Hundreds Rally at UCSC in Solidarity with Alette Kendrick : Indybay

Indybay	About	Contact	Newsletter	Calendar	Publish	Community

Regions

Topics

International

More

get involved

chat

Help support grassroots independent media.

donate

$20.00 donated in past month

printable version - fixed-width version

Santa Cruz Indymedia | Education & Student Activism | Police State | Race

Hundreds Rally at UCSC in Solidarity with Alette Kendrick

by ~Bradley ( bradley [at] riseup.net )
Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

The UC Activist Defense Committee, along with a large network of supporters, rallied at Kerr Hall on May 24th to defend Alette Kendrick, protect free speech and fight the institutionalized racism that is the University of California. The speak out featured the impassioned voices of History Professor Dana Frank, History of Consciousness graduate student Greg Caldwell and Angela Davis, the most famous professor at UC Santa Cruz.

A highlight of the rally was getting "King George" Blumenthal, the "Acting Chancellor at UCSC" to descend from his castle and state over the bullhorn that, "fair or unfair," UCSC has a judicial system. Students called Blumenthal out about one hypocrisy after the next, such as his statements that he can not comment on Alette's case. On October 20th, 2006, he and David S. Kliger, the Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, sent an email to the entire campus community which condemned students using unsubstantiated claims and supported the actions of the police on October 18th, 2006.

The May 24th, 2007 rally to defend Alette was an impressive demonstration supported by students of color, UCSC's Queer Network, anti-war and labor solidarity activists, AFSCME workers, graduate students, alumni and social justice activists from UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara. The UC Activist Defense Committee plans to kick Alette's defense campaign into high gear with ongoing actions to defend Alette, fire Blumenthal and fight for social justice within the University of California.

fight_5-24-07.jpg

The following organizations have endorsed the letter and demands of the UC Activist Defense Committee

On campus:

ACLU Slugs
African/Black Student Alliance (A/BSA)
Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA)
Colectivo Media Insurgente
College 10 Student Senate
UCSC Democrats
Ethnic Studies Committee
International Socialist Organization (ISO)
Iranian Student Network (ISN)
Kinetic Poetics Project
The Long Road Collective
Merrill College Senate
Movement for Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA)
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán (MEChA de UCSC)
The Network - ‘the recognized voice of UCSC’s Queer Community’ [res]
Socialist Organizer
Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ)
Students Against War (SAW)
Student Union Assembly (SUA) - UCSC’s undergrad student government
Third World and Native American Student Press Collective (TWANAS)
United Auto Workers Local 2865 (T.A. union) [resolution]

Off campus:

Anti-Racism Committee of the National Lawyers Guild

Initial support after the arrests on October 18, 2006:

UC Student Association (UCSA) - Support resolution (with additional materials)
UC Santa Cruz Grad Student Assoc. (GSA) - Support resolution
UC Santa Barbara Associated Students - Support resolution

http://www.ucactivistdefense.org/supporters

Activist Defense

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

activist-defense_5-24-07....

The UC Activist Defense Committee and other students are stenciling t-shirts and circulating petitions and letters of support for Alette.

Kerr Plaza

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

kerr-plaza_5-24-07.jpg

Kerr Plaza was filled with demonstrators. People lined the pathway to Kerr Hall while listening to the rally.

Angela Davis

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

angela_5-24-07.jpg

Professor Angela Y. Davis is known internationally for her ongoing work to combat all forms of oppression in the U.S. and abroad. Over the years, she has been active as a student, teacher, writer, scholar, and organizer; she is a living witness to the historical struggles of the contemporary era. (www.speakoutnow.org)

Greg Caldwell

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

greg_5-24-07.jpg

History of Consciousness graduate student Greg Caldwell

"King George" Blumenthal

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

king-george_5-24-07.jpg

"King George" Blumenthal is flanked by UC police, Executive Vice Chancellor David S. Kliger and Assitant Chancellor Ashish Sahni as he exits his castle.

Petition

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

petition_5-24-07.jpg

Representatives for organizations supporting Alette delivered stacks of petitions to Acting Chancellor George Blumenthal.

Unfair System

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

unfair_5-24-07.jpg

A highlight of the rally was getting "King George" Blumenthal, the "Acting Chancellor at UCSC" to descend from his castle and state over the bullhorn that, "fair or unfair," UCSC has a judicial system.

Kerr Castle

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

kerr-castle_5-24-07.jpg

Blumenthal turned his back on Alette and her supporters and was escorted back into the locked, guarded and monitored building.

Sam

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

sam_5-24-07.jpg

Sam Aranke, an organizer with Students Against War

Tessa

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

tess_5-24-07.jpg

Tessa, one of Alette's biggest supporters!

Julian

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

julian_5-24-07.jpg

Julian Posadas, well-respected in the Santa Cruz community as a UCSC food service worker and the vice president of AFSCME 3299, is now living and organizing with workers at UC Santa Barbara.

Katie

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

katie_5-24-07.jpg

Katie Davalos, a student activist at UC Davis

Trevor

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

trevor_5-24-07.jpg

Trevor Sangrey, UAW Local 2865

Alette

by ~Bradley Friday May 25th, 2007 11:41 PM

alette_5-24-07.jpg

Alette Kendrick, Student and Worker Coalition for Justice

Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)

photos

by Roger

Monday May 28th, 2007 10:49 AM

Great pics Bradley, as usual.

It would be nice if ...

by Aaron Aarons

Tuesday May 29th, 2007 4:12 PM

It would be nice if postings like this included at least a link to background info -- like what happened on October 18th, 2006 and what is this Defense Committee defending against!

click around

by diy til we die

Tuesday May 29th, 2007 5:57 PM

hey buddy, there is a big feature right now on Santa Cruz Indymedia
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/23/18420419.php

With a link to, "what happened on October 18th, 2006"
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321848.php

and what is this Defense Committee defending against!

Read the summary of this post. It says, "to defend Alette Kendrick, protect free speech and fight the institutionalized racism that is the University of California."

About
http://www.ucactivistdefense.org/about/

The UC Activist Defense Committee was formed in October 2006 as a response to the rise of police violence and administrative repression within the University of California system. While primarily focused on the Santa Cruz campus, we are committed to ensuring an environment where students, workers and all those within the university community feel safe to engage in nonviolent political protest.

Our current project is the legal defense of the two activists who face charges as a result of protesting the UC Regents’ visit to UC Santa Cruz on October 18, 2006. Please see the ‘Background‘ and ‘What You Can Do‘ pages to get the facts and learn how you can support us!

If you have any questions or would like to get involved, email contact (at) UCActivistDefense.org for more info.

http://www.ucactivistdefense.org/