Students, workers and faculty protest in front of the student health center on Feb. 13 in response to the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP), and call for reform of caps, fees and hikes. Photos by Daniel Green.

The words “No Caps-No Hikes-Affordable Care” were printed on a banner and held behind several activists from the local UC Student-Workers Union (UAW 2865), who led a rally at the Student Health Center at 11:30 a.m. and a “sick-in,” similar to a sit-in, from 12–1 p.m. on Feb. 13.

Over 100 faculty, students and staff gathered on the sidewalk to protest proposed increases to the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP), an insurance program provided for the faculty, students and staff of University of California. UC SHIP is projecting a $57 million deficit because of actuarial errors that have been accruing since 2010–a result of poor planning by the actuarial firm Aon Hewitt, which helped SHIP set up the original premium plan.

Josh Brahinsky, UC Student-Workers Union (UAW 28565) activist speaks at the protest against UC health insurance caps, hikes and fees.

Micha Rahder, a teaching fellow for the anthropology department, gave a speech at the protest where she stated that the university insurance no longer covered her after several expensive procedures. Days earlier on Feb. 11, Rahder sent out a press release inviting people to the protest.
“UC executives are reporting a loss of $57 million in the student health plan due to a financial miscalculation, and are proposing to cover this deficit with a fee increase of up to … $600 per year,” the press release read. “It is unclear whether financial aid will be able to cover this increase for students in need.”

Three police officers stood nearby as the protest occurred.

Protesters use crutches and walkers to make a point at health insurance protest.

At noon the first speaker, UAW 2865 activist and main organizer Josh Brahinsky, stood up with a microphone on the Student Health Center sign and delivered a three-point demand for remediating campus insurance. With microphone in hand, Brahinsky called for no more lifetime caps on insurance coverage, for no future price-hikes and for more affordable payments for care under the campus insurance program.

Participants in the crowd held signs stating “Honk for Healthcare!” and “We are not banks!” as activists delivered more speeches to the sound of chants and car horns.

A custodial staff member, an undergraduate student and a faculty member also spoke at the protest about worker insurance deficiencies, denial of coverage for undocumented students and denial of coverage due to benefit-caps, respectively.

At one point during the protest, Brahinsky stood atop the Student Health Center sign holding a poster-board on which Chancellor Blumenthal’s phone number was written down. Students then placed calls in unison to demand campus insurance reform.

The protest ended with a small group of sign-holders occupying sidewalks on both sides of the street. At multiple points protesters stood in the street and obstructed oncoming traffic as they sent chants ringing through the air.

“No hikes (no hikes), no fees (no fees), all our health care should be free.”

Illustration by Leigh Douglas

UC Santa Cruz isn’t UC Los Angeles. As a rule, UCSC doesn’t fight its workers every step of the way, bringing minor disputes all the way to arbitration like UCLA does with staggering frequency. So it’s discomforting to see UCSC going the way of its more combative southern cousin with its recent jab at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Before AFSCME’s contract with the UC expired in late September, UCSC began taking additional pension contributions out of the paychecks of AFSCME members without negotiating. Pension contributions are a mandatory subject of the contract bargaining process, so AFSCME filed an unfair labor practice charge against UCSC on behalf of the local Skilled Crafts Bargaining Unit, the targeted AFSCME unit.

The Public Employee Relation Board for California ruled in AFSCME’s favor, and an informal hearing involving the UC and AFSCME is occurring at the time of publication. And that’s the crux of this whole issue. It’s not a grey area at all. UCSC was in the wrong. They clearly violated the contract agreed upon by both parties. It’s strong-arming, plain and simple.

It’s clear to everyone that the university is in more than a little financial trouble, and that everyone must take cuts where they can. But reneging on union deals is low, especially when considering the inflated paychecks of upper-tier UC administrators (many “earn” well above six figures). Yudof maintains that such inflated salaries are necessary expenditures in order to retain talented employees.

But Yudof doesn’t keep this campus running from day to day. Our bus drivers, food workers, carpenters, electricians and medical technicians do. Weakening unions hurts workers, the UC and Santa Cruz as a whole.

It’s crucial that students recognize the vital role played by unions like AFSCME. You’ve seen them demonstrating. They’ve had a presence at almost every major student protest in the last several years. Out of all the UCs, UCSC is known for having a student body that has been overwhelmingly supportive of its unions. We can’t let that change, especially in the face of underhanded pressures from the UC itself.

Unions are in bad shape at UCSC, with groups from UC-AFT (University Council – American Federation of Teachers) to AFSCME doing more and more work with fewer and fewer people. The parallels between their situation and the plight of the student trying to get the classes needed to graduate while juggling jobs to pay for skyrocketing tuition costs should be obvious. We’re all stung by massive financial cuts. But we need to show the UC that striking at its most vulnerable members isn’t going to create a UC that we can be proud of.

UCSC is the biggest employer in Santa Cruz. It’s not a stretch from there to understand why protecting union workers is important.

“We’d really like to lay out what our campus is doing in terms of protests and how we continue to respond differently to student demonstrations than how some of the other campuses have reacted,” said Alison Galloway, campus provost and executive vice chancellor. “We want to make clear that we have a very different approach towards dealing with student demonstrations, especially in light of what happened at Berkeley and Davis.”

In November 2010, UC Santa Cruz began organizing its first Demonstration Advisory Group (DAG) comprised of faculty, students and staff to review campus demonstration practices and policies. With no anticipation of the Occupy and March 1 demonstrations that would later engulf UC campuses in student protest, the need for specific campus demonstration policies only escalated with the police brutality incidents at UC Berkeley and UC Davis, which shook the system only a year later.

“At the time, no one anticipated the incidents last fall that emphasized the need for each UC campus to have appropriate, clear and consistent demonstration policies,” Galloway said.

Through the forum, the DAG hopes to address issues including communication before and during an action, the role of observers, campus surveillance policies, post-demonstration review of police performance and the student judicial process. Galloway said the DAG also plans to introduce new ideas toward changing the judicial system to better handle issues with students who have been charged with protest activity.

With UCSC’s long-standing history of student-led demonstrations, the DAG hopes to address and improve student, staff and faculty concerns through direct discussion.

“We have always had major protests on this campus, and every time we’ve had an administrator present at demonstrations in order to not rely on second and third-hand word,” Galloway said.

Galloway said she hopes students will come out and get involved with the discussion in order to improve policies directed toward not only demonstration-related issues but campus communication as a whole.

“We’re trying to come up with a structure to protect the rights of people to be able to protest and keep this campus as good as a place it can be,” Galloway said.

On March 1, students and supporters of the Occupy Education movement gathered at universities across the nation to protest tuition hikes and call for state reform. On March 5, thousands of student protestors from higher education institutions in California gathered in Sacramento with a similar message.

Jeb Purucker, a UC Santa Cruz literature graduate student, emphasized the global nature of the movement.

“Protesters were gathering in London and people were getting tear-gassed in Quebec while we were out in the rain on Thursday,” Purucker said.

On March 1, the UCSC campus was shut down at 4:00 a.m. as close to 250 students gathered to listen to speakers and take part in a “Tent University” staffed by activists and faculty. A wide variety of issues were discussed and opinions expressed, but most protesters agreed on the basics.

“I’m here because the state of our education is currently in a crisis and I believe the people in power are not fit to address it,” said Chris Cuadrado, a fourth year Latin American and Latino studies major and emcee of the tarp-covered truck that served as a stage for student and faculty speakers. “I believe it is essential for us to come together and decide what our response is to that crisis.”

Protesters gathered peacefully for the majority of the day. At 8:30 a.m. a Ford Mustang attempted to breach the blockade at the base of campus, knocking over students. No one was seriously injured.

A larger protest occured in Sacramento on March 5. Four busloads of UCSC students took part. Activists, union representatives and students marched to the State Capitol, carrying signs and banners bearing slogans condemning recent budget cuts and actions of the UC regents.

Thousands of people gathered on the steps of the Capitol to listen to speakers including Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and civil rights activist Van Jones, as well as several student representatives. The speakers advocated new taxes and in favor of further budget cuts.

“We’re here today because the California dream is in danger. We’re here today because we have more than tripled the cost of higher education in this state in the last decade and more than doubled it in the last five years. We’re here today to say enough is enough,” said Newsom. “We built the envy of higher education for the world 50-plus years ago … It’s time to reconcile our proud past.”

After speakers left protesters entered the Capitol. Around 2 p.m., a general assembly was organized by several hundred protesters, as they discussed the changes they’d like to see. These were later formalized in a list of demands.

Most filtered slowly out of the building as the night went on, but 68 were arrested for refusing to leave after a dispersal order was issued. They were released later that night and slept in a Sacramento Church until morning, when buses from their respective cities and universities took them home.

John Kenny, a UC Berkeley environmental engineering grad student, was impressed with the turnout.

“I came to this General Assembly because I like how this is some kind of democratic process where we can come up with what we want to do,” said Kenny. “I was impressed by the number of people [who] were here earlier.”

Others like Mike Rotkin, UCSC Community Studies field study coordinator, said celebration was premature.

“All of your lives for the next few decades are going to be determined by a raging crisis at the world level in the economy,” said Rotkin as he stood in the rain and addressed the crowd from the truck on March 1. “There aren’t gonna be any rising wages and rising benefits for you. Your lives are gonna be about fighting for the scraps you have and trying to figure out a way to build some power in this country, so your children have a future.”

Global Cities, a sociology class taught by Miriam Greenberg, is held at the base of campus during the March 1st protests that shut down campus.

For video coverage of this event, check out City on a Hill Press’ section on the website: www.sctv28.com. 

Despite the rain drenching the gathered crowd of between 100-200, spirits were high. Occupy Education strikers gathered at the entrances of UC Santa Cruz since 4:00 a.m. Student and faculty protesters congregated on March 1 for the state-wide Day of Action, hiding from the rain between tents and a truck bearing blaring speakers.

“It is our expectation that the participants will remain respectful of the needs of the broader campus community and that the day will unfold in a safe and positive manner,” according to the announcement.

At 8:30 a.m., a Ford Mustang attempted to break through a student barricade. Some students were knocked over by the car, but were rescued by other protesters.

“We were just standing there, trying to keep warm,” said Abby Edwards. “Next thing I knew I was on top of the hood and then on the ground. We weren’t even on the front line.”

UC Santa Cruz police chief Nader Oweis said that this incident was of concern to the UCSC police. They are still interviewing witnesses, and charges have yet to be pressed.

Students brave the cold and rain, blocking off the Glenn Coolridge Dr. UCSC entrance as part of the March 1st protest which shut down campus. Photos by Toby Silverman.

“Having that car attack, it worried us. Our goal is to keep everybody safe. We just don’t want any altercations,” Oweis said.

Oweis said that the top priority of the UCSC police department was safety.

“At 5:00 p.m., there are going to be a lot of families trying to get off campus with their kids,” Oweis said. “I’m worried about when it gets dark. We just want to make sure nobody gets hurt.”

Graduate student Omid Mohamadi had a similar appraisal of the situation.

“The guy who hit the protesters was angry from the beginning. We kept the line and stayed peaceful,” Mohamadi said. “I think there is a silent agreement between us and the police to keep things peaceful.”

Besides this and other incidents, the protest otherwise remained relatively calm. But some students were disappointed by the relatively low turnout.

“What has it come to?” asked an unnamed female protester. “More people show up for 4/20. Things shut down completely for 4/20. I expected a lot more.”

Mohamadi thought that the turnout was acceptable, given the weather.

“Despite the rain, people are still out here,” he said.

Speakers blaring Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” obscured the voices of some protesters and it was difficult to spot clear leaders, but protesters made their opinions heard nonetheless.

Students surround the "University of California Santa Cruz" sign at the front entrance of campus on High Street during the March 1st protest that shut down campus.

“I’m here because I don’t think there’s any other way for students to be heard,” said another protester. “I think we relate to certain services in the wrong way–health care, public education. These are for the public good, and should be treated as such. My little sister wants to come to [the] UC, and my family isn’t going to be able to send her.”

Some UC workers empathized with the protesters’ grievances. Union worker George McCombie of AFSCME 3299 (the UC worker’s union) wasn’t able to work on campus due to the blocked entrances, but took the opportunity to attend the protest.

“I’m out here to support the students. When I started working here ten years ago, tuition was just over $3000; it’s doubled twice since then,” McCombie said. “I have a nine-year-old son– at this rate, by the time he’s university age, it’ll be over $50,000. It’s not sustainable.”

McCombie said the UC needs to take budget cuts in administrative departments.

“Faculty is the brains, unions are the brawn, and administrators are the fat. That’s where we should cut–administrator salaries, UCOP,” McCombie said. “We should spare faculty and keep class sizes down.”

The protest is slated to run until roughly 8:00 pm–at time of publication, the protest is still ongoing. The protest is scheduled to move to Sacramento on March 5th.

Protesters gather in front of Wells Fargo Bank on Feb. 15 to support the 11 individuals who have charges against them for actions taken during an occupation of a vacant bank in November. Photo by Toby Silverman.

As the Occupy Santa Cruz encampment in San Lorenzo Park entered its final stages in late November of last year, an estimated 20 to 30 demonstrators who claimed to be “anonymously, autonomously acting in solidarity with Occupy Santa Cruz” broke into and occupied a vacant bank building at 75 River St. for three days, beginning on Nov. 30. That was nearly three months ago.

Today, 11 alleged members of this group, known as the “Santa Cruz Eleven,” are facing a total of 22 charges after local authorities completed an investigative identification process. All were charged with felonies except for Gabriella Ripley-Phipps, who was charged with a third-degree misdemeanor for delaying an officer.

“Three people were arrested in their homes and taken to the county jail,” said Tom Jones,* who is currently facing charges. “Others like myself were able to get ourselves to the county jail and turn ourselves in.”

The November occupation racked up an estimated $35,000 in damages, according to police records.

Among the charges filed against the 11 are claims of conspiracy to commit a crime, felony vandalism, trespassing, and refusing to leave private property at the request of police and the building’s lease owners, according to court records.

The list of defendants includes long-time Santa Cruz activist Robert Norris Kahn, also known as Robert Norse.

District Attorney Bob Lee announced the indictments on Feb. 8. One member of the group was “arrested, handcuffed and taken from her home with pancakes burning on the stove,” according to an Occupy Santa Cruz report.

Only four arrests have occurred as of Feb. 22, as the remaining defendants continue to seek legal advising in addition to attending their scheduled arraignments. The sheriff’s office’s jail records show not all of the 11 warrants had been served as of Feb. 22. Those listed in the complaint are all expected to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment dates.

In late December 2011, Santa Cruz police announced they had identified 13 demonstrators who had occupied and vandalized the vacant Wells Fargo-owned building, and subsequently submitted the names to the district attorney’s office. At this time, police claimed much of the information regarding the 13 proposed suspects came from community members who viewed photos from the incident.

Eleven of the 13 suspects charged with felonies were allegedly identified in this manner. Information on the other two suspects was not released.

“I think [the claim that community members helped identify those involved] is very misleading,” Jones said. “All the testimony I’ve seen in the documents was of police identifying people.”

The Santa Cruz police department’s Deputy Chief of Police Steve Clark said all accused were accurately identified as participants in the incident.

“There are no mistaken identities in this particular case,” Clark said. “We have photo or video evidence of each of the individuals who have been charged.”

A counter-protest in support of the defendants was held on Feb. 15 in front of the Wells Fargo Bank, across the street from the still-vacant building where the initial occupation took place. The counter-protest began at 3 p.m., and after 40 minutes of demonstrations forced closure of the bank for the remainder of the day. One person was arrested.

“I don’t think people should be arrested for expressing their views,” said Santa Cruzan Courtney Oberholser, who observed the protest while making a trip to the ATM.

However, not all community members were in support of the occupation back in November.

“The feedback we got from community members is they felt a much higher sense of violation, especially business owners, property owners, homeowners,” Clark said. “They felt that ‘if people could do that in this building, they could come do that in my house or in my business. What are you, the police going to do about it?’”

Among the attendees of the Feb. 15 protest were some of the 11 people charged in the indictments, who came to vouch their support for the cause.

“It was a non-violent civil disobedience action,” said Becky Johnson, one of the 11 charged. “The people who did enter the building knew they were breaking the law but did it to draw attention to the greater good.”

Johnson, a local activist and 1988 UC Santa Cruz graduate, taught in Santa Cruz for nine years. While Johnson is currently working as an in-home support service worker, she hopes to return to teaching in the future. The charges filed against her could mean more than fines and jail time.

“I am in a very bad position,” Johnson said. “Even though I am completely innocent, a single police officer identified me inside the building. It really comes down to this officer’s word against mine, and in my experience juries tend to side with the police officer. If I am convicted of these charges I will lose my teaching credentials.”

Of the 11 defendants named by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s office, Judge Ariadne Symons has arraigned seven, including Johnson and Norse. All but Norse pleaded not guilty. Norse was scheduled to continue in court on Feb. 29 after asking Judge Symons for time to hire an attorney.

Those who plead not guilty are required to obey all laws, cooperate with police, and stay away from the 75 River St. location. A preliminary hearing for several of the accused defendants is scheduled for
March 5.

Illustration by Christine Hipp

Between the 32 percent fee hike in 2009 and the annual ritual of slashing curricula, there’s been plenty for UC students to be upset about. What does it mean when every UC Board of Regents meeting for the last decade has been met with the hoarse cries of an ignored student body?

The Occupy movement that swept the the nation last fall was a similar catalyst for mobilization. An uproarious — and more importantly, awakened — student body discovered just how far the UC administration was willing to go to keep its status quo in check. Helping hands were cuffed, defiant faces were pepper-sprayed, and a number of students were hospitalized. The administration’s message was clear: Where there’s a will, there won’t be any way but theirs.

But the attempts of the UC to regulate students who would defy them are patently inane. We cannot be rounded up and pushed along like rats in a maze.

The most recent effort to suppress student voice manifested itself at the UC Riverside campus in December. In response to student protests, the dean of UCR handed down guidelines for demonstration. This slap to the collective student face was met with outrage.  Overlooking clear violations of First Amendment rights, the protocol was demeaning to students, and treated them like children.

To be in compliance with those guidelines, UCR student demonstrators would need faculty chaperones, they could not carry stick-borne signs, and designated protesting areas were strictly enforced. While the UCR dean was swift in removing these guidelines in response to public outcry, the post in its original form is still available for view on a Say No to UCR Protest Guidelines online petition.

The dean’s response has been to form a task force on assembly guidelines. Yet the task force, composed mostly of administration officials, has proven to be a less-than-welcome response. In their first meeting, task force member Stephen Lee’s comments belittled student protesters.

“In a sense, administrators closely resemble the role of parents while students closely resemble the role of children,” Lee said.

UCR is not alone. UCLA, UC Berkeley and other UC campuses have similar policies in place barring students from disrupting the day-to-day affairs of their respective campuses. While one UC Davis fact sheet on protests refers to such activity as “the lifeblood of a successful university community,” the strict enforcement of UC policies has made it clear that business-as-usual comes first.

UC students are not children. They are old enough to choose to bury themselves in student loan debt, and they are old enough to express their opinions without hand-holding guidelines. In fact, there is one childhood lesson administrators themselves could stand to learn: Treat others as you wish to be treated. In the future, administrators should show students the same respect they demand of us.

At about 6:30 p.m., Santa Cruz police in riot gear tried to enter the building. They hit protesters with batons in an attempt to control the crowd. Demonstrators responded by barricading the entrance with tables and chairs already inside.

At its peak, the action had roughly 80 people participating. Though the group stated they are “in solidarity with Occupy Santa Cruz,” they said they are autonomous and separate. Their media liaison Desiree Foster said the building is being put to better use occupied than in recent history.

“This building has been abandoned for three years,” Foster said. “We’re taking it and we’re going to make it into a positive community space instead of having it sit here and be empty.”

The Occupy Wall Street movement began on Sept. 17, when demonstrators began to assemble in New York City’s Liberty Square. The movement quickly spread to cities across the nation and internationally. For more than two months, protesters have been occupying space across the globe in the name of substantial financial and political change.

Foster said she hopes clashes between the police and the protesters are minimal.

“We’re here to be peaceful and not cause problems,” Foster said. “We are aware that being in a building is a problem for some people.”

Community members from all walks of life were drawn to the area by outdoor music, police cars and dozens of people milling about. Local first-year law student Ted Fairbanks said he was attracted by the cause.

“I am a concerned citizen who happened to walk by and see what was going on,” he said. “I sympathize with these people.”

Santa Cruz city council member Katherine Biers stopped by as well.

“I happened to drive by, but I saw what was going on,” she said. “I had to see it.”

Media liaison Foster said the group is optimistic about having a long stay in the building.

“We hope to be here through the winter,” Foster said. “Not only is this warm, it’s a place to sleep and it has electricity. It is a safe haven almost, assuming things go okay.”

Photo by Nick Paris.

Picketers surrounded Hahn Student Services building at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, in conjunction with a rally at Quarry Plaza to be held that afternoon. They aimed to shut the building down and prevent people from going to work.

A small initial group of organizers were quickly joined by more protesters, growing from 20 to near 100 in half an hour.

Dividing to stand in front of each entrance into Hahn, picketers held signs protesting cuts to education and fee increases. Several donned bandanas as well as swatches of iridescent cloth to denote their support of the students at UC Davis. By 6 a.m, they erected three tents in front of the south, east and second-story entrances.

Third-year Courtney Hanson said the group’s general assembly chose Hahn as the center for demonstration.

“This is the place where people come to write their checks to this entity called ‘The Board of Regents,’’’ Hanson said. “We chose this building for various reasons—some tactical and some legal. The people who work inside this building are not our enemies, but we have to disrupt the system.”

Associate Vice Chancellors Jean Marie Scott and Michelle Whittingham approached the building at 7:20 a.m.

Scott explained Hahn employees had not been instructed to abstain from coming to work that day, and would instead be deferred to the Bay Tree Bookstore after arriving at the building. She noted the building was considered “occupied,” and asked for cooperation to avoid confrontation.

Around noon, protesters used Quarry Plaza as a forum of discussion about fellow occupations’ hardships, most notably the action taken against UCD students on Nov. 18.

UCD second-year Kitty Bolte, who is studying agriculture at UC Santa Cruz, announced a message from UC Davis at the rally.

“We’re all one campus,” Bolte said. “We’re the same student population, all fighting the same struggle.”

In preparation for her rally message, Bolte called friends at UCD, who talked to UCD Occupy.

“For Davis, we’re just getting started,” Bolte said. “Everyone is waking up and we’re not backing down … before this, Davis was an apathetic campus, and now a tenth of the campus is coming out.”

The rally saw approximately 300 people, but the turnout wasn’t reflective of what third-year Mark Goodman expected to see.

“Before break, the protest was way bigger,” Goodman said. “When they marched to the bottom of campus it looked much larger than it does today. There is a good chance it’s because people are still home for vacation.”

Sociology professor Herman Grey did not view the size of the rally as important as its meaning.

“This action is great,” Grey said. “You can’t judge it by numbers because the message is being sent. If it’s on the students’ minds, they are making an impact. The fact that this place is given to this kind of discussion shows what’s on students’ minds. Size as an index won’t change why the protest matters.”

Various campus officials were also present at the protest, monitoring the progression of the discussion and agenda demands.

Alison Galloway, campus provost and executive vice chancellor, agreed there should be changes around various campuses, but some demands wouldn’t be in the interest of the students.

“Police forces need greater communication with the students, and the admins need to work closely with the police,” Galloway said. “If UCPD ends, the university is subject to city and county police — the UCPD was originally established to be more or less lenient on students. If the university were subject to city/county police, the administration has less control.”

UCSC chief of police Nader Oweis discussed the use of force.

“Our actions are really dictated by what happens, and our level of force or non-use of force is really determined by what happens at the protests or rallies, or by the individuals who attend,” Oweis said.

Though the need for greater student physical safety was a counterargument to the deconstruction of UCPD, other staff regarded this as a subtext to the potential of a larger reconstruction.

Susan Gillman, senate chair and literature professor, said there was an “implicit hierarchy” in the UC system.

“Most of the UC campuses believe in 10 UC campuses, one university,” Gillman said. “We’re all basically in the same boat. The budget is the great equalizer. We need to reevaluate our efforts for equal per-student funding to all UC campuses.”

While discussion contined throughout the crowd, the rally ended at 1:45 p.m., followed by a  general assembly. Students seated themselves to discuss the future goals of the movement, as well as vote on the continued support of the closure of Hahn Student Services.

Pierce Gibson Crosby, Laurel Fujii and KellyAnn Kelso contributed to this report.

Additional reporting by Chelsea Hawkins

Illustration by Christine Hipp.

The trouble with mobilizing the 99 percent is the “few bad apples” syndrome.

Just over two years ago, UC Santa Cruz students rallied, bearing signs asking students to “raise hell” over the 32.5 percent fee increase voted on by the UC Board of Regents. On Nov. 19, 2009, approximately 150 students occupied Kerr Hall, eventually barricading themselves inside in protest. When police raided the building and removed the student occupiers, UCSC faculty and students alike were aghast at the reported cost of damage to the facility: nearly $35,000 — an arbitrary and  perhaps conflated amount — was charged to 35 students.

The Kerr Hall incident marked a peak in a brief series of occupations fueled by student angst, administrative indifference, and to some extent, a sense of abandon. An earlier occupation of the Graduate Student Commons had mixed results. Similar to the Kerr Hall occupation, four students were charged with $532 a piece for damages incurred.

While the protest itself was a testament to UCSC student activism, former Executive Vice Chancellor Dave Kliger pointed out in a 2009 email the drawbacks to occupations:

“Unfortunately, occupying buildings — a library last week, an administrative building this week — does little more than divert precious resources while denying others their rightful access to campus facilities and services,” he wrote.

As students, we all feel the brunt of the blow when fees get hiked up and cuts come down. Student movements like these and subsequent occupations should and have drawn attention to these facts. When instances of vandalism occur, it detracts from the overall sincerity and effectiveness of what is trying to be accomplished because it validates skeptics’ criticisms. Simply put, it distracts from the message. We would like to commend the students who occupied Hahn Student Business Services Center for recognizing this.

The Nov. 28 occupation is particularly praiseworthy for seizing control of the administration’s workday while simultaneously being considerate of the student body at large.

As the occupation’s media relations spokesperson, third-year Adam White described the occupation as “really organized” and “very civil compared to Kerr Hall.”

“We all made an agreement that we weren’t going to fuck shit up,” White said.

The Hahn building is both one of the best and worst places for the Occupy movement to have taken place. In solidarity with UC Davis occupiers, the UCSC student body shut down the campus bank. Yet the building also houses other critical resources, including the Disability Resource Center and the Student Financial Aid Office.

But by clearing out of their occupation Tuesday morning, the occupiers show that they remain mindful of the student body at large.

This latest occupation proved student activism will not be a rope for the administration to hang us with. It is about showing students care about student issues, and we’re not going to pay for it.

Photo by Prescott Watson

Footage of students being pepper sprayed by UC Police Department (UCPD) officers as they sit with arms linked on the campus quad at a UC Davis protest has garnered national attention. The attention has brought the UC Police Department (UCPD) under severe scrutiny.

In a release from the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), Yudof said the announcement came in response to a request from UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi that the UC president conduct a thorough review of the event. Assembly Speaker John A. Perez, D-Los Angeles, has also requested an independent investigation of the event.

Yudof has asked UC General Counsel Charles Robinson and Christopher Edley Jr., UC Berkeley School of Law dean, to head a system-wide examination of “police protocols and policies as they apply to protests at all 10 UC campuses,” according to the release.

The examination will involve visits to campuses for discussions with students, faculty and staff, and consultation with “an array of experts.”

William J. Bratton, chairman of New York-based Kroll consulting company, will investigate the pepper spray incident and report back the results to Yudof within 30 days.

Bratton’s findings will be reviewed by an advisory panel made up of students, faculty, staff and members of the campus community, which will make recommendations to Chancellor Katehi “on steps that should be taken to ensure the safety of peaceful protesters on campus.” Katehi will then present her implementation plan to President Yudof.

The University of California and Davis Chancellor Katehi have come sharp criticism in the wake of the pepper spraying, both in national media and the academic community.

The Council of UC Faculty Associations condemned the UCPD’s actions in a Nov. 19 press release.

“We demand that the Chancellors of the University of California cease using police violence to repress non-violent political protests,” reads the release. “We hold them responsible for the violence and believe it can only result in an escalation of outrage that holds the potential for even more violence.

Others have publicly called for Katehi’s resignation. According to a banner on the UC Davis English department homepage, the department joins the Board of the Davis Faculty Association in calling for the chancellor’s resignation, and further, the disbanding of the UCPD.

The university placed Campus Police Chief Annette Spicuzza on administrative leave pending investigation into the incident, and suspended two officers involved.

Alexander R. Galloway, an associate professor in the department of media, culture, and communication at New York University, said yesterday in a public letter to Yudof and Katehi he will no longer attend a UC Davis conference as he had previously planned, “until Chancellor Katehi takes responsibility for her actions by resigning, and until UC Davis removes its paramilitary police from campus.”

“While my admiration and respect for the great public universities of the UC system remain strong, I cannot in good conscience visit the UC Davis campus in April,” the letter continues. “I cannot support Chancellor Katehi. I cannot support police brutality. And, quite simply, I fear for my own safety were I to visit your campus.”

Protesters from various schools and organizations march in the streets of San Francisco’s financial district on their way to the Bank of America on California Street, the former location of the bank’s headquarters. Photo by Hilli Ciavarello.

Photo by Hilli Ciavarello.

The UC Office of the President (UCOP) sent out an email on the afternoon of Nov. 14 informing the public that the regents meeting was to be postponed, based on information gathered by the UCPD that “significant violence and vandalism” was likely to occur at the event. The email said UCPD recommended “in the strongest of terms” the meeting be canceled, and after consultation within UCOP, they decided to heed UCPD’s warning.

UAW 2865 had chartered several buses to take protesters to the meeting in San Francisco, where a protest organized by the group ReFund California (an anti–Wall Street statewide coalition comprised of “homeowners, community members, faith leaders and students,” according to the group’s website) was due to take place.

Despite the cancellation of the meeting, the buses transporting over 1,500 protesters (including students from UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, San Francisco State and K-12 teachers) still went to San Francisco as planned. The protest took place in the Financial District of San Francisco, and included a march and rally that lasted the majority of the day.

“Wall Street and the regents can’t hide from us,” said Josh Brahinsky, UAW affiliate and graduate student at UC Santa Cruz in an email to politics graduate students outlining the change in protest plans. “We’ll be marching through San Francisco’s Financial District, where many of [the regents] have offices … we’ll invite them to join us.”

Student and union representatives have been largely critical of the regents’ decision to postpone the meeting based on the possibility of violent action. UC student regent and student regent-designate, Alfredo Mireles, Jr. and Jonathan Stein respectively, said the regents’ decision was a poor one.

“We understand that UCSF law enforcement authorities recommended the meeting be postponed in the interest of public safety,” they said in a Nov. 14 press release. “However, students have a right to protest peacefully and make their voices heard forcefully; this action eliminates their opportunity to do that.”

Sindy Ramirez, a UCSC SUA representative, said the cancellation robbed students of their voice.

“I think it’s unfortunate students from the UC system are not given this space for solidarity, and to express how we are suffering from these fee increases,” Ramirez said. “However, we must not let these concerns from the regents hinder students from taking action.”

Claudia Magaña, president of the University of California Student Association, said UC students are “strongly opposed to this decision.”

“We do understand the concerns about public safety, yet the regents have a responsibility to the students and people of California to hold open meetings that allow for public access and participation,” Magaña said in a Nov. 14 press release. “By canceling this meeting, the UC regents have done a great disservice to students, and our ability to participate in the governance of our university system.”

Others feel the cancellation of the meeting itself speaks to the effectiveness of the planned protests.

“I think it’s fantastic [that the meeting was canceled]” UCSC grad student Brahinsky said. “If you build a big enough movement, just its presence is an incredible force. We don’t even need civil disobedience — we just need to be there.”

The protest on Wednesday follows hot on the heels of police action that took place on the UC Berkeley campus Nov. 9, where students were arrested and beaten by UC police officers as they assembled in Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. Antipathy from students towards the UCPD remain high.

“It seems that given the way regents meetings have gone in the past, the only credible threat I can imagine would be coming from UCPD,” said a UAW-affiliated TA who wished to remain anonymous. “This just shows how out of touch the regents are with the student movement.”

Mireles condemns the university response to the Berkeley actions as well, and thinks the UC system needs to differentiate between violent and non-violent protest.

“The police violence at UC Berkeley on Nov. 9 was reprehensible and ought to be condemned, not defended, by campus and systemwide administration,” said Mireles in an open letter to students. “The student regent and student regent-designate support the actions of students who call attention to the privatization of public education through courageous and peaceful protest.”

Around 300 protesters occupied Bank of America in San Francisco. Ninety-five were arrested for trespassing, approximately 60 of them UCSC students. Photo by Hilli Ciavarello.

San Francisco police arrested an estimated 95 students, teaching assistants (TAs) and community organizers who shut down and occupied a Bank of America location in the San Francisco Financial District Wednesday. About 60 of the arrested were from UC Santa Cruz, while others were from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, San Francisco State, community colleges and local Occupy movements.

Three hundred protesters initially filled the bank lobby, standing on desks and even setting up a tent, forcing out employees and customers. The protesters chanted they were there to deliver a pledge to UC regent Monica Lozano, who serves on the Bank of America board, and asked her to support tax rises to the rich and refund social services.

“We could consider staying until Monica signs the pledge,” they chanted. “Sign the pledge, Monica.”

On the date of the UC regents’ cancelled meeting, around 150 UCSC undergraduate and graduate students filled several buses chartered by the TA union UAW Local 2865 to the city. Combined with other schools and organizations, the protesters reached around 600 in number and filled an entire block, not including the trailing police, as they marched from Justin Herman Plaza to the bank.

Bill Chorneau of the Oakland Alliance of California for Community Empowerment said the bank occupation was still going to take place after the regents meeting.

“I don’t expect us to get results today,” Chorneau said. “It’s going to be a long struggle, but as long as it keeps getting bigger and bigger, the 1 percent’s in trouble.”

San Francisco police spokesman Carlos Manfredi said the arrested would be taken to the county jail on charges of trespassing. While the police brandished batons as protesters pinned them outside the bank, no injuries were incurred. Police presented opportunities for occupiers to leave if they did not want to be arrested.

While seated on the floor, one protester found Lozano’s telephone number and called her. The protester announced Lozano’s secretary was trying to find Lozano, but the call eventually led nowhere. Another protester shared a haiku she created in honor of Lozano.

“We’re thinking of you,” she said. “Are you thinking of us too? Sign the fucking pledge.”

UCSC third-year Tyler Correa originally planned to attend the regents meeting, but still decided to take the bus to San Francisco after the meeting was canceled.

“Everyone needs to know they’re victims here,” Correa said. “Some people are upset but don’t have a face to be angry at.”

As they marched to Bank of America, the crowd drew the attention of businesspeople. Businesses like the Omni Hotel on California Street locked their doors, while their customers’ eyes were glued to the protesters.

Prior to the march, protesters gathered at Justin Herman Plaza and listened to speakers from the educational community.

Bob Meister, UCSC social sciences and political thought professor and president of the Council of UC Faculty Association supported the actions in response to the canceled meeting.

“Instead of making the argument [the regents] are working for Wall Street, we did the walk from the regents to the Financial District,” Meister said. “This is the connection that needed to be made.”

Protesters gather for a general assembly at the Occupy Santa Cruz encampment in front of the county courthouse on Water Street. Photo by Arianna Vinion.

Story updated 11/17/2011 at 10:30pm

Last week, Santa Cruz city attorneys filed a lawsuit against members of Occupy Santa Cruz (OSC) for allegedly being a public nuisance, citing the presence of feces, drugs and fights in San Lorenzo Park. The park is under the jurisdiction of the Santa Cruz Police Department.

“If the demonstrators continue to camp in the city park in violation of an injunction issued by the court, the city would be authorized by the court order to remove the camping equipment from the park,” said city attorney John Barisone.

Barisone added that protesters would not be allowed “in the park without a permit between sunset and sunrise.”

The permit the city gave OSC outlines rules and regulations protesters are to follow to continue their demonstration, including a prohibition against staying in the park overnight. It also calls for protesters to dismantle their tents and clean up the area of the park they’ve occupied by Nov. 16.

Santa Cruz attorney Ed Frey, who represents OSC, filed a notice of removal in federal court on Tuesday, effectively stalling a hearing in Santa Cruz County Superior Court that would have allowed a county judge to decide whether or not OSC is a public nuisance.

SCPD deputy chief of police Steve Clark said he is “surprised [protesters] would balk at conditions that simply ask for a measure [of] responsibility to accompany the rights they wish to exercise.”

Across the country in the last week and a half, Occupy protesters have faced increasing police presence. Last week, protesters at UC Berkeley were beaten with batons by university police near Sproul Hall. UC President Mark Yudof issued a statement on Wednesday expressing support for “peaceful” demonstrators at the protest, and said “a process is in place to review the violence of last week.”

On Tuesday, thousands of students calling themselves “Occupy Cal” marched around Berkeley in support of Occupy Wall Street, whose encampment in New York’s Zuccotti Park was forcibly taken down by the NYPD in the early hours of the morning. Occupy camps have been removed in Oakland, Berkeley, Portland and New York, among other places, but protesters have returned with more conviction and passion than before their eviction.

Tuesday night at 10:30 p.m., protesters continued to occupy the Santa Cruz County Courthouse and San Lorenzo Park despite the 49-degree weather. People camping at the courthouse and park for the past month were there, along with many other new faces. Tents along the river in the park multiplied as well.

People in front of the courthouse shouted, “Whose dome?” while others shouted back “Our dome!” in a call-and-response, referring to their aptly named “Occudome.”

In what appears to be a growing response to local law enforcement and the city’s recent attempts to shutdown OSC, more people are joining the 24/7 protest on county and city property.

“Tents, signs, EZ-ups and someone’s glasses” have been taken by sheriff’s deputies, said Hayden Bean, a protester who has been occupying the courthouse steps for several weeks. Bean said two people were arrested earlier in the day, and one was allegedly assaulted by a non-uniformed officer who had no visible badge and would not provide his name.

The officer who arrested the two men was about to start his shift when he noticed the men photographing his personal vehicle, which was parked next to his patrol car. He claimed the men had touched his personal car and arrested them on suspicion of tampering with a vehicle. UCSC students Austin Bruckner and Joseph Sherman-Williams were the two men arrested, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Aside from the violence, Bean feels things are going “very well … even though it’s cold, people have high spirits.”

Last week, protesters began constructing new shelters and tents in front of the courthouse in response to the permit issued by the city and Santa Cruz County sheriff’s officers who have told protesters to dismantle their structures. Protesters are refusing to dismantle the tents and instead have chosen to erect more tents, shelters and signs around the dome.

Protester Abby Bacon said many of the protesters have not been getting a lot of sleep because they do not want to get cited for sleeping at the courthouse. Bacon only gets a few hours of sleep each night and she has already been cited.

“They took my tent and backpack,” Bacon said. Sheriffs told her she would have to pick up her belongings later that day. “The general feeling that I have is that people want to stay and protect the spot if evicted.”

Clark said the city’s conditions are reasonable, as protesters have expressed to the police department they would like to disassociate themselves from the group of mostly homeless people who have set up tents in San Lorenzo Park near those of the Occupy protesters. Clark, like other city officials, cites alcohol, drugs, violence and trash as the inappropriate behavior through which OSC is becoming an issue with the city and police department.

The police department has offered their assistance in removing those people who are interfering or disrupting the event, Clark said. It is up to the protesters to use the permit as a tool to disassociate themselves from that “unwanted element,” he said.

“This will test their resolve toward this, or signal that their words have been just rationalizations and excuses,” he said. “We do expect them to abide by the permit conditions, and we do expect consequences should they refuse to do so.”

The area in front of the courthouse is under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Department. April Skalland, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department press information officer, said the Sheriff’s Department has been working with OSC, focusing on keeping an open dialogue with protesters and assessing the situation day-to-day.

“We encourage OSC to keep that open dialogue with us,” Skalland said.

Mayor Ryan Coonerty, who expressed support of the movement and local protesters a few weeks ago, has changed his tone as more people complain about the protesters in the park.

“Overall, I am hopeful that the protesters will take reasonable steps to address the public health and safety issues,” Coonerty said. “I also hope that they focus their energies on addressing a serious national issue and not protesting the need for Port-a-Potties.”

One protester who wished to remain anonymous said they protested in response to the UC Berkeley police brutality on the Nov. 9 Day of Action.

“Today Berkeley decided it’d be a day of action and asked all UCs to do something, and we decided to do this,” he said. “If military recruiters get kicked out, the whole [job fair] gets shut down.”

Event organizer and Career Center director Barbara Silverthorne cited the 1996 Solomon Amendment, which allows the Secretary of Defense to deny federal grants to institutions of higher education if they prohibit or prevent on-campus ROTC or military recruitment, as the reason for having the recruiters stay in spite of the protests.

UCSC alum Marine recruiter Lieutenant Colin Campbell was not bothered by the protest.

“It’s kind of sad,” Campbell said. “It doesn’t really affect us, but it’s not the troops’ fault the decisions that are made.”

As the students linked arms and wound their way through the room chanting, “No Recruits, No Troops, No Wars,” Silverthorne of the Career Center called the UC Santa Cruz Police Department.

Around six police officers arrived, and some took pictures of the protesters.

“We took pictures just to show the actions that were being taken on both sides,” UCSC police chief Nadar Oweis said.

Photo by Nick Paris.

Photo by Nick Paris.

Photo by Nick Paris.

Photo by Nick Paris.

Photo by Nick Paris.

Photo by Nick Paris.

“Spank the banks,” “Refund Education,” “We are the 99 percent.” The signs held by those present at yesterday’s actions reflected the tide of diversification and unification now characterizing actions. The Nov. 9 rally, originally spearheaded by the organization ReFund California Education, while largely focused on the issue of decreased funding to public education, also addressed issues the Occupy Wall Street actions have attempted to grapple with: opposing corporate greed and targeting big banks like Wells Fargo.

The rally exemplified the unification of the vast array of causes. The destinations for the march included  UC Santa Cruz, Wells Fargo and the site of Occupy Santa Cruz. The rally began in Quarry Plaza, with numerous speakers addressing both UC President Mark Yudof’s proposed four-year 81 percent tuition increase and calling for support of the occupy movement, then proceeded down Hagar Drive to the base of campus and on to the downtown Santa Cruz clock tower, where it joined with a coalition of students and teachers gathered in support of the  K-12 education system. The march then continued to the nearby Wells Fargo bank and concluded with an assembly on the steps of the courthouse where the Occupy Santa Cruz home base has been located for weeks.

“It is so exciting the student struggle is part of this larger international movement — we’re making connections between struggling people,” politics professor Megan Thompson said. “I am excited to unite at the clock tower where we will meet with K-12 organizers for a moment of community solidarity. There are different locations and different objectives, but a lot of continuity.”

Other ReFund California actions sprung up at institutions in California. At the UC Berkeley campus, the action attracted hundreds to Sproul Plaza. At least seven individuals were arrested. ReFund California is also calling for the action to carry over to the regents meeting on Nov. 16.

“That’s why we are mobilizing Nov. 9 and Nov. 16, to deliver a message to the 50 corporate elite who sit on the boards of California’s colleges and universities: We already paid!” reads ReFund California’s website. “It’s time to make Wall Street corporations and the wealthy pay to refund education!”

UAW Local 2865 has arranged bus transportation to the meeting in San Francisco. Seven buses have been slated for transport from Santa Cruz. Individuals can sign up for space on these buses via the ReFund California website.

In Quarry Plaza, the crowd of 500 that had gathered was interspersed with faculty, librarians, student activists, graduate students, TAs, union workers, undergraduate students, among others.

The crowd rallied around various speakers addressing the tuition hike proposed by Yudof — for four consecutive years at a 16 percent compounded increase — class and ethnic struggles, the unequal distribution of wealth, and the problem of big banks.

Chants reflecting the diversity of issues being addressed, including “The people united will never be defeated,” “Ain’t no power like the power of a student, because the power of a student don’t stop,” and “Si se puede” echoed in the plaza.

The crowd then began the trek down Hagar to the base of campus, with police present to stop traffic on the roadway.

“Our administrative efforts today mostly involved our transportation staff and our police, whose focus was on the safety of the people during the march through campus that followed the rally,” university spokesperson Jim Burns said in an email. “Toward that end, we tried hard to provide up-to-date information to all members of the campus community about any transportation issues related to the protest.”

Among those who marched to the base of campus was Executive Vice Chancellor Alison Galloway. Galloway expressed her support of the unification of the movements.

“You cannot just say, ‘well, I put that money here, and solved that problem,” Galloway said. “It is all so intertwined.”

Students remained at the entrance to campus for approximately 45 minutes, blocking the intersection of Bay and High. On the lawn in front of the University of California, Santa Cruz sign at the base of campus, students were giving out trail mix and bagels. The march continued down Bay Street, taking up both lanes of traffic on each side and the roadway on Mission.

The crowd meandered through cars along Mission Street, which sees 50,000 cars pass each day. Feelings about the protest varied among those stopped on the roadway. The manager of the Mission Street Valero gas station did not support the activity, saying, as she gestured to the march, “No wonder why they call them slugs.” Similarly, Brett Bulich, a Scott Fetzer company employee, expressed disdain for the marchers. Bulich and two others displayed a small sign on the windshield of their van reading “get a real job,” and engaged in an argument with supporters of the march.

Simultaneously, children from the middle school lined the fence encouraging marchers, an act met with an eruption of cheers. Other drivers displayed support by honking along with the chants.

The march then reached the downtown clock tower, and met with the K-12 contingent. An elementary school teacher employed in the Pajaro Valley school district said schools have been defunded, and public education has been torn apart by neglect.

“We do our best, but our students cannot afford higher education,” she said.

The meeting in front of the clock tower moved to the steps of the post office, where members of the Brown Beret, Raging Grannies, graduate students and union representatives addressed the crowd.

“We need education on our terms, not on the regents’,” said Jenn Laskin, a teacher in the Pajaro Valley School District who has also been a member of the Brown Berets. “It is up to laborers and allies to take control.”

After the speeches on the steps of the post office, the march continued to the Wells Fargo, where the building was encircled and a “people’s mic” spread a speech through the line of individuals. The speaker explained why the protest had gathered in opposition to Wells Fargo, citing that Wells Fargo is the largest private loan lender to UC Santa Cruz students.

“Wells Fargo has paid less than 0 percent corporate taxes and received 1.5 billion in bailout. That is our money, and we want it back” was heard echoing through the crowd.

A supporter of the movement climbed atop an overhang at the entrance to the Wells Fargo and draped a sign reading “refund education.”

The 150 people then moved to the steps of the courthouse to continue discourse on education and economics.

Illustration by Jamie Morton.

Nov. 15-17 the UC Board of Regents will hold a meeting to discuss the financial future of the UC system. The Occupy Education event will be held on Nov. 16 at UCSF Mission Bay, the same location as the regents’ meeting.

Protests at regents’ meetings have become common-place. Over the years, as multiple fee increases have been approved, it has become difficult for UC students to feel heard and not despair that they are members of a dying system. Just last year, the regents voted on an 8 percent increase in student fees, and this coming meeting will likely see even higher fees.

But this time around, we are presented with an opportunity. We are presented with the support of Occupy entities of local Bay Area colleges, Occupy Education and the Occupy movement as a whole. And their numbers are large.

We are presented with the opportunity to turn out in droves and bring the kind of state and national media coverage this issue deserves. With increased media coverage comes increased attention from California state voters who, at the end of the day, have massive amounts of control over the UC budget based on what legislators they vote for.

We should look to UC Berkeley, where protesters plan to hold a two-day event on Nov. 9–10. The protest will raise awareness of potential fee hikes, which will be determined during the regents’ November meeting.

According to the Occupy Education website: “We call on all the 99 percent, on all the Occupy general assemblies and camps throughout Northern California, on all student, labor, and community organizations, to come together in a massive display of non-violent civil disobedience to prevent the UC regents meeting from taking place, to send the strongest message that we will not accept any fee hikes, cuts, or concessions in any level of public education.”

By virtue of being UC students, we are 100 percent part of the 99 percent, and we should be mobilizing 100 percent for the change we need to take place.

Third and fourth-year students who sigh under their breath, “Thank god I’m getting out” and look the other way, this applies to you. You may be getting out of the UC system, but you are only getting into the poor job market.

First-year students, do not be defeated into thinking this is the way it must be — just because you don’t know anything else does not mean you cannot demand better.

We need to be our own advocates. We need to show up and speak up, and this is a grand opportunity.

So carpool, public transit, Zipcar — San Francisco isn’t that far away. On Nov. 16, meet up at 7 a.m. at the UCSF Mission Bay campus, 1675 Owens St., San Francisco, Calif. and Occupy the future of the UC.

“What is this 99 percent I keep seeing?” Frans said. “There are signs for banks, for slavery and for poverty. What’s going on here?”

Sentiments like these were common for onlookers of the Oct. 15 protest in downtown San Francisco: Tourists and locals alike were astonished to see the swelling of a crowd larger than 2,000, marching in solidarity with more than 1,500 additional cities on this “World Wide International Day of Action.”

On Oct. 15, the agenda for Occupy SF was multifaceted. Prior to the march, select members of Occupy SF coordinated a route with police squads, assuring the safety of marchers. As 3 p.m. neared, the crowd gathered at 101 Market St., the location of the Federal Reserve building, flowing in on bikes, BART trains, cars and on foot.

Before the march had even begun, there were visible policy divisions taking place. As one protester climbed a column to denounce the unethical power of the military industrial complex, another man on the corner of Market and Drumm paraded with megaphone in hand, demanding  banks not foreclose on his house.

Divisions of protester demands were prevalent throughout the day in San Francisco.

Gene Hermann, a specialist in internal medicine from Michigan observing the protest, vocalized similar sentiments to those of the exchange students.

“I don’t know what to really say — do they have jobs?” Hermann said. “They just don’t seem to be fighting for the same thing.”

Such critiques of the fellow occupations are consistent with commentary from both mass media and many individuals outside of the movement.

Marcher and San Francisco business owner Bob Gorringe, however, said  the ambiguity of one specific goal is a strength of the movement rather than a weakness.

“We are all here for different reasons. People are starting to get it — this isn’t about being liberal or conservative, people are simply tired of how this system operates,” Gorringe said. “I mean, look around. These are people from different classes, different backgrounds, and they’re fed up. We’re growing faster than I could have imagined.”

The size of the protest had indeed risen greatly since the action’s inception a couple of weeks prior. On Oct. 5, the Occupy SF movement marched from Union Square to the Federal Reserve with less than 60 people. Two weeks from that day, the movement had gained more than 30 times that number.

“I was a little surprised myself,” Gorringe said. “It’s been less than a month since we started, and we’ve attracted such a diverse crowd. I’m just happy to help.”

Though Gorringe has assisted the movement since its formation in late September, he takes no role of authority over any other marcher, walking with his family and occasionally hollering, “We are the 99 percent!”

Also a concern for the movement is the danger of being “co-opted” by different social and political groups. In New York’s Occupy Wall Street, the actions of labor unions have often been seen as overstepping, but OccupyWallSt.org commends the aid of the fellow working class.

As one of the thousands marching on Saturday, Luke Adams came to San Francisco to bring his perspective to the table.

“I find it difficult to be heard, but my voice is as loud as any other of these fine people here today,” said Adams, a local pastor from the Agnostic Sanctuary in Mountain View, who said he stood with the movement as an American citizen rather than as a religious leader.

A Marine who reportedly toured twice in Iraq from 2002 onward was also seen in the ranks of protesters, with microphone in hand.

“We are here and we are not going away — wake up America, this is the real thing!” he said. While dictating his address to the audience, flanked by a few other servicemen, mobilizers tried to quiet him for the purpose of beginning the general assembly at San Francisco City Hall.

The occupation of City Hall took place at about 4:30 p.m. with longtime activist Jacob Feldman and another underground mobilizer self-labeled as “Magic” speaking. As the crowd gathered around, speeches began, often interspersed with deafening roars and applause from the audience.

There was no call for a set of demands, but speakers outlined what they hoped to combat. There were often rebuttals from opposing members of the crowd, but the general consensus was accepted.

“We are reclaiming the word ‘occupation’— we are occupying everywhere,” said Magic. “We have almost forgotten who we are, but it’s not too late! And as the empire dies, the people rise!”

Following these speeches, protesters returned to the streets, marching to the Federal Reserve and Justin Herman Plaza, just one block south of the FED where they plan to continue the occupation.

Illustration by Jamie Morton.

Remember, remember, the month of October.

That may not rhyme or roll off the tongue, but when it comes to national political protests, it’s been the rule of thumb for the past couple of years — and if these protests can be used as any sort of pulse of the liberal or progressive movements, we’ve gotten a lot less fun, but a lot more focused.

We started with the seed of something groundbreaking, something that had the potential to marry popular culture and politics in an effective way that had never been used before. This was was Jon Stewart’s and Stephen Colbert’s joint effort, the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Keep Fear Alive on Oct. 30 of last year. But the movement dissolved into a bland, predictable ruse that was cynical without being constructive.

What didn’t work for last year’s rally was that nobody was completely sure what it was trying to accomplish. A plea for young liberals and progressives to wake up, perhaps — and on some level maybe that worked. But once we were awake, then what were we supposed to do? Keep watching “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” and shaking our heads at other people’s stupidity? Reach out to people across the aisle, despite there being no common ground for us to stand on together? The Rally to Restore Sanity, so arrogantly ambitious in its title, ultimately did little more than advance Stewart’s and Colbert’s profiles.

For the left, that used to be enough: The idea that we had comedy, intelligence and the best of culture on our side was, for too long, an acceptable alternative to wielding actual political power. Because for many educated progressive young people, it’s simply not in our nature to take politics seriously. When we know that the odds are so clearly stacked against us, it’s much easier to just laugh at the fools on the other side.

The election of Barack Obama was an exciting moment to be sure, but when he made some questionable compromises with Republicans despite the power the supermajority gave him, it became clear that the president was at best a moderate, which in this case is political shorthand for “won’t put up much of a fight and wants campaign money.”

And there was Jon Stewart on the air almost every weeknight, attacking Obama and Congress for their decisions. Stewart clearly considers himself liberal, and knowing that he could criticize politicians and be so popular was a nice consolation prize. But did Stewart and the like provide so much catharsis that real action no longer seemed necessary? Facing the growing Tea Party was a joke-filled pseudo-protest in Washington with signs and slogans like “Angry Protest Sign” and “Make Awkward Sexual Advances, Not War” the best we were going to get?

Apparently not. Almost a full year later, Occupy Wall Street happened. And it’s still happening. It has spread all over the country, and some of its main goals — to take power away from big banks and to redistribute wealth from the top 1 percent to the other 99 percent — are unapologetically progressive. This truly grassroots movement, which started in chaos, is gaining organization and attention, and has a real voice. There are a few jokes coming from this occupation, but then, jokes don’t pass laws.

If anything was gained by the Rally to Restore Sanity, it was the reminder that putting all of one’s faith in a leader who relies on public opinion for his or her livelihood is a risky move. The left saw that with Obama, who is smart enough to know that if he wants to be reelected, he cannot serve any one faction too loyally. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are the same — for all their strong views and influence, their attempted “movement” showed that they value entertainment above anything else, and frankly, entertainment is what they’re best at.

What’s great about this movement is that Jon Stewart and his peers on “Saturday Night Live,” etc. still have a place — but it’s as the commentators on the sidelines rather than as the center of it all. A year ago, the young left, disillusioned with Obama, was a movement without a singular leader, and we thought we needed one in order to voice our discontent. But with Occupy Wall Street, that weakness has turned to a strength. Putting your faith in people is asking to be disappointed, but if you put faith in ideas, you remain in control. We are no longer caught up in our own self-image, reflected back to us in the detached cynicism of the Rally to Restore Sanity, but rather are focused on making ourselves heard to create a more just society.

Think of it this way: The progressive movement last year was like that cynical hipster in your discussion section who implies through his sulky tone that he’s smarter than the TA, but can’t muster much more than a snarky comment or two. Today it is the teacher’s pet, always up on the reading and brimming with insights.

Maybe both of those individuals are annoying to you, but the latter is going to get an A.

Illustration by Jamie Morton.

Occupy Wall Street. The action that began as a rather small gathering of activists on a street corner in two short weeks has snowballed into a movement encompassing more than 430 (and counting, according to occupytogether.org) cities nationwide. That small crowd on Wall Street in New York spread to a mass group large enough to block part of the Brooklyn Bridge and result in 700 arrests. Regardless of dissenting sentiments about the particulars of the action, it is hard to make a case that the Occupy Wall Street action and its subsequent offshoots springing up literally every day are anything but an incredibly positive and inspiring thing for the American people.

In a country that has been plagued by misguided bipartisanship, we are, and have been for many years now, in desperate need of something that surmounts party lines and quite literally brings us together. And Occupy Wall Street has done just that.

The sheer quantity of individuals in the mobilization shows the American people feel like there is something worth fighting for.

The beauty of the movement resides largely in the notion of movement itself — in part because one of the many complaints about “this generation” has been the pervasiveness of apathy — but also in the symbolic weight that the varied and vast complaints the protesters are voicing.

The quantity of issues the action is choosing to target illustrates not a lack of communication, for those on Wall Street have devised an innovative and accurate method of communication by repeating each line of a given speaker throughout the crowd; not a lack of organization, for the movement spread from coast to coast in 11 days; and not a lack of coherence, for a common language marries these actions, as each cities’ action is called Occupy [insert city here] and the common language being used to spread the movement like wildfire is online networking.

The quantity of issues illustrates the impressive nature of the actions as movements truly for the people and by the people. We as a nation are hurting, for many reasons, so why should we not call attention to this fact? It is interesting that the main fixture of the mass media outlets like The New York Times and Fox News has been to criticize the movement’s lack of coherent goals, when the same broadcasters spend their entire news segments griping about a seemingly endless inventory of flaws in our government and economy. It is a well-established fact for all people of this country that we have problems. This incredibly short-sighted view on the movements is, quite frankly, bafflingly short-sighted.

This is not a protest on a war, this is a protest calling attention to the war we are engaged in. This is not simply an ambiguous protest condemning class divisions, this is a protest against the fact that 1 percent of this nation owns all of the wealth and the middle class is dying. It is not a protest against our citizens not having enough wealth, but an action calling attention to the inequitable and corrupt distribution (so enough about the protesters’ Apple laptops). It is not a protest against the free market, but calling out the corrupt nature of how that wealth was accrued.

And though the protests are broad in their focus, at least they are focused on the economy. This was a feat our own legislature could not accomplish when they put the nearly 10 percent unemployment level and failing economy on the back burner and instead focused on issues like abortion to distract the American people and capitalize on the atmosphere of anger and fear. The issues the legislature was supposed to focus on — the housing market crisis, unemployment, Wall Street corruption, the disappearing middle class, accountability for the greed-driven market and the failure of the banks — are, ironically, the central fixtures the Occupy Wall Street and following movements are honing in on.

On the website that serves as a hub for information regarding details about the national movement, the list of goals is basically a list of what, had our legislature been doing their job, would have been the political sticking points for the past two years.

An incredibly educated, innovative populace of young people has been, year after year, released into the world with no job market to enter into and college debt so huge, money begins to mean nothing. And what does this mean? An incredibly viable and threatening force to be reckoned with. This movement has been characterized by the production of short videos and blog entries that are basically marketing a movement. That is ingenious. This is a group literate in a language of new media, and took off at lightning speed utilizing almost exclusively social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and various online forums like Reddit and Adbusters. Mass media coverage certainly was not the source of knowledge spreading.

You have an incredibly smart generation of individuals who have been told to get an education, and they have. They have been charged exorbitant amounts of money for that education and are now paying off loans they are drowning in, all to be cast into a job market that cannot sustain them — beyond that, a market actually forcing them to foot the bill with money they don’t have.

Each of the facets of the actions can be seen in Santa Cruz County, where unemployment is slightly over 10 percent and the university has seen a $4,000 rise in tuition in less than four years. From coast to coast, the principles of the unrest remain, give or take, the same.

The movement has spread to our neighborhood. Occupy Santa Cruz’s Facebook page has nearly 2,000 likes. Considering the population of Santa Cruz is only 55,000, that figure speaks volumes. This movement, whose most popular creed is “we are the 99 percent,” represents the majority of people. This nation is something to be defended, and when the movement is brought to a town like Santa Cruz’s front door, it is safe to say that involvement is necessitated.

The movement has incredible initial momentum. Unfortunately, however, a huge detraction from the movement is the fear of being arrested. There is no more poignant gesture than being arrested for a cause, for it directly symbolizes the sentiment of one’s position. Being arrested captures the essence of a cause. It represents a microcosm of the larger movement. Civil disobedience effects change. This has been said and demonstrated in the history of revolutions, and how could this particular uprising be exempt?

San Francisco protestors gather at the Federal Reserve Building on Saturday, Oct. 1, where the Planning Action Committee discussed direction and logistics of the Occupy San Francisco Movement. The gathering followed the established protest in New York, Occupy Wall Street. The Santa Cruz offshoot, Occupy Santa Cruz, began shortly after Saturday’s meeting in San Francisco. Photo by Pierce Crosby.

Occupy San Francisco attendees protest in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street action, which has spread to more than 430 cities across the nation. Photo by Pierce Crosby.

Photo by Pierce Crosby.

“Strength of conviction has never been a problem for Santa Cruz,” former Mayor Scott Kennedy said at the kick-off of the Occupy Santa Cruz action, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement happening on the opposite coast. According to occupytogether.org, more than 430 similar occupations have sprung up in cities and towns across the nation as of press time.

Kennedy, seated on a park bench after dusk, engaged in political banter with Robert Norse, a well-known local activist who works with Free Radio Santa Cruz. The two, who do not always see eye-to-eye (especially considering the lawsuit hanging between them), sparred, speaking to past, present and future local and national issues.

Such conversation characterized the general atmosphere of the evening. Springing up via word of mouth, Twitter, Facebook and other various forms of online communication, and inspired by Occupy Wall Street, a leaderless group that began meeting in New York City’s Liberty Square on Sept. 17, Occupy Santa Cruz is modeled on the same principles of open, participatory and horizontal organization between attendees.

After three weeks of camping and occupying the New York City square, the movement has spread across the nation to other major cities, including Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, District of Columbia, Raleigh-Durham and now Santa Cruz.

In San Francisco, the movement began with rallies held in front of Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve. The federal reserve in Union Square has become the headquarters for protesters and the movement’s “camp.”

Protests have continued systematically, using the medium of social media to bring attention to their cause. Events are planned and discussed on online forums such as occupysf.com.

On Oct. 1, Occupy SF took to the streets to raise awareness to passersby and discuss the best way to utilize attendees.

The occupation continues at 101 Market St.

“There is a lot of work to be done, the first stage is definitely getting more people here to help us fight this battle,” college graduate Adrian Martinez said while participating in one of the divided groups gathered on the front lawns of Union Square.

Although the Bay Area protest consistently remains non-violent, on Thursday, Sept. 29, six protesters were arrested for the charge of occupying the private space of a Chase bank.

In Santa Cruz, demonstration began shortly after the San Francisco actions.

On Oct. 4, a closely huddled crowd of approximately 300 people held ad hoc demonstration signs high above the crowd. Some of the slogans read “End imperialist war and capital exploitation” and “Rage against the machine.”

When the general assembly began at approximately 5 p.m., the crowd simultaneously vocalized their concerns, opinions and demands. After a slight, confident young woman ordered people to speak one at a time, the discussion became more orderly. The assemblage discussed spaces for a more permanent occupations, such as the Santa Cruz Courthouse and the empty building on Pacific Avenue that previously housed Borders bookstore.

By a show of hands, a consensus was reached. The occupation will be in San Lorenzo Park beginning today, Oct. 6. Along with the planned march to banks such as Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, reports of demonstrating at the county courthouse were heard as well.

Some of the primary aims of the Occupy Wall Street movement are to take back the United States government, which demonstrators say has been hijacked by banks and corporations. In Santa Cruz, as in New York, the people who form the movement are saying the same thing: the corporate profiteers, corrupt politics, and the “too big to fail” banks need to come to an end.

How they were going to take action against the banks, corporations and government was not exactly clear at first, but by the end of the assembly they had agreed that, along with establishing a strong foothold at the San Lorenzo Park, they will meet under the clock tower downtown to march to each local branch of the Wall Street banks.

This first march will be to the “too big to fail” banks, to withdraw money, then march to one or more local community banks to redeposit their money. If all goes as planned, thousands of dollars, if not more, in people’s checking and savings accounts will have been effectively removed from the investment powers of the big banks and into Santa Cruz’s local economy.

Kyle Thiermann, local activist and founder of Surfing for Change, weighed in on Occupy Santa Cruz’s plan to move money from the major banks and into the community banks.

“People are waking up to understanding their power,” Thiermann said. “It’s so cool that Santa Cruz is making that happen.”

Thiermann is well known in the surfing community as a great surfer and passionate activist. His work is aimed at the average person and encourages them to move their money out of large banks, namely Bank of America, and into smaller community banks and credit unions.

Thiermann said his work has caused around $300 million to be moved from Bank of America to community banks.

“When you put $1 into the bank, the bank has the power to turn that $1 into $10” using “fractional reserve banking,” which, Thiermann said gives large banks more leverage in the global economy because they turn around and invest it elsewhere in the world. Therefore, Thiermann insists, it is more beneficial to a community if people bank locally, because that community is replenished with their money.

By 8 p.m., the large group of 300 had split into several factions, each containing approximately 20 individuals. There was a group for philosophy, one for food, and another for legal matters, among others.

“It went very well … everybody got a chance to voice their opinions,” said Hugo Arana, a local carpenter who “for many years has been disappointed by the economic system that we have that puts profits before community.”

Similar tactics for discussion have been used in San Francisco and at the movement’s U.S. origin on Wall Street.

“So far we’ve all been basically working towards planning dates and networking with the people, but it’s a challenge because you don’t want to make a hierarchy. This is an equal movement, we’re all Americans, and we want an equal system,” said an Occupy San Francisco protestor who wished to remain anonymous because of his job.

David Addison, a Santa Cruz library employee at the local gathering, said he was glad to see the solidarity at the event. Addison, who brought his wife, child and mother in-law to the general assembly, said it is “the beginning of something” because the middle-class is not “represented anymore in this country — we are the 99 percent.”

Addison acknowledges the differences between Santa Cruz and New York, namely the lack of a financial district, but maintains that community mobilization is nevertheless vital.

“I want to see the average person in this country be represented,” said Addison, before following his daughter toward the park swing set.

Additional reporting by Pierce Crosby.

Students and the Watsonville Brown Berets want Santa Cruz mayor and UCSC lecturer Ryan Coonerty to support AB 1081, the Trust Act. They staged their protest unannounced in Coonerty’s Law and Democracy class on May 25. Photos by Sal Ingram.

It was a normal Wednesday lecture in Engineering 2 last week. Students discussed their upcoming final with Santa Cruz mayor and lecturer Ryan Coonerty.

Then, around 40 UC Santa Cruz students and Watsonville Brown Beret members unexpectedly entered the classroom. As they circled the room holding signs that read “Shame on you Ryan Coonerty” and “Si con AB 1081,” they addressed Coonerty, then ceded the floor for his response.

On their website, the Watsonville Brown Berets describe themselves as a community force organized to defend and liberate their barrios. Brown Beret members were joined by sympathetic UCSC students as they appealed to Coonerty to support a resolution on AB 1081.

“We feel you acted cowardly,” said Sandino Gomez, a Brown Beret, in a statement addressed to the mayor. “Why did you stand against the resolution?”

AB 1081, known as the Trust Act, focuses on illegal immigration and deportation issues. Under AB 1081, a county can maintain the right to refuse to send fingerprints of all arrested individuals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Currently, counties are required to send this information to ICE as part of a program known as Secure Communities.

Secure Communities, in correlation with Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, works to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Demonstrators say that according to the policies of Secure Communities, non-criminals are being deported.

“Because of Secure Communities, families are being destroyed,” Gomez said. “Employers are losing employees, partners are losing partners.”

AB 1081 would counteract Secure Communities. A resolution supporting AB 1081 would solidify Coonerty’s support for the bill, but would not make any legislative change.

Coonerty has thus far not decided to voice support for AB 1081.

He told demonstrators his position on the Trust Act is directly related to his belief that it is not a policy the county should be focusing its energy on. Instead, he suggested that the demonstrators engage in a dialogue with government officials at the state and federal level where change would be more effective.

“You can engage in all this rhetoric that is empty, or you can go out and try to change something,” Coonerty said to the demonstrators.

Nonetheless, the demonstrators maintain that what they want from Coonerty is open support of the Trust Act through a resolution — and they want to know why he is choosing not to.

“It’s not enough to say, ‘It’s not my responsibility, not my issue,’” Gomez said. “We’re looking for him to take a symbolic stand. We’re quite aware the resolution is not going to change policy.”

The atmosphere quickly changed when one demonstrator spoke out, cutting off Coonerty.

In response, members of the class began to speak up, reminding the demonstrators that Coonerty had allowed them their chance to speak. Although the demonstrators only remained in the room for approximately 10 minutes, the tension was palpable.

“We came to hold him accountable,” Tomas Alejo, one of the demonstrators, said. “For him not to support our resolution when he had a majority of the community in favor of it is him not paying attention to the values that he preaches.”

Coonerty said for as long as he’s been with the university, he has not seen a protest carried out this way. The protest left Coonerty’s class with mixed feelings.

“A lot of students were aggravated because [Coonerty] was talking about the final,” third-year Maria Isabel Capacete said.

Others were sympathetic to the demonstrators’ cause, but still disagreed with their methods.

“I think the cause they’ve chosen to undertake is an important one,” third-year Guy Herschmann said. “But I think the way they handled it was inappropriate.”

The demonstrators said they were not looking to upset students.

“We don’t want to impact their education in a negative way,” Gomez said. “If anything, our goal was that students would learn something and would perhaps think about the issue in a different light.”

Coonerty explained Santa Cruz has worked on creating and implementing a helpline for immigrant workers, and Santa Cruz is known as a sanctuary city for non-citizens.

“[The Brown Berets and I] have been on the same side on a lot of issues and on different sides on a lot of other issues,” Coonerty said. “Like everything in politics, we don’t always see eye to eye. I respect their passion and I respect the concerns they raise. They are really vital concerns.”

Photo by Sal Ingram.

Photo by Sal Ingram.

“What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”

Marching across campus, holding signs condemning hate speech and chanting in unison, nearly 100 student demonstrators denounced racist graffiti found in a men’s restroom in Cowell College on Cinco de Mayo.

A photo of the graffiti posted on the UC Santa Cruz ethnic and critical race studies Tumblr account shows the image of the graffiti in its entirety, which reads: “STOP the invasion kill a Mexican!”

This latest incident comes after the discovery of swastika graffiti — which contained a threat of violence on 4/20 — in March, as well as the images of nooses drawn in restrooms on campus last year.

“This is bigger than just this incident,” said fourth-year Frank Bejarano, who was demonstrating with the crowd today. “It is sad that we have to do this. For us to be in the higher institutions and have to deal with this – it angers us.” Bejarano is the internal affairs officer for the UCSC chapter of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana y Chicano de Aztlan, a student organization promoting the values of the Chicano movement.

In calling attention to the instances of hate speech across the UC recently, the demonstration underscored the imperativeness of supporting programs on campus that encourage ethnic diversity as well as the incorporation of an ethnic studies major.

“Without those programs, this campus would be entirely white,” said a co-chair of Engaging Education to the crowd gathered in front of the Cowell/Stevenson dining hall.

The demonstration began at Kerr Hall, where students tried to meet with Chancellor George Blumenthal, before moving across campus onto a knoll in Cowell College and eventually into the Cowell/Stevenson dining hall.

Several Cowell students leaned out of their windows and balconies as Cowell College provost Faye Crosby approached the demonstrators atop the knoll and spoke though a megaphone.

“It diminishes our community,” Crosby said regarding hate speech and racism on UCSC’s campus. “We need to be united and respectful of all members of our community.”

Photo by Emiliano O’Flaherty-Vazquez.

Photo by Emiliano O’Flaherty-Vazquez.

Last September, three individuals were arrested while participating in a dance protest on campus. A settlement was reached at the end of April, and all three of the arrestees avoided jail time. The dance party, consisting of approximately 125 people, occurred at around 9:30 p.m. in the Porter Quad. It was one in a series of dance protests that were held in response to fee increases and budget hikes.

The three individuals arrested were Emma Curtis, Kaci Cole and Eric Cuffney, none of whom were UC students. Cuffney and Curtis were in and out of court over 10 times over the last six months, and Cuffney was given a monetary punishment and probation.

“What it really comes down to is money,” Cuffney said. “I had to pay $560, and I’m on probation for two years.”

Cuffney was arrested and charged with carrying a weapon, a blunt shaving razor. This charge was later dropped. He was also charged with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. Cuffney said he was not given any warning before he was grabbed.

“I was just standing there, and all of a sudden somebody’s grabbing me and trying to throw me to the ground. They didn’t identify themselves. It could have been anybody,” Cuffney said. During this exchange, Cuffney was temporarily knocked unconscious. “I woke up with her [the officer] binding my arms behind my back. At that point, yes, I did realize it was a cop.”

Curtis was charged with “lynching” — trying to free someone who’s been arrested — and resisting arrest.

“I got down on my knees, asking him if he was okay,” Curtis said. “I tried to pull his shoulders up from the ground, and then they arrested me.”

Anthony Robinson, Cuffney’s attorney, said the trial worked out as well as could be expected for Cuffney, and emphasized the importance of witnesses to Cuffney’s case.

“There were a number of student witnesses who had seen the event and recounted it in a very different way than the police had,” Robinson said. “Once the DA reviewed their statements, they realized they weren’t going to be able to prove resisting arrest. The problem with the resisting-an-officer charge was that you’d really need to know they were officers.”

“Tax, tax, tax the rich — we can stop the deficit!”

Around 300 students, teachers and community activists encircled a statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella in the state Capitol’s rotunda as they chanted for a change in state budgetary priorities.

Roughly 60 UC Santa Cruz students joined teachers from the California Teachers Association union (CTA), community activists and other college students in Sacramento on Monday. Students from CSU Sacramento were expected to have a larger presence, but some UCSC students said they may not have been informed.

Photo by Sal Ingram.

The rally over budget cuts and just taxation of corporations and the rich ended with 68 total arrests, including 23 UCSC students. Despite the expectation of a larger turnout, fifth-year Melissa Cornelius said the mass arrest was effective in terms of publicity.

“They’re putting so many cuts on vulnerable people in the state, so I think the [mass arrest] was a beginning response to that,” Cornelius said. “It plays a role in bringing attention to the issue … People don’t have to take state legislation if they don’t want to.”

Numerous CTA members from across the state did not teach on Monday in order to travel to Sacramento to participate in the rally and voice their opinions.

“If we don’t have [tax] extensions, there will be 35–40 kindergarten through third grade students per teacher in our district,” said second grade teacher Greta Benavides from South Whittier.

Kindergarten teacher Jessica Hobbs from San Francisco had a different reason to be there, as she marched in the sea of matching CTA light blue shirts reading “We Are One.”

“We need to change our tax structure where corporations and the rich are justly taxed,” Hobbs said. “That’d save our budget deficit situation.”

Around 200 CTA members were present, and six stayed and were arrested, second-year Noah Miska said. UCSC students said it was hard to occupy the Capitol, as the CTA members had multiple priorities and many were on the fence about staying.

“It was difficult to get a clear message from everyone on what they’d do,” Miska, who was arrested, said. “If everyone at the rally would’ve stayed we wouldn’t have been arrested.”

The majority of CTA members left after the hour-long rally when their permit to be in the rotunda expired at 6 p.m.

“They were using the imagery of what happened in Wisconsin, but were lobbying,” Cornelius said. “That’s not what happened in Wisconsin.”

Photo by Sal Ingram.

The rally caught the eye of San Rafael City Council member Marc Levine. While most passersby clad in business attire walked through the crowd of activists without paying attention, Levine clapped with the beat of the chants and reminisced about his experiences protesting 16 years ago as a CSU Northridge student.

“I have awe and respect for them,” Levine said. “I’m here to support them.”

Neha Sobti, a community activist, came by bus from San Francisco. Sobit said she found activism of this nature important in general, as she’s pursuing a career in education, and on this day particularly, because she could afford to be there when others could not.

“I can use my body in place of teachers who can’t,” Sobti said, about rallying on a school day.

The activists who stayed past 6 p.m. continued chanting, “We’re doing this for your children.”

Miska said it had an impact on the California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers, who were more courteous than the police officers.

“[CHP officers] didn’t want to make eye contact,” Miska said. “They were just following orders.”

After the arrests, the activists were eventually taken to the county jail, where they were kept in holding cells.

“They were disgusting, like being in a public bathroom for seven hours,” he said.

The students were released the next morning starting at 3 a.m., and Miska and Cornelius said they were thankful supportive students waited around for them.

Though first-year Adam Odsess-Rubin did not stay for the full occupation, he said everyone’s presence was essential.

“Unless students stand up, the government will keep cutting,” Odsess-Rubin said. “That’s why I’m here. My education is important and I value it.”

Rallies and sit-ins in five cities across California are to begin today, May 9. Demonstrators from all over California are mobilizing to the state capitol to kick off the week of action with a sit-in. The CTA is demanding that lawmakers pass tax extensions to stave off deeper cuts to public education.

Buses carrying students from UCSC are leaving for Sacramento at 7am this morning. City on a Hill Press is on board and will be providing updates from the state capitol throughout the day.

~~~~~~

Photo by Sal Ingram

7:52 p.m. 5/9/2011

Police are arresting the remaining protestors. Around 20 including UCSC students have already been taken into custody and handcuffed with zip ties. The other 40 have created a circle and are singing the national anthem. Police continue to arrest protestors one by one.

6:54 p.m. 5/9/2011

At 5 P.M. around 200 activists came together and chanted around the lower rotunda of the capitol building. Their messages included the chants “Tax tax tax the rich we can stop the deficit,” and “bail out the schools not the banks.”

Most of the activists left the building at 6 P.M. when the CTA’s permit for the rotunda expired, but around 60 remained and took seats on the floor as cops armed with pepper spray looked on.

City on a Hill Press will be publishing a recap of the day’s events later this evening. -Laurel Fujii

3:41 p.m. 5/9/2011

Photo by Sal Ingram.

Approximately 70 California Teachers Association members and students from across California are currently occupying the capitol building. Some told City on a Hill they believe a tax re-format would help balance the budget.

“We need to change our tax structure where corporations and the rich are justly taxed,” said kindergarten teacher Jessica Hobbs from San Francisco.

While students and teachers gathered in the rotunda inside the capitol building, police blocked off access to prevent more activists from entering. A few hundred more demonstrators remain outside.

Students also skipped class for this opportunity. “My teacher told me if I skipped class today I’d get a C in the class,” UCSC first year Adam Odsess-Rubin said.

Odsess-Rubin said he doesn’t believe this was the appropriate response.

“Students shouldn’t be punished for being politically active and fighting for their education,” Odess-Rubin said. -Laurel Fujii

UCSC students gather in front of the capital building to fight for tax increases for corporations and the wealthy. These tax increases would provide a larger budget for education. Photo by Sal Ingram

2:15 p.m. 5/9/2011

UCSC students who showed up for the day of action were told to vacate the grass in front of the capitol building by California Highway Patrol, because another group had a permit for the lawn and steps. Student activist Leo Rtiz-Barr was upset that the foster care program did not act in solidarity with the protestors.

“It’s a little disheartening to see the foster kids organizer…not stand up for college students.” Ritz-Barr said.

UCSC students are now waiting on the sidewalk for more CTA members and demonstrators to arrive. Three buses from the bay area are expected.

As of this post, demonstrators had just entered the capitol building. CHP reporters will provide updates on the situation inside. -Laurel Fujii

Photo by Sal Ingram.

12:08 p.m. 5/9/2011

Protesters dressed in the all pink uniforms of the anti-war group code pink line the street in front of the capitol building holding signs with messages like “tax the rich.” Activists hand out flyers promoting the occupation of the capitol as school children roam the steps. More groups are expected to arrive within the hour. -Laurel Fujii

Illustration by Louise Leong.

The right to assemble is guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution for a reason: liberty depends upon it.

This week, the Santa Cruz County Superior Court is moving forward with the trial of six people accused of illegally camping outside government buildings in the summer of 2010. Five men and one woman rolled out their sleeping bags over the summer with dozens of others who protested a city ordinance that bans sleeping outside at night in public places.

Peace Camp 2010, as it became known, began July 4 on the county courthouse steps and continued to Santa Cruz City Hall, where it ended in October. Many demonstrators were cited and arrested, but judges dismissed nearly all violations except for those of the six defendants in this week’s case.

Eliot “Bob” Anderson, Arthur Bishoff, Collette Connolly, Christopher Doyon, Gary Johnson and Ed Frey stand accused of breaking a state lodging law by participating in the protest against the anti-camping policy. If sentenced, the group could face jail time, exorbitant fines or community service.

On Tuesday, four defendants were found guilty, Anderson was dismissed because of a hung jury, and Doyon did not show up to court. He is now facing a warrant for arrest. Sentencing is expected on May 10.

The protest was intended to scrutinize the constitutionality of a policy with questionable implications. While thousands of homeless people reside in Santa Cruz County, there are only a couple hundred beds in county shelters to accommodate them.

Demonstrators argued that local governments’ insistence on presenting a wholesome image is infringing on the basic rights to life and liberty, including the very personal decision of where to sleep at night.

Because the camping ordinance criminalizes sleeping outside of a private residence, thousands of people need to “get on their feet” or “get out of town.” Unfortunately, both of these clichés are easier said than done.

Unemployment has made even the most qualified job seekers desperate for minimum wage employment. People without residences are often excluded from jobs, and while there are a few exceptions, most find the transition from street life to mainstream society painful and ultimately unsuccessful.

To top it off, state and local governments across the country actively expel the homeless with strictly enforced anti-camping policies. In more extreme cases, the homeless are bussed to other places.

Ordinances like the one in Santa Cruz exist across the country. The logic for many cities is that if sleeping outside is allowed in one town (especially a beautiful one with a mild climate), then the homeless will come flocking to sleep on the streets.

This may be true. However, the exclusion of residence-less persons from a community is both elitist and immoral. Santa Cruz should be concerned with maximizing liberty, not avoiding a population of people who sleep on the streets.

There is no point in targeting these six demonstrators, especially in light of charges being dropped against all other protesters. It is a way for the city to show that it is tough on crime. Yet, shouldn’t we be congratulating these protesters for recognizing a potentially unconstitutional policy and taking action against it?

Beyond the questionable ethics of the policy itself, there is no reasonable explanation for why these six people specifically are facing court charges.

The right to assemble is a clear and non-negotiable right in this country. It has been essential to important social movements throughout U.S. history: abolition after the Civil War, women’s suffrage after that, progressive reform in the 1930s, and most present in the recent consciousness, the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

For Santa Cruz to claim that the assembly of those six protesters was illegal because they were in sleeping bags is appalling. Peace Camp 2010 was a peaceful demonstration and, as such, it is protected under the First Amendment.

Basic rights are not contingent on a person’s residential status. Each of us has the right and the responsibility to protest unfair and discriminatory laws.

Photos by Kyan Mahzouf

Santa Cruzans protested in front of Bank of America on Monday, declaring that corporations should pay taxes to the government like individuals do.

Around 40 people protested outside the Bank of America on River Street and later moved the protest to the downtown clock tower. Santa Cruz’s local chapter of MoveOn.org — a family of political organizations that sponsor campaigns for federal issues like the Iraq War, as well as presidential campaigns — sponsored the event.

Organizers picked Bank of America because of the bank’s previous bailout of $1 trillion, according to a list entitled “Guide to Corporate Freeloaders” by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt).

In the 2011 U.S. federal budget, corporations like Valero Energy Corporation, Carnival Cruise Lines and Bank of America were exempt from paying taxes. Businesses paying their taxes would alleviate the state financial deficit, said Pat Arnold, president of the Santa Cruz United Nations Association and Bay Area organizer of political activism group Raging Grannies.

“If the corporations just paid their fair share, all of the states’ debts would be accounted for,” Arnold said.

In “Guide to Corporate Freeloaders,” Sanders listed corporations that do not pay taxes to the federal government but received a federal bailout or large IRS refunds. The list includes Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Exxon Mobil, among others.

The number of corporations that do not pay taxes prompted MoveOn.org organizer Sara Bassler to help coordinate the rally outside the Bank of America.

Bassler and other MoveOn.org organizers manned the megaphones, took down names and passed out signs for those who turned out. Arnold said the Santa Cruz Bank of America protest was part of a campaign in 450 cities nationally to fight the budget’s tax exemption of major corporations.

“I want to give corporations more of a sense of responsibility,” Bassler said. “While it is lawful for their corporations to make money for their shareholders, they forget their shareholders are part of society.”

Protesters passed out signs bearing slogans like, “Close your B of A account,” and “Fat Cats are stealing our future.” Many were heard shouting, “Cut from the top, not from Mom and Pop,” and “1, 2, 3, 4 — pay your taxes like the poor.”

Protesters centered most of the blame for the national budget crisis on congressional Republicans. This includes Sen. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who proposed the new budget that passed after much deliberation and hesitation by Congress — deliberations that almost led to a full government shutdown.

“The Republicans say the country is going broke and they’re making cuts to the bottom,” Bassler said. “We’re broke, yet they give huge tax breaks to companies that can really help out our financial crisis.”

Bassler feels that the money the U.S. government is not collecting from corporations like Bank of America can be put to better use in American social programs.

“Politicians need to wake up,” Bassler said. “We need to work together to help keep our society what it is now, and help the less fortunate and build libraries.”

To illustrate the impacts of budget cuts on national programs in comparison to those of corporate tax breaks, a child spoke at the rally about how she would be affected by the cuts.

“I want to stop the budget cuts so that teachers can come back to work and kids can learn,” said Julia Knight, a student of Montclair Elementary School in Oakland and a “MoveOn granddaughter,” according to her grandmother.

Santa Cruz political organizations like Organizing for Santa Cruz, the community organizing arm of the Democratic Party in Santa Cruz, turned out at the event. While the rally was pronounced a success by many protesters, some organizers, like Arnold and Bassler, said they were disappointed with the lack of UC Santa Cruz students in the crowd. They said the fight for more funds to be appropriated to basic services is relevant to all students, including students in higher education and their budget needs.

Bassler and Arnold want UCSC to be represented in protests rallying for corporations to pay their taxes, or to host the next rally on campus.

“We need a sister rally at the university,” Arnold said. “There are 450 of these [rallies] happening in American cities and it’d be great to have one at the Bay Tree Bookstore.”

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

Students, staff and faculty mobilized across all 23 California State University campuses, one UC campus and numerous campuses nationwide yesterday to protest the degradation of higher education. The mobilization, deemed the “Class Action” defense of public higher education, was endorsed by the California Faculty Association (CFA) and joined by students and staff.

The CFA declared the day of action as a “critical” move to “win a fair contract for faculty and staff and protect quality education for students.”

“This was no small thing,” said spokesperson for the CFA Brian Ferguson. “We are a unified voice, we are not going to fight for the scraps of what is left in the budget. We need to take steps to ensure that the education that was there for us will be there for the next generation.”

Ferguson estimated that around 12,000 individuals participated in the day of action across the 23 CSUs, including CSU Humboldt, where an estimated 500 individuals mobilized. Sit-ins were attempted at 12 CSUs and carried out at 11. At CSU Long Beach the attempted sit-in was halted because the building had been shut down prior to their arrival. Sit-ins also took place on campuses ranging from San Francisco State University up to Humboldt State.

Ferguson said that while the CFA supports the sit-ins, the action was coordinated by students. At CSU Sacramento, faculty engaged in the sit-in with students. Ferguson said that the sit-ins were generally successful, as students and administrators met and in many cases reached agreement on the protestors’ demands.

“Many sit-ins got meetings with administration and got localized demands met,” Ferguson said. “The publicity got the message across — that students are paying attention and invested in higher education. Even at Long Beach, where they did not sit-in, they managed to shut down the building.”

As of press time, students and faculty engaging in the sit-in at CSU Sacramento were meeting with administrators and had only one demand left to be met.

The day of action was nationally recognized by Universities in New York and New Jersey, including Rutgers State University. Ferguson expects that the day of action will be met with further mobilization.

“This is not a one-time event,” Ferguson said. “This is the start of a campaign.”