its security officers as peace officers, giving them the ability to make arrests and communicate with emergency dispatch services.

Morris said this option has not been implemented but is still being considered.

The institution declined to comment on any details surrounding the security the day of the attack, citing ongoing court proceedings.

Rushdie's attacker, then 24-year-old Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault. Pleading not guilty to both charges, Matar has been remanded to Chautauqua County Jail where he awaits trial.

Prosecutors argue that Matar's attack was not random but motivated by the fatwa, or death threat, issued by Iran's leadership against Rushdie over the author's 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses."

Institution moves forward with 'renewed purpose'

The institution will devote a week of its lecture series this summer to discuss freedom of expression, imagination and the resilience of democracy.

Morris said the choice of topic is a "reflection of our doubling down on our role as a convenor of critical conversations."

It's also a reflection of the institution's resilience in the face of trauma.

Rozner pointed to how the lecture series resumed the day after the Rushdie attack and that no guest speaker canceled their appearance. Rather, she said, many presenters "doubled down on why it was important to be with us."

"There's an understanding of why our mission exists in the world, and people understand its value more than they ever have before," she said.

Rozner didn't comment on whether Rushdie or Reese had reached out to the institution or plan on returning.

Rushdie, 75, has recently made his first public appearances since the attack, delivering a video message to the British Book Awards on May 15 and then speaking in person at the PEN America’s literary gala in New York on May 18. Rushdie said he plans to write a book about the attack.

Rozner said the institution will likely acknowledge the incident this summer in some fashion.

"There is a desire not to pretend that it didn't happen," she said. "I think it will be counter to who we are as a community to not honor the work that everybody did, to not acknowledge the collective trauma that we went through as a community."

In the meantime, preparations for the upcoming season are coming to a close. According to Morris, the institution is heading into its 150th season with "great enthusiasm and a renewed purpose."

"I think one of our patrons said it best when he said 'hate cannot win,'" she said. "The fact that we returned to our stages the day after that tragedy and we're rolling out one of our most ambitious programs ever in 2023 reflects our steadfast commitment to the mission of Chautauqua and the role that we play in the world."

Chautauqua Assembly 2023: What to know

Chautauqua Institution's summer season runs June 24 through Aug. 27.

Lecture themes include friendship; the national parks; infrastructure; freedom of expression, and literature, among others. Notable guests include public intellectuals Robert George and Cornel West; journalist Bob Woodward; National Public Radio’s Scott Simon; actor Sean Astin; Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and several more.

The institution is located at 1 Ames Ave. in Chautauqua, New York.

For information on programs, tickets and other details, visit chq.org.

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Chautauqua Institution, a year after Rushdie attack, stresses safety