makingmusic476 on 04 December 2011
I'm still trying to figure out why school authorities were intending to prevent college students from congregating on their own college campus. I'm sure when the local vendors show up and set up booths on those same sidewalks, nobody cares.
What is especially ironic in all of this is that the initial rally that lead to protests was organized by a faculty member, and they rally was intended to speak out against the use of violence against protesters at UC Berkley.
That faculty member wrote an Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, explaining the intent of the protests and calling for the Chancellor to step down:
| Today you ordered police onto our campus to clear student protesters from the quad. These were protesters who participated in a rally speaking out against tuition increases and police brutality on UC campuses on Tuesday—a rally that I organized, and which was endorsed by the Davis Faculty Association. These students attended that rally in response to a call for solidarity from students and faculty who were bludgeoned with batons, hospitalized, and arrested at UC Berkeley last week. In the highest tradition of non-violent civil disobedience, those protesters had linked arms and held their ground in defense of tents they set up beside Sproul Hall. In a gesture of solidarity with those students and faculty, and in solidarity with the national Occupy movement, students at UC Davis set up tents on the main quad. When you ordered police outfitted with riot helmets, brandishing batons and teargas guns to remove their tents today, those students sat down on the ground in a circle and linked arms to protect them. |
