Shortly after midnight on January 31st, San Francisco police and fire marshals raided a benefit party for student arrestees from recent campus occupations. The party was organized by students from SF State, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Davis, to help raise money for fines issued during last semester's spate of demonstrations. Eleven people were arrested. A crowd gathered at the District Attorney's office/County Jail until arrestees were released. Most were charged with misdemeanors and released by morning, but one person remains jailed on felony aggravated assault charges. Amongst those physically injured by police, one person received a head injury and another sustained serious physical injuries to his arm.

Various witnesses have reported undercover police inside the party before it was raided, police and fire marshals threatening to break down the front doors, and SFPD using tasers on party-goers, beating people, smashing cameras of witnesses, and damaging the venue after it was cleared of people.

Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | Call Out for Witness Photographs & Video

Related Indybay Features: After Morning Arrests at "Liberated" Wheeler Hall Eight Arrested on Felony Charges | Business Building Occupation at San Francisco State University Ends with Pre-Dawn Raid | California Students Protest and Occupy as UC Regents Approve 32% Fee Hike | UC Santa Cruz Students Occupy Administration Building

On January 12, 2010, two banners were strategically placed on the UC Davis main library, reclaiming public space as well as "announcing Happy New Year to the administrators who hoped we would disappear," according to an article posted to Indybay. The banners read “We are the crisis” and “Our education, our workplace, our university.”

The banners highlighted the connections between the struggles of UC’s students, faculty, and staff members. An article posted to Indybay states that the message of the banner hang is that, at the beginning of the new quarter in which students are being required to pay 15% more in fees for their education (with an additional 17% fee increase set to occur in Fall 2010), "resistance to the UC administration’s decision-making is alive and mounting."

Shields Library was reportedly chosen as a target for these banners because of the chronic underfunding of UCD library collections, staff, and resources. The action is a precursor to mobilize protesters for a statewide day of action against the privatization of public education on March 4th. Read more

New Posters from Students in the Valley | Napa Valley College shows solidarity with statewide protests and rallies. | Update on the protests at UC Berkeley | Students protest fee hikes: an interview wit’ journalist Dave Id of Indy Bay Media | Communiqués from the Valley: New pamphlet on Student Strugggle in the Central Valley | The Enemy Within | What We Lack is Life. | Reflections on Kerr Hall (by student participants)

Older Coverage: Eight Arrested at UC Berkeley After Concert & March | Students Occupy Business Building at SFSU | On the Occupation of Kerr Hall; Demystifying the University's Erroneous Claims | California Students Protest and Occupy as UC Regents Approve 32% Fee Hike

On December 14th, Teachers for Class War interviewed Linda Nathan. She's the author of "The Hardest Questions Aren’t on the Test: Lessons from an Innovative Urban School," about her experience as founding headmaster of Boston's only public high school for the visual and performing arts, the Boston Arts Academy.

Nathan has worked on issues of school reform in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, and teaches a course called "Building Democratic Schools" at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. But she has some Bay Area roots, too, having earned her bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley in addition to a master's in education administration at Antioch University, a master's of performing arts at Emerson College, and her doctorate in education at Harvard University.

Read more and listen to the interview

Does your right to carry a skateboard vanish into thin air when you step onto the Fresno City College campus? Ask Greg and Demone Moultrie, who are still sitting in the Fresno County Jail, what they think. According to witnesses, Greg Moultrie was walking on campus with his skateboard in his hands on September 25, 2009 when he was stopped by a campus police officer. The officer ordered Moultrie to hand over his skateboard. When he did not want to comply with what he felt was an unreasonable request, the incident escalated and Demone Moultrie, Greg's brother, got involved. As officers scuffled with the Moultries, a student at the Native American Intertribal Student Association table got on the group's PA system and encouraged students to use their cell phones to film the incident.

In video on the Internet, you can see the chaotic scene, including one of the officers hitting Demone with his baton. Greg was sprayed with mace. Greg is now, more than three months after this incident, still sitting in the Fresno County Jail. He has just been given a three year sentence for charges filed against him in the skateboarding incident. Demone is also still in jail and is scheduled to be sent to Chino State Prison on January 21, all because of this skateboarding incident. How could something as simple as walking across the FCC campus with a skateboard end up with two young men in jail for a prolonged period of time? Read more

Students at UC Berkeley re-grouped Friday evening to protest the early morning raid on the Open University at occupied Wheeler Hall. Police raided Wheeler at around 5am Friday morning while many of the students occupying the building were asleep. 66 people were arrested. Students had been occupying Wheeler since Monday, and the space was being used for study sessions, lectures, workshops, and celebrations during "Dead Week," the time between the end of classes and the beginning of final examinations.

At the evening rally, students denounced the arrests earlier that morning, which came without warning. Campus police and administrators had seemed to indicate that the students would be allowed to continue the occupation until Friday. Students also pointed out that while the occupation had not disrupted classes and study sessions at the building, the police locked the building and closed it to students after the raid. Speakers stated that the occupation was an example of how the university could be run and that it was a critique against the privatized nature of the university.

After the rally, a concert, featuring Boots Riley from the Coup, that had been scheduled to take place inside Wheeler Hall was held at an alternate location. The concert was followed by a march on the north side of campus. Police dispersed the marching crowd as it passed by the chancellor's residence. Eight people were arrested and taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. They are being charged with multiple felonies. Among the eight was an Indybay photographer covering the event. Eleven people arrested at student demonstrations in the past week remain in custody at Santa Rita Jail.

Read More | Eight protest bystanders charged with multiple felonies | Torchlit Evening with Birgeneau

Open University: Wheeler Raid - photos | Police Raid on Wheeler 5 AM - 64 arrested | Join our solidarity in the ocupation of Wheeler | Victory at Wheeler Hall | Students win open doors all night at Wheeler | Live Week at UC Berkeley

Report on the UC Protests at Berkeley, Davis, & Los Angeles | Wheeler Hall Police Complaint Process | Statement from ASUC/UCPD "Forum"

Mario Savio's Historic Call to Action in Berkeley 45 Years Ago

Previous Coverage Of UCB Tuition Protests

Students occupied the business building at San Francisco State University before dawn Wednesday, December 9th to protest higher tuition, massive layoffs, hundreds of classes cut and millions for administration salary. Hundreds of students linked arms at various points throughout the day in solidarity against the complete dismantling of the education system in California. Students drew connections between layoffs and cuts in other public sectors, billions spent on war and millions of people without health care.

Into the evening and early morning hours, solidarity demonstrators maintained human blockades at the four doors to the building. On the inside of the doors, occupiers had stacked desks and chairs and zip-tied them together. At one door, dozens danced to a sound system. At another, people played guitar and drummed. Around the building, people bundled up against the cold of the night and the light rain that fell. Just after 3am, reports of police movement in the area got everyone to their feet, locking arms at the doors. At 3:45am, police in riot gear rushed the building, breaking a side window to gain entry. As the occupation hit twenty-four hours, at about 4am, police were arresting occupiers who had retreated to a single room on the second floor. Those blockading one of the doors on the outside were forcibly removed so that police could clear the way for arrested occupiers to be removed from the building. Solidarity demonstrations on 19th Street continued for another two hours, as protesters attempted to block police vans from moving with arrestees and later blocked early commuter traffic. Including occupiers and those outside, over 30 people were arrested, cited, and later released.

Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | Demands | The Enemy Within
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Breaking News

On Monday, November 30th, Teachers For Class War spoke with Sandra Nichols, a school board trustee for almost ten years in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Sandra talked about why she ran for the elected office, and the political battles waged over the course of her time on the board over issues like bilingual education, transparency, budget priorities, military recruitment, and more.

Sandra Nichols has been a teacher for over thirty years. She ran for School Board after her involvement in the campaign to stop Proposition 227, which attempted to outlaw bilingual education and establish English-Only as mandatory policy for schools statewide.

PVUSD school board elections are less than a year away. This year there is an opportunity to radically change the make-up of the school board as four seats are due for a vote.

Read more and listen to audio | Education Matters

On November 19th the University of California Board of Regents approved a 32% fee increase in undergraduate fees, pushing fees to over $10,000 a year. Student Regent Jesse Bernal was the only vote in opposition. Protests, sit-ins and occupations took place at UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, CSU Fresno, San Francisco State and San Francisco City College. Students occupied Campbell Hall at UCLA, Kresge Town Hall and Kerr Hall at UC Santa Cruz, Mrak Hall at UC Davis, Wheeler Hall at UCB, and the library at CSU Fresno. Students at the Academy of Arts in Vienna marched on the U.S. embassy. At NYU and at the New School in NYC students marched in solidarity with protestors at the UC’s.

"The UC administration say it is the state that is to blame," notes gazuedro group. "They tell us to bring our fight to Sacramento to demand a bail-out for public education. To that we say, THAT’S YOUR FUCKING JOB! In fact, we don’t want a bail-out as it does nothing to fundamentally change the unjust structure of the UC system at large. The university will remain an institution that perpetuates race, class and gender divisions until the stakeholders (students, faculty and workers) gain democratic control. So what is to be done? Stakeholders must seize what is theirs for the taking, that is, their futures and the future of public education."

Read more | They Pledged Your Tuition | A Crisis of Priorities: Why Sacramento is not "the Problem"

In anticipation of fee hikes, students planned a series of occupations and strikes across the state for November 18th through 20th. On Thursday, November 19th, the University of California Regents approved a 32% increase in undergraduate fees, pushing fees to over $10,000 a year for the first time. Student Regent Jesse Bernal was the only vote in opposition. Protests, sit-ins and occupations took place at UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, CSU Fresno, San Francisco State and San Francisco City College. Students occupied Campbell Hall at UCLA, Kresge Town Hall and Kerr Hall at UC Santa Cruz, Mrak Hall at UC Davis, Wheeler Hall at UCB, and the library at CSU Fresno.

At UCLA, there were uncounted incidents of police violence against students during the three days of protests while the UC Regents held their meeting on the UCLA campus. LA-IMC reports confirmed use of tasers, pepper spray and much baton use on peaceably assembled students.

A total of fifty-two students were reportedly arrested at UC Davis on Wednesday. On Thursday, students occupied Mrak Hall, and were later arrested for trespassing. On Friday afternoon, students sat-in at Dutton Hall and were dispersed by police that evening.

On Wednesday, students at SF State staged walkouts, and at least 100 students took over the administration building and occupied it beyond closing time.

In the early hours Friday, about 40 people occupied Wheeler Hall at UCB — three were arrested as police arrived. Solidarity crowds outside grew throughout the morning. As metal barricades were set up by police, police beat demonstrators with batons, including smashing one woman's hand which required surgery. At least one demonstrator was shot with a rubber bullet. Occupiers voluntarily left the building with misdemeanor citations in the evening. That same evening, students at CSU Fresno occupied Madden Library and held it overnight.

On Wednesday, hundreds of students rallied at the two entrances to the UC Santa Cruz campus, shutting them down for several hours. Also on Wednesday, students began an occupation at Kresge Town Hall. On Thursday, students occupied UCSC's main administrative building, Kerr Hall. Both occupations ended on Sunday morning after UC Police and Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Officers dispersed the people outside of Kerr Hall and those occupying the building.

On Monday, November 23rd, about 100 students flooded the office of UC headquarters in Oakland to demand a meeting with UC President Mark Yudof.

Read More: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Audio

Davis: Photos: 1 | 2 | 3

Fresno: Photos | Audio | Report

San Francisco: Photos: 1 | 2 | Video: 1 | 2 | 3

Berkeley:
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23
Video: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Audio
Reports: Students, faculty & workers protest U of Calif. hikes, cutbacks | Doug Gilbert Free! UC Berkeley Anarchist out on Bail. Court Friday!! | 40 UC Berkeley students occupy Wheeler Hall - SUPPORT NEEEDED | UCB Wheeler Occupation Updates | An Open Letter to Chancellor Birgeneau | Behind the Privatization of the UC, a Riot Squad of Police | Occupy Everything! Behind the Privatization of the UC, a Riot Squad of Police | Support Doug "G"! First UCB Arrestee from Wednesday | New Berkeley Ordinance Will Affect First Amendment Activities | Occupations Spread Across California | Open Letter to Chancellor Birgeneau on the Events of Friday, November 20 | The Necrosocial

Oakland: UC headquarters action updates | Photos

Santa Cruz: Hundreds Demonstrate at UCSC Against 32% Fee Hikes | UCSC Students Occupy Administration Building and Issue Demands

Los Angeles: Video of Regents Exiting meeting at UCLA | LA Indymedia Coverage

See Also: Video: Occupy Everything! Full Report on Student Solidarity Action In NYC | Photos: NYC Solidarity March with UC Occupiers | Occupation and campout at Napa Valley College Nov. 30th | "WE ARE STILL HERE" mural at SF State University honors the First People

Previous Related Indybay Feature: A Call for Days of Action Against the Tuition Hikes

Saturday, November 21, 2009 - Students at CSU-Fresno took over the university library, keeping it open for 24 hours from Friday - Saturday morning. About 100 students and supporters occupied the second floor of the Madden Library, demanding that more university resources go towards keeping the library open for more hours. Ali Espinoza, one of the student leaders who helped organize the takeover, said the university keeps their bowling ally and pool hall open more hours than the library.

The student demands, however, go beyond longer library hours - they want a larger voice in how the university is run. In addition to more library hours the students want co-governance and greater transparency in financial matters on campus. The “study-in” ended at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, with the students saying progress had been made in discussions with the dean of library services.

Photos | Audio and Photos

On Wednesday, November 18th, hundreds of UC Santa Cruz students occupied the Kresge Town Hall following large rallies against a 32% tuition hike. The rallies obstructed the two entrances to the UCSC campus for several hours. On Thursday, UCSC's Kerr Hall, which contains the offices of the administration, vice-chancellors, and chancellors, was also occupied by students as part of the Days of Action Against the Tuition Hikes. Hundreds of students occupying the lobby created a list of demands which was read and given to UCSC's Executive Vice Chancellor David Kliger and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Felicia McGinty.

On Friday afternoon, hundreds of students, faculty and staff rallied outside Kerr Hall. After a general assembly on Friday evening, students issued a rebuttal to statements made by UCSC EVC David Kliger and also "edited their demand list for a more immediate satisfaction." The Occupy California website also reports that as of Friday evening, "The administration has cut off internet completely" which "potentially demonstrates the administration’s attempt to silence occupiers" and has "damaged student journalists’ ability to report information."

The occupations continued into the weekend. On Saturday, students attempted to negotiate with the administration, but their consolidated demands were rejected. CNN reported, that according to UCSC spokesman Barry Shiller, the administration intends "to wait out the takeover" and "hopes the students will leave voluntarily." The administration used a different line with the students, promising to send in police no later than midnight to break up the occupation. Students barricaded themselves inside Kerr Hall and a large number of supporters rallied outside throughout the night.

The occupation of Kerr Hall ended on Sunday morning. By 6:50am, UC Police and Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Officers clad in riot gear arrived at Kerr Hall to disperse demonstrators. A press release from Occupy California reports that at one point during a confrontation, students and neutral faculty observers were cornered by riot police on an outdoor balcony. As the police advanced towards the students and faculty, one faculty member fell from the balcony, injuring his back.

In order to enter the building, the front and back doors to Kerr Hall were cut by the Fire Department. Everyone inside, approximately 50 people, exited out a back door. Students chanted, "We'll be back!" as they marched to the Kresge Town Hall for a rally. The occupation at Kresge Town Hall ended after the rally.

UCSC Expands Occupations | UC Santa Cruz Students Occupy Kerr Hall | A Letter of Discontent | Kerr Hall on November 21st | Timeline of Occupation Eviction | Press Release: End of Kerr Hall occupation | Video of Eviction | Solidarity from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna | Solidarity from (G)SOC | bringing the crisis to the capital of capital in santa cruz | Property Damage at Kerr Hall | Letter to the UCSC student community | UCSC - Liberate the University - Occupation and Actions

Previous Indybay Coverage: Hundreds Demonstrate at UC Santa Cruz Against 32% Fee Hikes

On November 18th, hundreds of students rallied at the two entrances to the UC Santa Cruz campus, shutting them down for several hours. The demonstration was in conjunction with statewide actions against a 32% increase in undergraduate student fees, effective fall 2010, which was approved the same day at UCLA by the Committee on Finance of the UC Board of Regents.

A group of approximately 300 students entered the Kresge Town Hall at UCSC to create an organizing space around the budget cuts. Students at the entrances eventually joined the others in the Kresge Town Hall to plan further actions.

Read more and view photos | Audio and Photos

Previous Indybay Coverage: A Call for Days of Action Against the Tuition Hikes | Study-in at UCSC's Science and Engineering Library