February 27, 2008
Posted by yaman
Can UC change? Supporting the tree-sit at UC Berkeley
Playing off of a recent UC Berkeley marketing campaign, two students have commenced a tree-sit on campus, pictured to the left, asking: can UC change?
The answer to one variation of that question answers the second. If you can see change, UC can change.
While I doubt it will be longer than a few days before the obsessively “moderate” voices on campus begin to toss epithets at the tree-sitters for being “ineffective,” it should be asked: does anybody really think that those who took to the trees believe that their actions alone are going to change the UC?
I doubt it. Rather than paint out the obvious, other students on campus, in the ASUC, writing for the campus paper, and participating on campus in other ways, should take this opportunity to stand by the student activists in the trees and to support their message. UC won’t change as long as its greatest dreams–that the student body will itself abandon and isolate any effort to reform the UC–remain fulfilled.
While the activists have claimed they are not affiliated with any organization, their message resonates with one that has been coming out of groups like the Free the UC/Phoenix Coalitions for the past year or so. And before people start lashing out that these people could “better use” their time (wrongly assuming that living in this tree is the one thing they’ve ever done as students on campus), take a look at this detailed draft for policy change. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start–and certainly more than what most students who will be quick to abandon the activists have done for changing their University for the better.
Our campus is sorely lacking a sense of solidarity between groups and for people who are putting their status as students on the line (what if the UC threatens to expel them for staying in the tree, as it threatened dozens of other students back in 2002 for refusing to leave Wheeler Hall?). As long as that solidarity is not there, no substantial change can occur, because the University can easily pick off concerned members or organizations on the student community one by one.
When students set their sights on the issues raised by activist stunts like these, however, rather than the stunts themselves–a distraction that the University truly appreciates–then there actually will be an opportunity to do something serious. Now is not the time for a condemnation of the tree-sitters, or mindless comments that they are ineffective or unproductive; now is the time to build off of the window of opportunity that the activists’ actions have opened. It’s the time to be effective and productive, not to criticize others who are already making the effort.
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February 28, 2008
UCPD demonstrates that the tree sitters are effective!
As Yaman has already highlighted for us, effective protest is protest that actually interferes with and seeks to impede the activity of the power(s) being protested.
The tree sitters must be getting in someone’s way as the UCPD just arrested a student for passing water to the activists in the tree. The charge was “aiding and abetting,” and supposedly the student is set to be released soon, though she will likely to be subject to a hefty fine.
I don’t think it would be too difficult to organize a group of 50 or so people from across the Phoenix Coalition to pass water en-mass.
Fuck the p0-p0 in general, but especially fuck the p0-p0 of this school, and right now. Right now there are 7 pigs with guns and one with a camera doing crowd surveilance. I doubt they’d arrest 50 people in a way that would stick, and even if they did, UCB arresting 50 of its students would likely make for some good publicity around the issues motivating the protest.
Think there’s any way to set that up before the homies in the tree get dehydrated?
February 28, 2008
I’m going to stop by pretty soon but unfortunately I am leaving town tonight for the weekend so I cannot organize that mass action.
February 28, 2008
link me up with some Phoenix Coalition head(s)?
March 13, 2008
hate rally on friday!
tomorrow (Friday 3/13) at 11:am a group of campus tools are going to try to intimidate (in the name of protest) the homie in the tree.
anyone interrested in supporting the dialogue that the tree sit has sparked on the below issues should come and support the homie in the tree by deflecting some of the negativity that will be trown his way:
*the rights of indigenous peoples
*demilitarization and denuclearization of the university
*democratizing the UC board of regents (establishing thier accountability to students, faculty, and community)
*the public university serving the public good (as opposed to private interests eg British Petroleum)
April 28, 2008
I made the banner and have recently received a two year stay away from UCB my alma mater because of all my Phoenix activities. Just wanted to say thanks for the good words.
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