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UC BERKELEY “OPEN UNIVERSITY” RAIDED BY UC POLICE, 65 ARRESTED

From LiveWeek: PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Contact: Elias Martinez (559) 999-4964 and Ianna Owen (570) 977-0487

This morning, on the fifth and final day of a weeklong “Open University” held at UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall, University of California Police stormed into the building around 5am, arresting 65 people without provocation, witnesses said.

“People were not given a final warning – police burst in while people were sleeping and immediately started locking doors and arresting people. Many students have papers due today, and finals to take starting tomorrow,” said Elias Martinez, an undergraduate from Political Science. “There had been cops in here all week, they were acting like it was okay. We had no idea.”

The police raid at UC Berkeley came one day after students participating in an occupation at San Francisco State University, also railing against budget cuts to public education, were arrested by SFSU Police at 3am.

Douglas Virgos, an undergraduate student, spent the night in the UC Berkeley building but then left on a food run in the early morning. “I got back and saw that the police had put handcuffs on the doors. I was there all night and never heard police tell us we had to leave.”

Students and faculty supporters who gathered on the scene shortly after raid alerts went out say they saw the students, some of them without shoes and wearing only their underwear, being loaded onto Alameda County Sheriff’s buses headed to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

“We’ll be shuttling people out there all day on caravans to do jail support and camp out there until the protesters are released,” said Melissa Barker, an undergraduate of Interdisciplinary Studies and parent. “The fact that the cops drove 65 people all the way to Dublin makes me think that the charges will be way more than misdemeanor trespassing. We’re worried, but we’ll do everything it takes to support our folks. We’ll be there all weekend if it takes.”

Students have been holding public events, including teach-ins on the UC budget, study-ins, and live music shows as part of a “Live Week” of Open University events since Monday.

The week of events was scheduled to end with a free concert in Wheeler Hall, where the Oakland-based political hip hop artist, Boots Riley, would perform tonight.

“We are going to proceed with the event today, and this show will be larger than ever. We’ll continue to organize with students from other schools and build a worldwide movement of students fighting to retain and expand public education,” said a student who withheld their name, fearing university reprisals. “The police attack only makes us angrier.”

Links:
Occupation Maintenance Council on Facebook
UC Strike web site
LiveWeek

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John Lennon: October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980

Children don't create this reality. We bring them into it. What they ultimately do as they grow is what they learn to do from us. They are possibility and potential. They are still free. Something I was thinking about on this anniversary of John Lennon's death. - Cat ☮

Alexandros is every child.

When each of us matters, the whole community is as outraged as a mom or dad, an aunt or uncle, sister or brother. We have grown used to a society where no one really matters, except to those closest to him...no small insignificant one should matter to everyone. People are news, not individuals who each had a life.

When Alexandros was 15 and was murdered by the police, my nephew was 15 and alive. This made it very personal for me as I began to study my nephew throughout the month his face, his thoughts...thinking about 15-year-olds and their dreams and how very young they are. And though I am a pacifist, all I could think of was what if it was my nephew? I began to think violence is justified. I was confused. I understand better how people can become confused. I think if someone killed my nephew, I could kill them. And if I didn't kill them, I could surely burn down everything they stood for. I am still a pacifist. Those who participated in the uprising, they heal my heart as an aunt. They say this child mattered. Every child matters. Every person. Every life.

Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008 - by Tolstoy's Cat

On the evening of Saturday December 6th, 2008 the police shot and killed 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos and left him for dead. Today is the anniversary of the 2008 Greek Uprising, which started with the death of this young anarchist boy and ended with Athens and other cities in flames after over a month of insurrection.

Love in the Ruins of Democracy - The Greek Uprising of 2008 - Blogcritics Politics

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