March 4, 2010 Public Education protest

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Photo Copyright California Aggie, with permission.

March 4, 2010 was originally a day of action to defend public education but involved a myriad of issues sparked by events leading up to March 4. The struggle was in solidarity with actions taking place on a state-wide, nation-wide, and international level in support of reforming education in order to improve its quality and accessibility for all. At UCD, protesters consisting mainly of students, joined at AM at and began . There was also suppose to be action at elementary schools from 8-8:30 a.m. and from 7:45-8:15 a.m. at junior and high schools where Davis Teachers Association members leafleted to keep more cuts to education from happening. See the March 2, 2010 Letter from the UC Davis Organizing Committee for background on reasons for the protest, proposed group actions, and various suggestions for how faculty might respond to the strike.

Civil Disobedience and Police Reaction

Demonstrators were forcibly barred from marching onto I-80, with less-than-lethal weapons deployed and one student arrested. The SacBee confirms that the California Highway Patrol were authorized to use less than lethal force, including pellet guns, which were used to fire a pepper ball and either rubber bullets (according to KCRA) or beanbags (according to the Aggie), hitting some people in the legs (story). The protests coincided with student protests around the country.

Early in the day on their Twitter feed, the California Aggie claimed that the California Highway Patrol was using tear gas on protesters, but has since stepped back from that claim, having contacted the UC Davis Police Department who confirmed there were no tasers or tear gas used. UCDPD did confirm that officers used pepperballs. Since then, some witnesses have defended their claims of having heard tasers, and one of those people — an Aggie photographer — took a photo that appears to show a stun gun in use. The Aggie paraphrased the CHP as saying "that the computerized evidence shows beyond any doubt that only one Taser was deployed, and it did not successfully release its charge." An AGTV video contradicts this account, clearly showing a Taser being used in drive-stun mode, it's distinctive clicking clearly audible. UC Davis Police Department Chief Annette Spicuzza watched the video and the Aggie paraphrased her response as saying "it was unlikely Nadimi was stunned since her visible reaction did not match what one would normally see after a 50,000-volt current hits a target." The CHP subsequently admitted that a taser was used on at least one student.

Fire alarms were pulled repeatedly all over campus throughout the day. Graffiti like "Defend Public Education" was spray painted on campus buildings.

I-80 Confrontation

The most notable confrontation occurred when students moved toward I-80 and the police set up a line with cars and law enforcement armed with crowd control gear (photo). Fifth year student Laura Mitchell was arrested by Davis Police and Yolo County Sheriff deputies, but the SacBee is reporting that she was cited for grabbing an officer's baton and has been released with charges of resisting arrest, unlawful assembly and failure to disperse.

The protests were stopped by a line of police just short of the interstate, but similar protests in the Bay Area resulted in the closure of the 880 in Oakland.

Aftermath

The sustainable and affordable student co-op, Davis Student Co-op, was agreed to be saved but the residents would have to pay higher rent. As usual when there is a protest, there was criticism and controversy. At the same time, the UCD protest received world-wide attention and got people talking about many, many issues. People were awoken from their sleep to ponder the issues facing their lives, with the intention of making things better. And perhaps through the education and learning that took place in the aftermath, people would get closer to solving the problem(s).

Reasons for Protesting

Once the protest began, it turned into a large mob-like atmosphere. Statewide, the protest was about public education and budget cuts within the UC and CSU systems.

Major "big picture" protest issues were:

privatization of the University
lower quality of education
loss of jobs for janitors, faculty, staff, and student-workers
fee Increase: Every students' educational fee will increase 32%. Undergraduate tuition will increase $2,378 per year, going from $7,473 to * $9,811. This follows a long line of fee increases, as seen in the historic data:

Strike sign — HarrisonM In terms of educational cuts at UC Davis, the protest broadened to complaints about:

closure of the Geography Graduate Group
cuts to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: $3.8 million cut in funding for 2009-2010. It will go from $70 million to $66.2 million, a 5.2 percent decrease.
closure of Nematology
closure of Environmental Design
closure of the Textiles and Clothing division. No longer funding the department nor hiring teachers to replace those that retire. "There will be fewer TAs for discussions and laboratory courses, reduced maintenance and expansion of facilities and fewer student service and outreach funds." Aggie article

Other issues that people allegedly came out to support and protest about include:

closure of affordable and sustainable housing, specifically Davis Student Co-op
closure of the Breastfeeding Support Program
homophobia. This was sparked by vandalism done to the LGBTRC leading up to March 4.
anti-Semitism and pro-Nazism. This was sparked by a swastika drawn on the dorm-room door of a Jewish student and three swastikas spray-painted around campus.
racism. This was sparked by events at UCSD and Missouri University
Israel's aggressions on Palestine. This was sparked by UCI hosting the Israeli Ambassador to the United States
the war on terror spending billions of dollars while cutting money from our schools
police brutality many more protesters joined in after hearing the news of the police use of force on students by I-80, as described below

Police and Highway Patrol Concerns

Standoff — HarrisonM

Preventing people on I-80 from being delayed by protesters.
Preventing unnecessary death or injury caused by protesters running onto the freeway.
Preventing further property damage/vandalism.

Discussion of the Protest

Discussion of the Goals of this protest movement. There's also some discussion of this particular day below.

Footage

AGTV

User Contributed Photos

Protesters by I-80, after Laura Mitchell's arrest. —JeremyKoo ASUCD President-elect Jack Zwald brings water to the protesters. —JeremyKoo Sit-in at Russell Blvd and Anderson/La Rue. —JeremyKoo

Laura Mitchell —HarrisonM Bus Circle sit-in — HarrisonM Protester at the gates — HarrisonM Line heading towards the Freeway — HarrisonM

To make it easy, these are already formatted for the wiki. Just click on a dotted underlined link and upload your image using the form that pops up

banner by protesters featuring swastika (the Nazi symbol is supposed to go the other way around) Graffiti on MU construction Graffiti on MU construction

Destructive Graffiti on contractor rented fence Some of the expensive Graffiti removal in progress Protesters provide evidence of their spelling abilities

It wasn't all destructive battle banner Graffiti over previous Graffiti

security light bagged near Graffiti site, leaving campus less safe

Because the discussion has gotten somewhat off track, many of the comments have been moved over to a Controversy page. This page should be used to document the protest and related coverage. Arguments about it, both in favor and against, should be taken up in the Controversy page.

Stories and Information on the Protest

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2010-03-04 19:47:30 I'd like to point out how much money these protests have cost the University, City, county, and state in terms of overtime, cleanup costs, and a wasted workday for many. In an era where the state is more or less bankrupt, protesting like this is not the way to help your cause in the eyes of anyone with a brain. Trying to shut down I-80? really? Just plain dumb. —ARWENNHOLD

2010-03-04 23:25:35 I'm starting a counter-protest movement to (peacefully) combat and speak out against these irrational wacko protesters. I've tentatively named the movement "the UC Loyalists" but it could be changed if anybody thinks of a better name. E-mail me at [email protected] —JamesChalmers

2010-03-05 00:20:10 This I-80 protest reminds me of when I was an anti Vietnam War student activist at Cal State LA. In 1970 after the shootings of Kent State students and at the height of student protests, some students were gathered and one male student (I still remember his name.) said, "Lets go to the Freeway." (The I-10 San Bernardino Fwy in East LA - I didn't go.) They walked there and stopped traffic for about 20 minutes if I remember correctly. It was a big news story of a questionable protest. —BruceHansen

yeah, about a million students protested after the shootings at Kent State and the death of 4 students shot in Ohio. That was a sad sad event. —JessicaRockwell

2010-03-05 08:19:12 What surprises me is that people are surprised by the I-80 thing. It makes a ton of sense - what else would give more publicity? I imagined it more like a game of chicken: the protestors hoped they'd be stopped in time, but had to carry on the bluff and the police couldn't chance it not being a bluff. There is no surer way of getting on national news and having people in every state hear of you than being the dummies who almost got on a major highway. —EdWins

2010-03-05 09:27:10 I agree with the sentiment: clearly taking out our state's budget shortfalls on individual students trying to obtain higher education is problematic, however destructive protests seem counterproductive to me.

Picketing, sit ins, etc., sure, but blocking freeways and vandalizing buildings all while wearing masks doesn't help your cause. It gets you attention, sure, but it makes people think "screw these dumb kids, they're just criminals anyway". Wearing a mask sends the wrong message. The point of a protest is to visibly take a stand for something you believe in. Making yourself anonymous is an indication that you are embarrassed by or ashamed of the actions you're taking. It also sends the wrong message to the public as it makes them mentally associate you with criminality, especially when you wear what frankly looks like the kind of mask a stereotypical criminal would wear.

Getting attention is only half the battle. You need to get attention and get people on your side. —rfrazier

2010-03-05 16:25:36 to reply to rfrazier, we only put on the masks when police starting firing the pepper spray or tear gas or whatever it was that they were using. —ashiggins

2010-03-06 09:06:17 Its funny that anti-semitism and Israeli aggression are both listed in the reasons for protesting section. —jefftolentino

Indeed. —CovertProfessor
Anti-Semitism is being against a person because they are Jewish while being against Israel's aggression to Palestine means being against a government policy that has created the oldest refugee crisis going on today. Just as there are Jewish and Israeli people who oppose the Israeli government's egregious behavior towards Palestine, there are people who are not Jewish that are also against Israel's gov while supporting people's right to be Jewish. —JessicaRockwell

And what is it when a person protests Israel but ignores equivalent or worse aggression committed by other nations? What is it when a person supports the actions of those who are anti-semitic? What is it when a person ignores the fact that they are feeding into others' anti-semitism? In short, I think people can mean well, but be quite naive. —CovertProfessor

CP, please look at my response in context of what I was responding to.

I see the context just fine. And I agree with JT that there is an irony about a protest that is against anti-semitism and Israeli aggression both. I'm not saying that everyone who protests Israel's actions is an anti-semite. But I am saying that there are definite links between protesting Israel's action and anti-semitism more broadly, and anyone who overlooks these links is naive. —CovertProfessor

Jessica, your distinctions between opposing Israel and anti-Semitism may apply to certain segments of the population, but you can't tell me some elements of anti-semitism stem from anger over Israeli policy. How many Jewish students do you think are going to read the statement "Israel's aggressions on Palestine" and say to themselves, "Well there's a nice bunch of people. I'm glad they're fighting anti-semitism too." —Jefftolentino

And there are also people who are not Jewish or Palestinian, but support Israel's right to be a sovereign nation. —JoePomidor

Ok. And your point is.......Take a look at the context of my response. Don't just look at the recent changes and respond without reading the discussion first.

I only put that in there because you were expressing the idea that people could have different convictions, but none of your examples included someone who was pro-Israel. I decided to address that. There was no other commentary involved. Maybe you should consider other people's positions carefully before throwing out random accusations. —JoePomidor

2010-03-06 11:19:42 I thought it was a public education protest. —TomGarberson (Please see my lengthier criticism for a more complete explanation of my throughts)

2010-03-06 11:28:51 No, it was a protest for anything that was bothering you at the time. —ScottMeehleib

Your Taco Bell joke made me laugh a lot, that was pretty funny. -ES
Hahaha yeah, I cracked up when I saw that. Too bad it didn't last a little longer! -tg

2010-03-06 11:35:27 Me too. I'm particularly confused about how things like protesting Israeli politics or the size of the Taco Bell waiting area are related to education funding.

IDNE, I think the Taco Bell thing was Scott's parody of the inclusion of completely unrelated stuff. -tg
Ahh...you're right. It fit in so well though! :-) —IDoNotExist

I would imagine that some protesters might be rather unhappy to learn that their protest for one goal had been hijacked to protest completely unrelated causes that they might strongly disagree with. It's a bit like writing a letter and signing your name, then having someone else come along and add a new sentence to the letter that you are opposed to, and signing their name too, so now it looks like you support *their* cause.

On the other hand...perhaps you could show up at a random protest with a sign suggesting that everyone place all of their money in your bank account. Since being present and taking *some* position apparently implies that the group is protesting in support of your particular position, maybe that will pay for your retirement! —IDoNotExist

I'm reminded somewhat of a rally that took place my freshman year here, probably in Spring '03. I lived in Tercero B Building, and right outside, at Casa Cuauhtémoc, there was a rally about racism and racial inequality in education and that kinda stuff. I thought it was kinda cool, and watched for a while out of the balcony at the east side of the building. They had several excellent speakers. But within about an hour or so, someone got on the bullhorn or microphone and started a chant of "KILL THE WHITEY" that went on for a good 5 or 10 minutes before people finally settled down. The lesson I learned from that is you can have a really well-intentioned group that gets together and turns into a group of raving idiots because one lone rabble rouser with a microphone triggers a mob mentality and turns their goals to shit, making their movement 100% counterproductive. Like that event, I found Thursday's protest to begin with a good message, but by the end of the day, it became obnoxious and counterproductive with no positive contribution to the movement's goals. I hope for the sake of the protesters that it was at least cathartic. —TomGarberson (Please see my lengthier criticism for a more complete explanation of my throughts)
I've heard people talking about the protest all over Davis for the past few days. Most people are focusing on the I-80 event, rather than the intended message about funding for higher education, which was the intent of the protest. (You can see that reflected here on the Wiki too.) That's really sad, because they had an important message to get out, but the message is being lost in the discussion about the wisdom (or lack thereof) in trying to walk onto an active major Interstate. —IDoNotExist

And here is what this professor would recommend, to counteract this phenomenon: Students should write into the Davis Enterprise and tell your stories. Briefly explain how these program cuts and tuition increases have and will impact you personally, and how they delay or make difficult your life goals. Get the community refocused on the issues, and let them know that there are serious impacts. Because you can bet all the the other letters to the editor will be complaints about the protest and the whiny students. —CovertProfessor
Excellent suggestion! —IDoNotExist

2010-03-06 14:26:53 Someone pulled fire alarms in lab buildings. It did not impress students or professors who have time sensitive materials and lose a week's worth of work because of a false alarm.

Way to alienate a potential support base protesters. —OliviaY truth, I know of some research that got fuddled as a direct result of fire alarms Daubert

did those researchers know the strike would happen? —JessicaRockwell

no they did not, but even if they did, how would they anticipate fire alarms? What's more perhaps the research they were doing (like mine for example which has implications in BRAIN TUMOR formation) could not be abandoned whether or not they believed in the "cause". —OliviaY

so for this strike, there should have been about 2 weeks notice. If people know there will be a strike, they shouldn't be in their labs. They should join the picket line. Failure to do so makes one a scab. One should expect disturbances when there is a strike. That's the whole point of it. —JessicaRockwell

"Should have been two weeks notice"? In fact, I talked to a number of people that day who hadn't heard anything about it. I used the time to talk to them about the issues. Now, if that makes me a scab because we had the conversations on university property rather than being out with the strikers, then so be it. However, I think that people can reasonably disagree about the best way to address the crisis we're in. Some people strike, some people write letters, some people talk one-on-one — etc. You can cast names at the people who did not respond in your preferred way if you like, but is that really productive? Does it help the cause? Does it help the cause to disturb brain tumor research? —CovertProfessor

Yeah, that's unfortunate. There should have been better organizing (it's difficult when you're a student trying to be an activist). At the same time, there is faculty and TAs who will not allow students to make announcements regarding upcoming strikes. During strikes, one of the goals is to educate the people and get them to join in your picket line. So it's great you were speaking with people about it. That is exactly what you were suppose to do. But you should have done it all day. Not held class or meetings. No business as usual. —JessicaRockwell

"No business as usual." — I respect your opinion on that, but there are many issues that I am concerned about. My students knew that they were welcome to join the strike and would not suffer any penalty if they went. But I have my own reasons for thinking that "business as usual" needed to go on (once we'd talked about the reasons for the strike, that is).

I think it's good you spoke about the subject in class and didn't penalize those who didn't attend. That's way more than any of the Professors I've had has done. There were many times when in class we'd talk about an issue of injustice (such as homelessness or unemployment) and I would mention a struggle on campus in common with those being discussed, and the teacher wouldn't talk about it. How is it that we can be taught about injustices going on in the world, and when there is one happening in our own lives we do nothing? How can it be that we learn about the horrors of US military imperialism, and yet we sit back silently as it continues to go on under Obama and his Democrats in Honduras, Yemen, Afghanistan, Venezuela, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Italy..... The US government would rather cut funding to education than cut back on military spending. The US government (on a state and federal level) would rather pay for having a war on drugs than pay for education. On the federal level, the US government is using tax dollars to pay for a Chaplain. Why can't churches be taxed? Yet we let education go down. On the UC-level, administrators are discussing cut backs and increasing their own personal salaries at the same meeting. On the UC Davis level, ASUCD spent $5,000 to buy a fire-truck rather than give the money to expanding AS Papers, and now AS Papers is dead. On the UC Donors level, they need to get their priorities straightened out. Students need to wake up to the reality of the situation before them and how their actions are effecting people. So if you're a teacher, keep educating the people around you about the injustices happening on campus, maybe cancel class, but at least make it so no one is punished for doing so. Maybe then, the students can explore other ways of solving the problem(s). And hey, maybe the grad students, faculty and staff can help them in finding the way!

Jessica, do you understand how laboratories often operate? I don't know about the hard physical sciences but when dealing with living matter it is often essential that you work each day because living material is highly time sensitive. Often it is a series of days, if not weeks, of work. In order to suspend operations of an entire lab for even one day might require shutting it down for an entire week. That is something many people can not afford to do no matter how much notice is provided. It doesn't make them bad people, but they have their own causes they are already working on and must support the issue of public education in some other way. The way in which you choose to approach this subject completely disregards other important issues that people are working to fix. Who are you to decide your cause is more important than any other? Isn't that why people were invited to protest anything they wanted on March 4th? Would it be more effective for someone like me or my employers to hold signs saying "Down with Cancer/Aids/World Hunger" while postponing a week of research that is working on creating an actual solution for those problems? —OliviaY

I think the school should have been shut down for more than one day. The strike should have been on-going. No, people couldn't go and protest anything they want. Pro-Nazi people protesting against the queer community, people of color, Jews, and communists would not have been welcomed. People doing research to solve the problems of AIDS and World Hunger? How about the US give all the excess food it has to those starving? Or how about the US government stop subsidizing agriculture which is driving agricultural prices on the world market down, leaving people in poorer countries unable to compete with the US, forcing them to go into further poverty? How about western drug companies lower the high prices for the HIV cocktails they have? Or better yet, not have copyright on HIV drugs. Once India and Brazil threatened to make their own HIV cocktails, the drug companies lowered their prices. Sure, there is some research of value going on, such as with cancer. But 2 out of 3 research issues going on already have solutions. —JessicaRockwell

Dumping excess food onto developing nations would destroy the economies of those nations. I agree with your subsidies stance though, because the subsidies basically charge taxpayers to rob them of better deals (sorry for going off-topic). —hankim

So people should scream and shout for more than one day demanding these solutions, rather than doing what they can with their own resources to solve it. How very...open minded and considerate of you. If this is the kind of mentality I could expect to meet in these strikes I am glad I did not take part.—OliviaY

I think dialogue is also good, like CP said they did. What resources do students have to solve these solutions? And how is research helping to solve world hunger? —JessicaRockwell

Students such as myself who choose to major in the sciences have laboratory resources where they get to work on these problems by interning/volunteering/getting employed. As for research and world hunger, I could go into a lengthy explanation of my support for GM foods as a vehicle to solve world hunger but anticipate that would result in both a lengthy debate and would diverge a great deal from the topic of this page. The point is that there are other causes people may choose to fight, in fact there are so many in this world that no one person can dedicate themselves or their time to them all. To condemn someone for not supporting one because they have something else they are working for (even if it is something as simple as working, to make money to pay for meals for their child) is very one-sided. —OliviaY

What you seem to not understand is that there is already enough food in the world to feed everyone. link We don't need to do further research to solve that problem. We need to change the way the world is functioning, beginning with on campus.

As I said, not interested in getting into a lengthy debate. You want to change the entire functioning of the world and that quite simply is not something I'm interested in arguing. I could say well then, stop all the research! Or I could let some people fight to change the status quo, while I work within it. I don't care which way the problem is solved, only that it is. If your method doesn't work as quickly as mine, then why must I be in the wrong to do it my way or vice versa? I will not debate this anymore since you seem to disregard anyone with ideas that differ from yours.—OliviaY

I support research, but if people are given 2 weeks notice and have an understanding of what is going on, most people should be able to make arrangements for the strike. Working within the status quo....is that how major change was made? Is that how the 8-hour work day came about? Is that how civil rights have come about? For some reason I thought it was because of protests and civil disobedience.... —JessicaRockwell
"In order to suspend operations of an entire lab for even one day might require shutting it down for an entire week. That is something many people can not afford to do no matter how much notice is provided. It doesn't make them bad people" I will not engage in more useless banter if you continue to disregard what I say or other pov that are just as valid as your own. Night. —OliviaY

As I've said before, I think the strike should have been for more than one day. I am addressing what you say, that is not disregarding.

That kind of thinking highly arrogant. I would not support people who treat me or my work that way. I may choose to fight this in my own manner and that should be respected. It only serves to alienate people from what you are fighting for because of instead of supporting you in a manner which I am comfortable/able to do, I find myself instead rooting against you. This is something that the protesters need to realize.—OliviaY

Why are you uncomfortable with striking?

I can tell you why I am uncomfortable. I am uncomfortable with crowds — I don't trust them. I favor discussion of the issues rather than chanted slogans. I don't necessarily agree with all of the issues that get added into the mix, as I suggested already (e.g., protesting Israel). I respect those who choose to protest peacefully and do think that it can make a difference. But I try to make a difference in a way that I am comfortable with and in a way that I think I can do the most good. —CovertProfessor

CP, if you're uncomfortable with crowds, it must be difficult being a Professor! I agree with the tactics the protesters used, but I thought the timing was not right for shutting down the freeway. I think it would have been more effective to try to shut the school down first and educate the students, faculty and staff about what is going on to have them join the demonstrators side. It also should have been an on-going strike. Not just a one-day thing. As for Israel, why are you against protesting the Israeli government's actions towards Palestine? —JessicaRockwell

No, a classroom is very different from a crowd. And I have already explained why I am against protesting the Israeli government: here and here. But the general point is (as others have said) the more issues you pile on, the more likely it is that not all protesters will agree. —cp

Crowd: 1. a large number of persons gathered closely together; throng: a crowd of angry people. 2. any large number of persons. 3. any group or set of persons with something in common: The restaurant attracts a theater crowd. 4. audience; attendance: Opening night drew a good crowd. 5. the common people; the masses: He feels superior to the crowd. 6. a large number of things gathered or considered together. 7. Sociology. a temporary gathering of people responding to common stimuli and engaged in any of various forms of collective behavior.

Note the multiple definitions for the same word. A classroom is closest to #4, whereas a protest is closest to #1 or #7.

Issue of protesting the government of Israel: I really don't understand your arguments. Are you saying people shouldn't protest against Israel because they might be viewed as anti-semites and there are other issues that are more important?

I am saying that they should be careful that the protesters don't inadvertently feed anti-semitism. There have been swastikas on campus within the last week. You don't know who put them there and neither do I, but in my opinion this is hardly the climate to risk stirring up more anti-semitic sentiment. The situation in the Middle East is extremely complex and is not well-served by simple protest slogans. I am also wondering why Israel is the only aggressor listed, when there are many world-wide aggressors, including the Palestinians themselves. (Note: I am not suggesting that you add to the list on this page! I think issues such as Israel already detract from the central message).

I am strongly opposed to Anti-Semitism, but I am also strongly opposed to the Israeli Ambassador being invited to speak at UCI and further spread his government's policy towards aggression on Palestine. The defense of Palestinian people against Israel's government is the same defense that was necessary for the Native Americans against their colonizers and the same defense necessary for the Native Americans today, who continue to be on reservations with high levels of unemployment, alcoholism, suicide, etc. It is very much appropriate to be brought up at a protest of that kind.

The situations are not even close to the same, but I'm not going to debate the issue with you here. If you're willing to risk contributing to anti-semitism while people are plastering signs around campus that represent millions of Jews who died in gas chambers or were starved to death — well, just don't expect me to join you. And many others who would have otherwise been sympathetic to your cause won't join you either. —cp

Your thinking reminds me of how some white suffragists didn't want to join with black suffragists because they didn't want to lose the support of southern voters. Or how some black men didn't want to support women's right to vote. Looking back in history, it is people who wanted universal suffrage, like Fredrick Douglass and Sojourner Truth that were right. And they didn't hold their tongue for fear of losing support. Rather they spoke up, in public, even when times were controversial, even when they were unwelcome. Everyone has their own approach to dealing with people. I am willing to stand up and say I am against anti-Semitism and Israel's apartheid which has created a refugee crisis of 4.7 million Palestinians. How can I make a conscious decision to not discuss what is going on in Palestine? —JessicaRockwell

It's not the same. The Palestinians are far from blameless here, and indeed, are feeding the very anti-semitism that you claim to want to fight. —cp

I avoid mobs as a rule. They can not be controlled and have an unsavory tendency to get violent. —OliviaY

A strike is not inherently a mob. Where did you get this idea from? —JessicaRockwell

People marching in the streets with intent to challenge police = my idea of a mob. Strikes turning into mobs has happened in the past on this campus and I anticipated the same here.

So you're against mobs. But are you against all strikes? —JessicaRockwell

Did I say I am?—OliviaY

Well, based on the things you've written today, you appear to be very against striking. And you still are hesitant to say you support some strikes. So can you please clarify your stance?
I have only been discussing why I oppose the way in which these strikes are managed and the opinion of people such as yourself that if "you aren't with us, in the manner which the all-powerful WE has chosen as the only appropriate action to be taken...you are against us." To assume an opinion of mine about strikes in all circumstances, well you know what they say about ass-umptions. —OliviaY

Olivia, I also think it wasn't managed in the right way. But I'm also not going to say strikes=mobs and then make a joke about scabs.

—JessicaRockwell

"Strikes turning into mobs has happened in the past on this campus and I anticipated the same here." It is a sad world indeed when we can't recognize the prejudice against poor words like scab. —OliviaY

Why is there such a stigma against scabs btw? I've never understood it. They heal over a wound to prevent further infection from outside elements. Isn't that a GOOD thing? —OliviaY

Scabs prevent strikes from being effective. —JessicaRockwell

You missed the point of my comment.

Were you trying to be funny?

Jessica: Your assumption is that everyone on campus agrees with the ideas behind the strike, agrees with your chosen method of carrying it out, and agrees with the combined goals of the crowd/mob/whatever you want to call it. None of those are likely to be true. You are also assuming that everyone on the campus thinks that the most important thing that they can do with their lives is participate in a strike. I would imagine that many students would be upset if their classes got canceled because their professors chose to strike. The professors would be upset if their researchers decided not to do their research because of it. The vet and med students certainly can't walk out on their patients! And as Olivia pointed out, there is a lot of research here that can't simply be stopped and started on a whim. Biology experiments often take weeks or months, and could be ruined if not properly run every day. Many grad students in chemistry and physics are quite literally unable to get away from their labs, because their experiments would fail. Believe it or not, these people are working on schedules that are important for all sorts of reasons. Shutting down the university would be incredibly expensive, and would waste thousands or millions of dollars in research funds. It would delay results that may greatly benefit society. And this would happen even if you give people advance notice. And calling someone a scab, or any other name, for not participating in a strike is not only unfair, but incredibly presumptuous. Did they *agree* to participate in a strike? One can hardly break a strike when one did not agree to support it in the first place. It's up to everyone to decide if the issues being discussed are important to them, and if, when, and how they wish to participate. —IDoNotExist

If education and research is as important as you claim, then why is the government cutting its funding? —JessicaRockwell

1) Apparently, not everyone agrees that it is important. 2) Research needs very long term support, but people in office have much shorter term goals. 3) By law, a 2/3 supermajority is required to pass a budget. 4) The republicans in CA run on a platform of preventing any tax increases, vote as a block, and make up > 1/3 of the legislature, therefore any tax increase that would pay for CA's budget problems is very difficult to pass. 5) The governor also refuses to allow any tax increase. 6) State revenue has fallen because the economy is in disastrous shape right now, therefore the government lacks the money to fall current service levels, therefore it must cut something. Unfortunately, they chose to cut funding for universities - perhaps because students vote in much lower percentages than other groups. 7) Other forms of funding increases, such as property taxes that actually correlate to the value of a home, and that are used to fund pre-college education, are banned by the CA constitution. 8) CA commits a huge percentage of its funds through propositions voted on by its citizens. Those funding commitments have the force of law, but most people voting on them do not understand the fiscal implications of the propositions. (In fact, they are often written in such a way that even lawyers have a hard time correctly interpreting the language!) That removes decisions about much of CA's spending from the people who actually understand where CA's entire budget is going, or what its overall needs are. 10) It was much more than the universities that were cut - although I personally think that cutting university funding was a *terrible* idea. —IDoNotExist

If education and research are so important, and you know the reasons for why its getting it, what are you doing so its funding isn't cut? —JessicaRockwell
My personal choices are private, off topic, and not a subject for discussion on the Wiki. —IDoNotExist

2010-03-07 12:37:13 Have there been any allegations of police misconduct arising out of the protest? —TomGarberson

The only complaints I've heard were about the lies that the powers-that-be told afterwards, namely, that nobody was hurt (batons and pepperballs don't hurt!? How about someone goes and beats the police chief with a baton and she can tell us she isn't injured) and that no tasers were used (contradicted by the AGTV video). —WilliamLewis

Yeah, "injuries" can be a little subjective. Specifically, they depend on whether you were the one subjected to them :) —TomGarberson (They may have meant that no one was seriously enough injured to require medical attention... not saying that's the case, just speculating.)

2010-03-07 16:41:04 Jessica, I'm still hoping to hear how you (or anyone else) feel the activities of the 4th in any way furthered any of the goals expressed above. Your only response in the thread that got moved to the Controversy page was that "the protest was for education." If people had a moral obligation to be out there joining in the protest, surely it must be because it is reasonably likely to have a positive impact on the problems. How so? —TomGarberson (Please see my lengthier criticism for a more complete explanation of my throughts)

2010-03-07 19:06:48 (replying to the thread above about Palestine/Israel). Alright...but this wasn't World Protest Day or "Protest about every injustice you care about day." It was supposed to be about budget cuts and fundin to the UCs/CSU. Tacking on a million other issues really weakens the whole thing, as it merely invites anyone and everything onto the streets. This has nothing to do with their merits as causes, but couple that with all the on campus shenanigans and it really seems more like a day of random chaos with noclear message: just agnst. I'm also in the sciences, and if my lab buildings fire alarm was pulled without cause....well, few things would so quickly piss off a couple hundred grad students. I do care a ton about budgetary issues and funding, but the more that got added to this page, the less in favor of this mass protest I'm becomming. The cause is one thing, the actions taken in it's name (and apparently in the name of lots of other issues) are another. —EdWins

2010-03-07 20:29:56 SNL skit about the protests...hahahaha http://www.hulu.com/collections/392/132877

Where my frisbee at? —OliviaY

2010-03-07 21:47:17 This discussion is supposed to be about Stories and Information, so: "Story": I really needed to use the library that day to send an important email for one of my classes, but somebody pulled the fire alarm; we had to evacuate. Luckily, I had my laptop, granted uncharged, and so I thought I'd plug it into the wall of one of the lounges in the MU. Someone pulled the fire alarm again. Then I went around looking for a non-evacuated lecture hall that might have someplace to charge my computer. Hahaha, funny story. Or it would have been, if my education hadn't been threatened by my own fellow students at the time. I was at school non-stop from 8:30am until 6:00pm that day — getting the most out of my education! By the end of the day, I just wanted to go home and eat a budget-friendly dinner. Oh yeah, and my busline changed, adding an extra 20 minutes to my route home, in order to avoid protesters, blocking the street. I was thinking, "Well, at least I didn't have to go to the emergency room today." It seems, according to this Jessica person, that at least one person would be happy at such a prospect. Better dead with a heart attack than alive with an expensive education... an education that protesters should apparently deny other students of for more than a day, in order to accomplish a shocking story at the end of the day for people to watch on their TVs. The end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jy2uuU1-vs

"Information": Does anyone actually know who is responsible for the budget cuts? Was anyone protesting directly at the source on March 4? Or at least distributing corresponding contact info, or some sort of pertinent information, so that the slightly annoyed passerby might potentially be interested or get involved in a more constructive manner...? —Myself

See my comments above on why the university is in a budget crisis (although I probably should have added in that the lack of regulation of the financial system was a major contributor, along with an unfunded $1 Trillion dollar war, because they were major contributors to the wider economic issues that helped to cause the more local state-wide ones in the first place. —IDoNotExist
See also UC Davis Budget Cuts —cp

2010-03-08 10:57:51 Hi everyone, Given the amount of debate this event has spawned, I just wanted to let you know that we welcome your letters to the editor (200 words or less) or guest opinions (aka op-eds: 600 words or less) to be printed on the Aggie opinion page, which runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. Send your opinions to editor at theaggie dot org. Thanks! - Jeremy Ogul, Managing Editor, The California Aggie —jsogul

2010-03-10 22:03:26 I must say that the actions of these protesters only serve to strengthen my resolve against the issues they are protesting against. I'm all for protest and getting to speak your mind, as long as it does not inconvenience me. Blocking roads or inhibiting traffic is perhaps one of the things that irritates me the most (I got stuck back in '06, I think, when students were protesting against Sodexho).

I understand what these students are protesting about (namely the cost of education), but to be completely frank, our UC degrees are a steal. The UC system is the greatest and most highly regarded public school system in the world. Our degrees are comparable to some of the top private universities in the world. Even after the increases, our tuition is still a steal compared to other institutions. Now, I've heard the argument that education SHOULD be free. However, in the real world, things that SHOULD happen, often can't happen due to limited resources. This is the situation we find ourselves in now, limited resources, and Economics is wholly based on the allocation of resources to maximize utility when resources are limited. But all of this (what I am saying) is pointless. College students are going to protest so that they may feel like they are part of something bigger and fighting for "social justice". It's too bad that life is so much more difficult to poor people, but that is just the world we live in. Blocking traffic (and my life) is not going to make life any easier for them. —puttputt

As I have said above, I am not too happy with the actions of the protesters, either. But don't judge the worthiness of the issues by the actions of the protesters, who represent only a small fraction of the people affected (who include not just other students, but also faculty and staff). You say, "The UC system is the greatest and most highly regarded public school system in the world. Our degrees are comparable to some of the top private universities in the world" which makes me want to reply "The UC system was the greatest and most highly regarded public school system in the world. Your degrees were comparable to some of the top private universities in the world." However, the budget cuts haven't just raised tuition. They have also caused all programs to be cut, and some to be eliminated entirely. They have reduced the number of staff (though layoffs) and reduced the number of faculty (through hiring freezes and slowdowns). All of these things affect the quality of a UC education. I will also point out that having a diverse student body, made up of students from all socio-economic classes is (was?) one of the things that makes (made?) the UC system as great as it is (was?). —CovertProfessor

2010-03-14 22:46:20 OK, I watched the video on Aggie TV and I thought the protesters made an ass of themselves to be honest. Before I go any further, I would like to state that their reason for anger and frustration is 110% justified and something needs to be done. But all those protesters managed to do is make total tools of themselves and piss off the rest of the student body. A lot of people were in class and these people forced them out with fire alarms. This protests was anything but peaceful. (Well with exceptions of that dude trying to give that cop a flower...Thought that was kinda cool) These assholes, held up an intersection and buses and tried to hold down a freeway. They terrorized a town trying to FORCE people to do what they want. Do you guys see the hypocrisy here? Also the Aggie reporter was so biased and stupid. She kept saying how brutal the police were and how the protesters were being peaceful and breaking NO laws. I watched the video and counted 8 laws the protesters broke. But there was a few protesters who went on (Right after the reporter made her remarks BTW) to say things along the lines of: "I understand why the police are trying to stop us. We are breaking the law, but we have to do what we have to do and they have to do what they have to do. But the ends justify the means". God bless those protesters who said that. Although I dont agree with their means, at least they are in reality. Then to over exaggerate the injuries at the end was pathetic. You had some bruises. Watch videos of protests from the 60's and compare injuries. Oh and stop wearing Che Guevara t-shirts. The dude was a murderer and a war criminal. If you want to promote peace, wear Ghandi and Martin Luther King. (Two personal heroes of mine)

So here is what was accomplished:

Laws broken Town terrorized Students caused pain and anguish to those who have nothing to do with the problem at hand Problems still stand.

I just wish this wasnt so misguided. I personally wouldve liked to have us all lined up Russell shoulder to shoulder. Gaining support from those who surround us, rather then harassing the citizens of Davis and making their life difficult. The businesses here have been good to us, we should return the favor, not cause them harm. —Dozer

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