UCB Students on Hunger Strike

BERKELEY, California – Yesterday, May 3rd, Chican@ and Latin@ students from various organizations called for a hunger strike in front of California Hall at the UC Berkeley campus which began last night.

They’re holding rallies every night at 7pm. Join them! Sign the petition. Their blog is hungryforjustice.

UPDATE:

5/5: The hunger strikers are not being allowed to sleep in front of California Hall. Any hunger striker found with a sleeping bag is being arrested due to an illegal lodging law. Police have been shining lights on them at night to keep waking them. They really need your support right now!

from indybay.

Demands:

1)   Publicly denounce Arizona’s SB1070 Law and ask President Yudof and other UC Chancellors to do the same as such blatant signs of racism are not representative of the values of the UC education system.

2)   Implement the promised AB540 Taskforce to begin Fall 2010 and to include student representation.

3)   Drop ALL the charges against student activists in the year 2009-2010, particularly those charged with student conduct beginning in November 20^th and December 11^th 2009.

4)   Stop cuts to low-wage workers on campus and stop attacks against union activists; rehire all AFSCME service workers and UPTE union activists and Cal performances employees.

5)   Suspend the Student code of conduct and initiate a democratic student-led process to review the code.  Those participating in this process should be charged with attending particularly to concerns about students’ due process rights and to free speech considerations.  If, through this review, it is determined that a new code can be written in any way that adequately addresses these concerns, a new code should be written by a democratic, student-led body.  If not, the student code of conduct should be abolished.

6)   Accept responsibility for the violence and escalation of the confrontation surrounding Wheeler Hall on November 20^th and December 11^th 2009 that resulted in injuries to many students and jeopardized the safety and security of AB540 students.  Additionally, commit to using non-violent means of ensuring safety at student demonstrations in the future.

from indybay.