Global Reach of Occupy UC Davis

When I left Davis this June for the bright lights and torrential rain of Dublin, Ireland, it was still the tranquil city I’d spent the last 9 months in. This past week I’ve been glued to YouTube videos, news reports and Facebook updates describing the events that have taken over campus.

UC Davis students and staff came out in force last Tuesday to a strike at the request of protesters from UC Berkeley following the police brutality at their Occupy movement against tuition hikes. Hundreds gathered on the quad and denounced the police actions and spoke out against the de-funding of public education. ‘Against Privatisation, Against Austerity, Against Police Brutality’ read one poster as students and faculty members protested in solidarity with their fellow UC.

This is not really big news, the quad has seen its fair share of protests, rallies, teach-ins and a whole host of other activities and that was just in the school year I was there. Increasing tuition fees will always provoke student dissent; we had our own march through Dublin last week too. But in a matter of days this run of the mill student protest at UCD has made national and international news.

Students continued their Occupy Davis movement and took their protest into Mrak Hall on Tuesday night. Hundreds gathered and shouted, “Students united, we’ll never be divided” as they occupied the administrative building. As the hours wore on the number of students diminished but a small number stayed the night, leaving the following afternoon. The building was swiftly locked at 2.30pm on Wednesday to remove the potential for another occupation.

The calm before the storm.

Students then moved back to the quad and began setting up tents to continue their movement. Camping on campus is not allowed but students were informed late on Wednesday night that the Chancellor had told police officers not to enforce the policy. The protest so far had been nothing but peaceful; guitars were being strummed and pizza had been ordered. Perhaps it had been an irritation for the university - students sleeping in tents on campus probably breaks numerous health and safety codes – but nothing had occurred to indicate what would happen the following day.

As Thursday morning rolled around, I can only imagine there were sore backs and aching limbs but the students continued to hold out. They’d slept outside for their cause, they weren’t giving up easily. A letter from the Chancellor asked for the ‘peaceful removal of all tents by 3pm.’

The students stayed. The police arrived. Then the pepper spray came out.

The escalation of events on Thursday 18th November has astounded me. This police force was the University of California police, the men and women who are supposed to protect students not cause them to seek medical attention. The news reached me on Facebook, then on YouTube and was reported on the UK news on Saturday night. Once I got over the excitement of UC Davis being on TV (I think I embarrassingly shouted to my housemate ‘quick quick Davis is on TV – I went there!!’) I watched the footage once again. It really is shocking. Now I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been there, I’ve walked on that quad, (I’ve napped on that quad), but I can’t quite get over what happened.

Trinity College, Dublin students occupy the city-centre peacefully and without incident.

Trinity College, Dublin joined thousands of other Irish students this week on a march around Dublin city centre. Yes there were police, some even mounted on horses, but they simply watched over us and protected us from traffic.

We blocked the city centre, UCD students blocked a single pathway; we went out socializing later that night, 10 of them got arrested.

I just cannot comprehend how the two events diverged so far. I know the comparison is not entirely accurate, the Davis protests were part of the Occupy movement whereas the TCD protest was solely a student one, but nevertheless they are based on the same principle and around the same course of action – peaceful protest against increased costs for public university education.

My first instinct is simply to say, oh it’s America; everything is always more extreme in America. But I can’t justify that as a valid reason. I’ve been on that quad, I’ve spoken to that police force, I was one of those students – they are no different from the Irish students here. I’m just left bewildered now, watching the events online as they unfold, what happened to the tranquil little city that I left? What happened to the university I attended? And, with regret, I have to ask what is going to happen next to my fellow students and friends at UC Davis?