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California | Education & Student ActivismReports from around California (and the world) - The UC Walkout
On Thursday, September 24, 2009, protests shook all 10 campuses of the University of California. Prompted by a walk-out letter signed by over 1,200 faculty, and a strike by 12,000 union researchers, students and labor allies organized a massive day of action to re-prioritize the budget of the UC system and push back against privatization. UC Berkeley, in particular, saw thousands attend rallies and marches reminiscent of previous generations, while activists at 3 other UCs occupied campus buildings (one of which is still ongoing). Politicians all over the state were forced to respond, with UC admins blaming state legislators and vis-versa. Schwarzenegger dismissed the protesters as a "screaming special interest group," while Gavin Newsom insinuated his support of the walkout, injecting the UC crisis into the 2010 Governor's race. Seeing how this was the very first day of class for most UCs, it looks to be a very long school year.. especially if you're on the wrong side of the bullhorn. ![]() ucberkeley_walkout.jpg UC Wide
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/24/california-university-berkeley-budget-protest http://www.sacbee.com/108/story/2204365.html http://studentactivism.net/2009/09/24/reports-from-the-uc-walkout/ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/25/MNVU19SBEV.DTL http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/20/18622513.php http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/25/thousands-join-uc-walkout http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7030684 http://extras.mercurynews.com/slideshows/news/2009/09/0925walkout/ http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=0z&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=uc+walkout&oq=uc background info: http://labornotes.org/node/2459 UC BERKELEY * Huge rally. Police estimate 5,000. March through streets of Berkeley, sit-down civil disobedience in front of campus, shutting down three main streets. * All day picketing * Over a half-dozen teach-ins (see titles: http://www.saveuc.org/teachout-sched.pdf) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/24/MN2Q19S3FS.DTL http://www.dailycal.org/article/106776/walkouts_vary_across_uc_campuses http://www.insidebayarea.com/twitter/ci_13411072 http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-09-24/article/33824 http://twitpic.com/iyy8d http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APuKukByoQA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pERb1G0-UA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_w0CToZjCc UC DAVIS * All day picketing * Teamsters electricians and others honored the strike and went home * Rally/March with estimates from several hundred to over a thousand + bikes w/ sound systems * Brief occupation of admin building http://twitpic.com/iz6i9 http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?aid=82555 http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-news-ucbudget0924,0,6713606.story UC IRVINE * Faculty-Student Improv Show * Rally (w/ estimates between 500 and 1000) outside admin building http://www.upte.org/photogallery/index.html#original/05 http://twitpic.com/iz10h UC LOS ANGELES * Noon Rally (LA Times estimate 700 people) * March to Chancellor's office * Occupation of Chancellor's office results in forcing Chancellor to set a meeting. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ucprotests25-2009sep25,0,3895472.story http://media.dailybruin.com/dailybruin/img/2009/sep/24/walkoutcrowd_-_derek_liu.jpg http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2009/09/24/14/CaliforniaUniversity5.standalone.prod_affiliate.4.jpg UC SANTA CRUZ * City buses (UTU), UPS (Teamsters) and construction crews refused to cross picket lines. * All Day Picketing * Noon Rally with 300+ people * 3:30pm second rally and march * Ongoing occupation of building in the center of campus, with rally outside http://occupyCA.wordpress.com and http://wewanteverything.wordpress.com/ http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/24/18623088.php http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissarachelblack/sets/72157622449721648/ http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_13412921?nclick_check=1 UC SAN DIEGO * All day picketing, joined by UNITE-HERE Local 30 members who've been boycotting the Manchester Grand Hyatt over similar issues. * Rally w/ about 350 attendees http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjPJO2zwmkM UC SAN FRANCISCO * All day picketing * Rally w/ about ~75 people UC SANTA BARBARA Rally with ~400 people http://www.independent.com/news/2009/sep/24/protesters-target-uc-regents/ http://twitpic.com/iyz2p UC RIVERSIDE Rally (w/ widely ranging estimates – from 150 to 500 to 1000) followed by a teach-in. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/09/25/qt/walkouts_across_u_of_california http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_13414178 UC MERCED A small rally, but notable since Merced is the newest and smallest UC! http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/61292127.html LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LAB (UC-managed) UPTE Strike/Picketing/Protest http://cbs5.com/local/UC.walkout.strike.2.1206109.html TAIWAN UC Education abroad students assembled and took a group picture. http://tinyurl.com/yecgbxa “The words we are holding up say, "Protect the UC, prevent fee increases" in traditional Chinese characters. We took the picture at the front gate of National Taiwan University, where we are all studying and have students from all the UC campuses except for San Francisco and Merced (we even have a student from CSU East Bay and a student from SF State).” – SOLIDARITY: UNIV. of ARIZONA: Rally w/ ~100 people against cuts and costs in the UA system, staged on 9/24 in solidarity w/ UC. http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=11195684 SF STATE: ~75 students held a rally against cuts, costs, and the elimination of hundreds of classes in the Cal State system, and in solidarity w/ UC. SF City College: Rally against budget cuts and in solidarity with other educational institutions. UNIV. of MICHIGAN: Members of Michigan GEO, AFT Local #3550 took a group picture, with signs in solidarity. http://tinyurl.com/y8ho329 – QUOTES OF THE DAY: “Walkout, Rally Hailed as Rebirth of UC Activism” (as if it ever died – Front Page story from the Berkeley Daily Planet) “I’ve been here since 1972, and I’ve never seen anything like it.” - George Lakoff “For most of UC, today was THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES, so there was essentially no time to organize. That makes #UCwalkout even more amazing.” - @studentactivism “Faculty, students and unions from the University of California's 10 campuses including its two most prestigious, UCLA and Berkeley, joined forces in what was the biggest student protest for more than a generation... The scale of the protests has come as a shock to state authorities.” - The Guardian (UK) “being president of the University of California is like being manager of a cemetery” - UC President Mark Yudof. (The whole interview is shockingly appalling.) See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27fob-q4-t.html?_r=1 ![]() ucberkeley_walkout2.jpg Planning next steps..
(This photo, and the one above from the Daily Californian - DailyCal.org) ![]() ucberkeley_walkout3.jpg Planning next steps..
(Photo from the Daily Californian - DailyCal.org) ![]() ucla_sacbee.jpg Photo from the Sacramento Bee.
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