Have UC Protests Taken a Wrong Turn?
The student protests that have characterized not only the UC Davis campus, but California campuses across the state have, in my opinion, taken an unfortunate turn at UC Berkeley. On December 11, several students from both UC Davis and Berkeley were arrested during a protest where $18,000 of damage was done to the home of the Cal chancellor.
When I joined the movement just a few months ago, I joined a peaceful protest. Although the fee increases are not something to be brushed aside, there was and never will be a need for violence. As the wise Ghandi once said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” The students were united, strong, focused and knew what they wanted.
At the beginning of the protests, a major concern of participants and organizers alike has been what would happen to the spirit, efforts and progress of the movement over finals and winter break when many students would not have the time to dedicate and would be leaving Davis. I was concerned too, but the vandalization of the chancellor’s home at the University of Berkeley is an unacceptable avenue for the movement to take and threatens how others view our purpose.
This event has not gone unnoticed by the people of California. I have read several Los Angeles Times articles, among others, that highlight the more recent and less reputable events rather than the headway that student protestors had made. The students of the University of California cannot afford to be shown in poor light. We need to fight our fight with grace, honor and consideration of those who do not hold the power to change the situation.
During my first week back on campus, I have spoken to a few of my friends and fellow activists. They are embarrassed by the events that have happened in Berkeley as well as the direction that the protests have gone in. We began fighting for the reversal of the fee increases, but recently we have been hearing more about free education from the students. In reality, this is not a feasible goal.
The state of California will, most likely, never make higher education free, nor should they. We pay for, arguably, the premier higher education system in the country. The money that we pay supports not only U.C. Davis, but keeping the best and the brightest at all state funded institutions of higher learning. The students have lost sight of the finish line and need to be reminded of the goals that brought us together, rolling back the increases to ensure a more affordable education.
Ed. Note: UC Davis students will ride their bicycles to Sacramento today (01/13/10) to protest the UC fee hikes. They’ll gather at 9 a.m. for a breakfast rally on the UC Davis Quad, then leave for Sacramento at 10 a.m. Participants plan to meet at the Capitol at noon. According to event organizers, anyone interested in joining the students in their two-wheeled protest is welcome.
Nikki, while I appreciate your commentary, there are a few things I’d like to contest.
First, it’s unfair to characterize what eyewitnesses have described as the actions of only a handful of the students present at the march as an “unfortunate turn” for the movement as a whole. I imagine that most student protestors remain, like yourself, opposed to the use of violence.
Second, the events of the evening of Dec. 11 must be understood in the context of the police violence against peaceful student protestors at Wheeler Hall and elsewhere and the dishonesty of university administrators who tacitly condoned the “Open University” for nearly a week before sending in the police to arrest over 60 students at dawn on the 11th. The Student Advocate’s Office at Berkeley issued a strong condemnation of the administration’s actions.
Third, to characterize property damage as “violence” runs the risk of equating broken pottery with broken hands and heads. There is something wrong with our thinking when the use of violence goes unquestioned as the prerogative of the police and broken glass gets elevated to “terrorism” by our governor. It also risks losing sight of the fact that the people arrested that evening and impugned as terrorists (including a journalist and the two UCD students you mention) seem to have been detained randomly; the DA could not go forward with charges against them. Many of the claims that the Berkeley administration made about the events at the Chancellor’s mansion (and that were dutifully reported as fact by the media) turned out to be highly questionable.
Finally, many students are demanding that higher education be free. While you may not see this as achievable, the State of California itself once did, before it shifted its priorities, which is why many protestors are calling for a return to the Master Plan. Starting from the pragmatic position is a very poor bargaining tactic, in my opinion. If the student movement is going to be a movement worthy of the label, a variety of tactics and outlooks must be embraced. If students limit themselves to approved channels or “reputable” forms of protest, the administration and legislators will feel no pressure. Petition politics has its limitations, especially when moneyed interests are exerting pressure in the other direction. If we take anything from the legacy of the Free Speech Movement, it should be that sometimes disruptive action is the only effective avenue.
Best wishes,
J
Jonathan, thank you for your thoughts and concerns.
In brief, as I stated in my article, the students of the U.C. system cannot afford to be shown in a poor light, and as we know, a few bad apples can spoil the bunch.
I agree that the police should not be involved in peaceful events, but what happened at Berkeley was the destruction of property, and that does in fact warrant police attention.
No one used the term “terrorism” in reference to these events, but the breaking of even a few lights and pots at the HOME of the chancellor is destructive and no longer peaceful.
If you look at today’s budget, free education in California will never be in the cards. The Master Plan did say that higher education should be tuition free, but said nothing about fees. Once again, as I stated in my article, we are playing for the best. If we stop, the level of education on any of the U.C. campuses will not be to the caliber that we are accustomed.
Sincerely,
Nikki Greenman