As many in the UCLA community are now aware, the door to students’ off-campus apartment was vandalized with anti-Mexican and sexist messages on the morning of Monday, February 27. As tragic as this isolated event was, it is more illustrative of the broader campus climate on one hand, and, on the other, the complete inability of campus and system administrators to effectively address these situations and ensure the safety of their female students and students of color.
Before looking at the Daily Bruineditorial penned by Christine Mata, Assistant Dean of Students for Campus Climate, it’s important to rewind several years and place this event in the proper context. (more…)
UCSD Student’s have RECLAIMED the Library known as CLICS located in Revelle College. The University shut it down earlier this year due to “budget cuts.” This has had a dramatic effect on all students and further illustrates the Universities Privatization. The school just placed a $1.3 Million Dollar installation on the Jacob’s School of Engineering but couldn’t afford to keep the Library open.
Students have spoken out and taken action into their own hands! They have reclaimed their library! But we need you support! We need our faculty and departments to stand in Solidarity with the Students, you all can come into the space and use it for office hours or help us by publicizing to other students that the space is open.
It is currently being operated/run by students. They are currently working on a set of demands and are taking suggestions!
CLICS will function as the center of our reclamation process in taking back our university against the budget cuts and privatization of our education. We need your help getting the word out about this action: please tell your students to study at CLICS and to participate in the action. Here are a few action items….
Action items:
Please publicize this to students and other Faculty that will also help us publicize.
If you would like to hold office hours or review sessions within the space let us as soon as you can.
If you want to hold your final there or want students to turn in their finals let us know.
Please write a letter to the university supporting this action and demanding the University to meet our demands.
If you can donate supplies, financially or food, please let us know as well.
Let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions or things you would like to see within the space.
More than anything we need your support and advice to sustain this movement.
Con amor,
The students
UPDATE
From the students on the ground: “we had been working at this for a while, and made it really hush hush, but this morning at 6 oclock we were met by cops, so the library was not reclaimed, we are currently outside speaking to admin and police. Since its finals week the students have proceeded to studying outside. It is really cold outside, the building has running water and electricity with NO materials (computers,penicls etc.) all we want is a space to study. They cut this 24 hour library and gave us no alternative.”
The Admin seems to have conceded and they have now allowed the students entrance. Although, the students say it was them “who opened the doors”. They continue to push for the same demands. For more info, check out the following links: NBC San Diego and Sign On San Diego. (via RebelRadio)
Related:
A community garden set up on Saturday in solidarity with the occupy movement in Santa Cruz is under threat of bulldozing today at 1pm.
In april, organizers for public education held a conference and called for a day of action on October 7th. Today was the first system-wide day of action across the UC and CSU this academic year. Updates will follow here:
last update: 7:04pm, (oct.7.2010).
Quick Updates:
(chronological order: more recent to less recent.)
Doe Library sit-in with 600-800 people at UC Berkeley. Video Stream here.
Fire alarms are being pulled at Cal, more below.
Demonstrators throughout the UC system are attempting to hold a virtual sit-in, akin to a DDOS attack on the UCOP website. Updates here. UCOP apparently is countering the DDOS attack.
According to the blog StudentActivism, around 72 actions are being held throughout the US.
UC Berkeley:
11:50am: At least three campus buildings have fire alarms going off. (Pimentel, LeConte, Haas School of Business)
11:56am: A fourth building with fire alarms going off. (Valley Life Sci. Building)
12:02pm: ~500 people at sproul plaza.
12:06pm: Rally has grown close to 1000.
12:15pm: Fifth building with fire alarms going off, Wheeler.
12:45pm: Around 1500.
1:00pm: March has started, sit-in to ensue.
1:25pm: Around 200-300 in sit-in at Doe Library, in the north reading room. Police being sent in.
1:36pm: Around 600 at sit-in (according to DailyCal)
1:38pm: Staying until a General Assembly at 5pm.
1:40pm: Police closing doors, allegedly for fire hazard reasons.
1:53pm: UCPD not allowing any more to go into the library (Confirmed).
2:08pm: Demonstrators pleading with police to be allowed water and use of restrooms. They’re asking for people to come support!
2:30pm: UCB Librarians speaking, asking students to be careful to not damage anything, due to budget cuts. “We close at 9pm. You’re welcome to stay here and have your meetings…”
2:43pm: Fire alarm pulled at Dwinelle. 5 UCPD (more?) entering Doe.
2:46pm: Another fire alarm may have been pulled at Life Sciences Bldg.
2:57pm: “Whose education? Our education!”
3:00pm: Fire alarms pulled at Wheeler.
5:39pm: Police using Graduate Student Center as a meeting space. Rumors of imminent dispersal order.
6:05pm: Word is that the north door of the Doe Library is open. Some participants on the ground asking asking all those who can to come down and come inside. Cops are walking around the space but are not being belligerent at this point.
6:50pm: It appears that the participants have left Doe Library with intentions to join the AFSCME protest tomorrow and organize further actions later.
As many of you know, over the past several months I have been engaged in the contested and ongoing conversations about the future of public education in California. As a lecturer in the art department at U.C. Riverside, I can see very clearly and directly the impact of misguided budget decisions and unfair fee hikes. Since September I have taken part in numerous activities related to the crisis of priorities within the U.C., including those organized by the Free UCR Alliance. I am currently under investigation by the University for my role in a satirical website. In the spirit of what UCSD Professor Ricardo Dominguez has called radical transparency, I would like to make you aware of some of the details of the investigation and to ask for your support.
In California hundreds of rallies took place (more than listed below). Other good sources: SocialistWorker, Indybay.
(Feel free to comment with corrections. Last update: 10:10am mar.7.10)
University of California
UC Santa Cruz
5:00am: Students out blocking streets at the intersection of High & Western, Hagar and Coolidge, and the western entrance of campus effective shutting it down. Only people on foot can enter campus.
6:30am - High and Western
7:00am: Some people have been hit by cars breaking the picket line, breaking someone’s leg and hitting another 3 or so people.
Tan volvo plowing through strikers despite it was being let through slowly. The car accelerated as strikers were trying to control traffic flow traveling down High street.
8:00am: Campus administrators activated the CruzAlert messaging system with the following message “Please avoid both campus entrances due to safety concerns. Check web or 459-INFO at noon for update.” (source)
9:40am: Currently a rally is being held at the main entrance (i.e. the east entrance) with 250 participants. For a while 2 helicopters were flying above. The students blocking the intersection of High and Western have left after most of the workers were blocked from entering campus (it would appear some dining hall workers were able to get on campus, but many others were unable to get on campus). Many of the workers are now here supporting the students.
Earlier this morning, multiple students were injured by two separate incidents where cars rushed the strike line (one at the intersection of Hagar and Coolidge, and the second at the intersection of High and Western). The car at Hagar and Coolidge was tailgating a police car being let through, students then approached the vehicle to stand in front of it and tell them about the strike. The car hit the gas and drove into the mass, injuring a student’s leg, fortunately not broken. In the incident at High and Western, a tan volvo began accelerating into the crowd blocking the street, despite the fact that cars driving down High (away from campus) were being slowly let through. The volvo hit around 5 students, one student flipped over the hood of the car and over the top, breaking the rear window as the student fell off the back. As the volvo sped away, students kicked the car, denting it. Several cars and motorcycles have tried to slowly push through the crowd through out the day, but all failed. Rumors of other car incidents exist, but the others have yet to be confirmed.
Also, earlier this morning a banner was hung over highway 1, stating “March 4 Defend Education!”
11:40am: While most of the protesters are at the main entrance and the west entrance, some of the protesters are at Hagar and Coolidge to watch out for supervisors forcing workers to trek up the long and steep hill to get to work. Supervisors began leading the workers up the hill past a handful of students in the intersection before the students could organize themselves. As more students came to support the other students in the intersection, they realized the workers and supervisors were already around 50 feet away up the hill to campus. So around 15 students ran up the hill to form a line to blockade the workers. The police arrived and dispersed the line, telling the students that they had made a “physical threat” on the workers. As the workers passed by, they shouted that there was no physical threat. So as the police returned to their vehicle, the students yet again ran up the hill the block the workers from getting further into campus. The police immediately turned around and approached the students to disperse them. However by now, the workers turned around and spoke to their supervisors claiming they couldn’t get through, the supervisors conceded and the workers were allowed to go home
1:00pm: Around 500 have rallied at the base of campus. Video below was taken around 12:45pm, the rally as of 1:15pm is still going.
1:55pm: Students are redistributing themselves around campus for maximum effectiveness. Around 60 people are at Hagar and Coolidge warning people that they may not be able to re-enter campus if they leave. They are also watching out for supervisors forcing workers to get onto campus still.
2:50pm: Strikers are now relaxing on the grass at the main entrance listening to a live band. The strike is mostly split up into three locations, Lower Campus (Hagar and Coolidge), Main Entrance (i.e. East Entrance), and the West Entrance.
3:20pm: Earlier story about a prius running into students and driving onto sidewalk at High and Western has been confirmed. At least one student broke some fingers when the car recklessly plowed through the crowd.
5:30pm: A general assembly starts
6:30pm: The general assembly decides to take the protest downtown.
7:11pm: 300 Students walk through Pacific Ave.
7:30pm: The students have rallied at the clock tower.
9:10pm: Students dissipate.
UC Berkeley
1:20pm: Around 1000 people walking down telegraph (currently crossed at 66 ave.) for a rally with students from community colleges, CSU’s, and elementary school folks at city hall in Oakland.
3:10pm:The march has reached Frank Ogawa plaza.
After the rally, protesters marched to highway I-880. Around 150 protesters were arrested.
7:00am: Most all of the ~40 arrested taken to North County Jail in Oakland out, charged with 2 misdemeanors and an infraction (obstructing traffic, unlawful assembly, failure to obey signs).
8:00am: Approximately 80 of the arrested at Santa Rita jail should start being released around 11am. They need rides!
12:50pm: Students at UC Davis have shut down the bus terminal and the main street in Davis.
1:12pm: Students march down Russell st. and are now shutting down the freeway.
3:10pm: One student has been arrested, dozens of others have been shot by rubber bullets. They are currently on the street near the offramp and have been given a deal from the police stating that they will release the student arrested if they leave the offramp now.
3:30pm: Police using pepper spray pellets!
4:00pm: Students walking back to campus.
4:30: Students march through buildings pulling fire alarms, and from there they returned to Russell and La Rue where they shut down the intersection for several hours.
UCLA
1:40pm: Soft occupation at Murphy Hall
2:00pm: correction, sit-in
6:20pm: Outside supporters have been lead to believe that students sitting inside will be arrested.
6:40pm: Sit-in protesters all released.
UC Irvine
1:50pm: Around 400 students are walking around campus urging others to join them in striking. According to OC Weekly, numbers increased to 800. One of the largest protests in recent campus history.
2:00pm: Students take to the streets and head towards freeway 73. Students clear one police line and continue down University Avenue.
2:34pm: Students moving back to campus after being stopped by police again. Police: “Immediately return to campus!”
2:50pm: Students gathering at Langson Library.
2:55pm: UC Irvine temporarily occupied with barricades at Langson Library. Students move to Gateway Study Center and lock down several doors before clearing out.
3:30pm: Students were unable to hold down the occupations, so they are now out and marching again.
3:45pm: Aldrich Hall, the admin building, was locked down with 15-20 police inside, so students held an impromptu general assembly in front of Aldrich.
Students blocking traffic on Campus Ave. (from local news)
UC San Diego
4:00pm: According to one source, 2000-3000 people, another source 1500-2000, (mostly students, with some teachers and parents) marched from Balboa park to the Governor’s Office downtown.
March 4 Banner Drop
UC Riverside
3:21pm: According to Daily Cal, somewhere near a 1000 students marching downtown.
UC Santa Barbara
According to one commenter:
12:00 noon rally at UCSB Arbor plaza draws 1000+ students, workers, teachers, biggest rally in UCSB’s recent history
1:30 PM – Rally heads downtown, most people use free bus service while about 50 take part in a Critical Mass ride downtown
3:40 PM – UCSB students, students and teachers from other schools gather at De La Guerra Plaza downtown, ~500 people take State St. for an unpermitted march down State.
4:00 PM – March has turned around and marches back up State, grows to ~1000 as it passes De La Guerra Plaza again. State St. is totally clogged with a massive march.
4:30 PM – Marchers arrive at the courthouse for a rally, with speakers including students, faculty and local politicians. Crowd disperses following the rally.
(special thanks to coyote)
UCSB ~4pm
California State University
San Francisco State University
They held a rally that ended at 2pm with 500 people. The rally later turned into a dance party. Another party is going to be held Thursday night at 10pm at Malcolm X plaza.
San Francisco (General)
According to Socialist Worker, [20,000+] people are protesting at the civic center.
CSU Northridge
DailyCal says that a Rally with thousands come out for a “funeral service”. While Socialist Worker is stating that nearly 6000 come out for a protest in Northridge resulting in at least one injury and several arrests. Protesters are apparently waiting outside the jail.
According to one commenter:
A few of us started organizing for the day around 10AM; making posters, mostly.
Around 11:30AM, we ran screaming for a walk-out with noisemakers/pots/bullhorns throughout various campus buildings. A lot of people joined us and we marched to a nearby busy intersection (Nordhoff/Reseda). There was an invasion through the library and some more buildings with a long line of people calling for a walk-out.
We met back at the busy intersection and invaded the center…police came soon and cleared up the streets. A few people refused to move. A couple local news stations came to report, and the occupation of the middle of the street continued.
Around 2:30PM, we went back to campus and gathered a huge crowd on the Oviatt Library quad.
At 3:45PM, we began the march with CSU Channel Islands students/faculty. We all took to the streets and marched around campus.
By 6:30PM, enough of us had begun an occupation of yet another intersection (Reseda/Prairie). This was when police threatened to arrest due to “unlawful assembly in the streets” and “trespassing.” A little while later, they began to threaten tear gas. Two people got arrested so far.
By 7:30PM, five people had been arrested and one of our professors, 74-yr old Dr. Olsen, was knocked down and her arm stepped on by the police. She’s currently at the hospital.
By 8:00PM, we invaded the space outside the library and talked to the media, reorganized, and planned for a press conference March 5th (today). Word started to go around that the students who got arrested were getting booked/released.
Summary ? Huge misrepresentation by the media. Police not the nicest of nice. Lots of people from the surrounding community made this CSUN protest big. Anger at our president for misrepresenting what happened last night through her statement. Good energy going around those who were part of the event; plans of having CSUN fund buses for the March 22nd rally at Sacramento.
According to the blog EastsideLA, a March 4 rally started at CSULA which later traveled through parts of Los Angeles, through areas like Little Tokyo. Sometimes the marchers were on streets, other times they were corralled by police to stick to the sidewalks. EastsideLA remarked how controlled the march felt, from both police and some organizers. They also commented how elements of the march were joyous and fun as such a protest should be. Crowd estimates appeared to be a little over a thousand.
Around noon, students, staff and faculty participated in a walkout and marched from either end of campus to a rally in front of the Student Center. A few hundred people attended the rally. Some student bands played throughout the day while students danced to the music. Student, staff, and faculty members spoke about cuts to public education and related issues, from spending money on wars and prisons to the systemic injustice that prevents so many people from attaining higher education.
In the evening, some of the protesters from campus went to a community rally at Colton Hall (the sight of the first public school in California) in downtown Monterey. They joined people from local community colleges, K-12 schools, and members of various labor unions.
We got all these corporations erasing education
standarized testing placement exam evaporation
this is no exaggeration; let’s get rid of this abberation!
Student Occupation- it’s now ours for the taking
what should have been all along, this is democracy in the making
not a fire evacuation or a sly accusation
THIS IS NOT A DRILL, now you know were not faking
aint gonna hide under desks of leave the classrooms vacant
just teach-ins reclaiming the history you were debasing
free food with Food Not Bombs special catering baking
Love and knowledge; it’s a collage at City College
all the cultures reconnecting and solving the problems from the bottom
[Chorus]
[i]Put your hands in the air if you want books not war
Democracy (what?),Tthat’s what the people is for!
Put your hands in the air if you want books not war
Democracy (what?), That’s what the people is for![/i]
Grass Roots, we’ve all got em- in the soles of our feet
and the souls that is a part of every energy being
every day they working hard to try to tear up your dreams
racism on the radios and consumerist bling
but now it’s time to shine and let freedom sing
The future is now; we’re the ones here to claim
The Rosenberg Library? I say it’s time to rename it-
repaint it like all the murals that made the Mission famous
aint gonna let a business suit calm us down or try to tame us
we’re WILD and free; we love it can you blame us?
Sorry Swarzinagger but we broke out of the cages
with solidarity K through 12 and all ages
[Chorus]
[i]Put your hands in the air if you want books not war
Democracy (what?),Tthat’s what the people is for!
Put your hands in the air if you want books not war
Democracy (what?), That’s what the people is for![/i]
Textbooks is now free; take copyrights off of pages
Don’t need leaders or sages to mold our consent
when our rights is threatened it’s our time to dissent
throw up your middle finger to this one-party government
I didn’t vote for this war; I say you bring back our men
That’s my word and it’s as sure as the ink in this pen
that causes hysterics with these lyrics to throw me back in the pen
but I’ll do it again; a no compromise kinda guy
we comprised a bee storm after you swapping us like flies
like a video game set to unlimited lives
the people never give up and they infinite as the skies
We took off your disguise and blocked your deflectors
The board of directors is just a horde of rejectors
aint gonna listen to us until we unite as protectors
Call out to all sectors; we’re here and we’re permanent
The powers that be; you better be learning from it
We’re sick of your greed and sick of your rules
you wanna gut education well…
you about to get schooled!
We ‘ve taken over the Student Services Building. We started on the bottom level, turning a meager rally into a protest-party on the inside.Students are chanting, singing, dancing. The energy moved upstairs to the second floor where a folk group is performing right now. Downstairs another band is about to play. We are holding space and reclaiming it as ours. We will not leave!
The local media showed up for the rally outside but left before we went inward. Channel 12 and other local media sources watched as the president of our school spoke. Students were the real stars, the expression of solidarity was fantastic. Food not bombs came out to feed everyone that was hungry, we screened the occupation of wheeler hall so passerbys could connect with the struggles in the west. Students are making noise!!!!, and celebrated our ability to come together. It’s more than just tuition hikes and budget cuts,
SANTA CRUZ, California – Earlier today, a message was found written in a women’s bathroom in the Earth and Marine Sciences building at UC Santa Cruz. The message read, “San Diego Lynch” with a drawing of a noose referencing the noose found at UC San Diego last week.
(We don’t mean to throw gasoline on a fire. We were not originally intending to post this in fear of sensationalizing what appears to be one among many despicably racist messages commonly found in bathrooms. However, the UCSC Chancellor has already sent out a message to respond to this. This is not news, this is just disgusting.)
A banner was dropped on Saturday, Feb. 27th off the balcony of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union building in solidarity with the Black Student Union at UCSD.
San Diego, CA – A string of racist incidents at UCSD has sparked students there to take over the UCSD chancellor’s office. Yesterday evening, a noose was found in a library on campus catalyzing students to take direct action. Students outraged held a rally this Friday morning, and now hundreds have taken over the office. The BSU has given the administration a 5pm deadline to make effective changes that address racism on campus.
update
2:00pm: In solidarity with the UCSD folks, students are sitting in at Murphy Hall at UCLA
at UCLA
2:30pm: At least 100 students occupying Murphy Hall, the UCLA administration building. Students are currently meeting with the Chancellor about three demands:
1. Closure of UCSD until there is a full investigation of events surrounding Compton Cook Out and the noose left hanging for 3 days in Library.
2. Expulsion of offending students and dismantling of The Koala newspaper.
3. Diversity needs be met by March 4th.
3:10pm: We’re hearing rumors that a second noose has been found.
UCSD
4:00pm: Police deny that a second noose has been found, though rumors are still circulating that one was found hanging from a statue in Warren College. Right now numbers at UCSD are decreased slightly, though many more are expected to come at 5pm, the deadline given to the Chancellor.
5:10pm: The UCSD sit-in has turned into a civil disobedience action. Chancellor Fox apparently has not attempted to meet the demands of the students. Some students have left the office to support outside, but estimates of 80-100 students inside are willing to be arrested. So far no word of police action or likelihood of arrests.
5:20pm: Drum circle forming outside Chancellor’s office. Police are threatening arrests. Students: “We will stay until BSU demands are met.”
5:23pm: According to one source, as many as 300 people still inside the office. A live audio stream is available here.
5:35pm: Students meeting with Chancellor Fox return to the sit-in to discuss the letter they received from the admin, describing it as, “bullshit.” They plan to return on Monday with their response. The student(s) involved in the noose incident is being suspended, although a time frame hasn’t been established. The protesters are not satisfied with this weak response by the administration, considering this new document from the Chancellor to have no new concrete improvements over previous ones.
RT @redmaterialism: There is not actually a settled legal doctrine requiring universities to host people like Charlie Kirk; there are lots… 2 weeks ago
RT @lacrise_ucd: incredible ucd undergrad solidarity at the picket line on Russell blv. they've been stopping unitarians and blocking campu… 4 months ago
RT @uaw2865: BREAKING - 36,558 total votes were cast in UC Academic Workers’ Strike Authorization Votes, with 98% voting Yes to authorize a… 4 months ago
RT @rkaump: Donate to Q'eqchi' families violently evicted by armed extralegal forces. They'd been receiving death threats, & their homes &… 5 months ago
occupy california 
