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Hundreds of Students Rally to Defend Alette
Alette Kendrick is facing the harshest punishment ever imposed on a student at UCSC - a three year suspension which would virtually expel the third year History Major. Organized by the UC Activist Defense Committee, hundreds of students, faculty and community members joined together on May 24 to rally in support of Alette - to demand that the charges against her be dropped and that she be allowed to stay in school. Numerous campus groups have participated in solidarity actions during the past week and History of Consciousness Professor Angela Davis addressed the crowd at the rally.
Alette Kendrick is facing the harshest punishment ever imposed on a student at UCSC - a three year suspension which would virtually expel the third year History Major. Organized by the UC Activist Defense Committee, hundreds of students, faculty and community members joined together on May 24 to rally in support of Alette - to demand that the charges against her be dropped and that she be allowed to stay in school. Numerous campus groups have participated in solidarity actions during the past week and History of Consciousness Professor Angela Davis addressed the crowd at the rally.
From a report by Bradley on the October 18 Regents Protest at UCSC "As protest tactics escalated and the police became increasingly angry and frustrated with their inability to control some of the protesters, they targeted three activists, took them to the ground, and dragged them inside the building. As students struggled to prevent the abduction of their friends, they were met with a barrage of batons and pepper-spray sent forth from the retreating officers." This day was the first time pepper spray or any chemical weapon had been used on a University of California campus.
Speakers highlighted the fact that of the three students arrested on October 18, 2006, at the UC Regents Protest, the only student specifically targeted by police and facing suspension is not only a prominent anti-war activist on campus, but was racially profiled. Alette's personal account from that day describes police as saying, "That's the one we want, get her!" She was violently handcuffed and detained, held face-down, on the floor by UC police then dragged up stairs in front of the regents.
After chants from the crowd Acting Chancellor Blumenthal came out of Kerr Hall and faced everyone at the rally. Several organizations presented him with petitions signed by students, faculty and staff in support of dropping all charges against Alette. After receiving the signatures, Blumenthal took the mic and claimed that "fair or not-fair, there is a process that must be followed" and that he would review the "individual student's case" after it had arrived at his desk. He then retreated back inside, leaving event organizers to point out that the case was in fact already at his desk and that he did have the power to change an unfair system. The fact that he did not act immediately to dismiss the charges, even after receiving the petitions proves his intent to uphold the racist system. Unsatisfied, event organizers claimed the rallies would continue until the case is finally dismissed and until Blumenthal is no longer Chancellor at UC Santa Cruz.
Alette's Narrative on the UC Activist Denfense Committee Website:
http://www.ucactivistdefense.org/background/
Coverage of the October 18 protest: UCSC Community Confronts Regents, Cops Respond with Violence, Pepper-Spray
https://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321848.php
From a report by Bradley on the October 18 Regents Protest at UCSC "As protest tactics escalated and the police became increasingly angry and frustrated with their inability to control some of the protesters, they targeted three activists, took them to the ground, and dragged them inside the building. As students struggled to prevent the abduction of their friends, they were met with a barrage of batons and pepper-spray sent forth from the retreating officers." This day was the first time pepper spray or any chemical weapon had been used on a University of California campus.
Speakers highlighted the fact that of the three students arrested on October 18, 2006, at the UC Regents Protest, the only student specifically targeted by police and facing suspension is not only a prominent anti-war activist on campus, but was racially profiled. Alette's personal account from that day describes police as saying, "That's the one we want, get her!" She was violently handcuffed and detained, held face-down, on the floor by UC police then dragged up stairs in front of the regents.
After chants from the crowd Acting Chancellor Blumenthal came out of Kerr Hall and faced everyone at the rally. Several organizations presented him with petitions signed by students, faculty and staff in support of dropping all charges against Alette. After receiving the signatures, Blumenthal took the mic and claimed that "fair or not-fair, there is a process that must be followed" and that he would review the "individual student's case" after it had arrived at his desk. He then retreated back inside, leaving event organizers to point out that the case was in fact already at his desk and that he did have the power to change an unfair system. The fact that he did not act immediately to dismiss the charges, even after receiving the petitions proves his intent to uphold the racist system. Unsatisfied, event organizers claimed the rallies would continue until the case is finally dismissed and until Blumenthal is no longer Chancellor at UC Santa Cruz.
Alette's Narrative on the UC Activist Denfense Committee Website:
http://www.ucactivistdefense.org/background/
Coverage of the October 18 protest: UCSC Community Confronts Regents, Cops Respond with Violence, Pepper-Spray
https://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321848.php
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That is an amazing pic of Angela and Allette! Thanks for the update...
Some of the comments on this outrageous attempt to suspend a small, skinny black female student for 3 years because she "dared" to show up at a public demonstration on campus, as is her right, where she did nothing wrong at all, and was singled out and viciously beat up by burly male cops, who were complimented immediately by Chancellor Blumenthal for their fascist acts, including the use of the horrific pepper spray which should be banned everywhere, indicate that there is too much ignorance on the part of the commentators on the issues. This website has more than enough information, but there are other sources as well on the Internet.
Let us start with the October 2006 demonstration's demands, which can be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/18/18321441.php
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/22/18322376.php
You will see that the protest included demands for higher wages for UC workers, an end to the till-tapping "bonuses" or more appropriately called bribes for promoting fascism, an end to the ever-rising exorbitant fees the students must pay (all universities should be free, public and require only graduation from high school; this would certainly guarantee ethnic and class diversity), an end to the nuclear war promoting Livermore Laboratory. The UC janitors finally won a few pennies more in wages. See http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/23/18420483.php
The photos of Alette being dragged by the fascist thugs to whom UC gives our hard-earned tax dollars may be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321848.php
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321715.php
The photos of the attack with pepper spray by these same fascist thugs for no good reason whatsoever (and there is NEVER any good reason to use pepper spray; it should be illegal to use) may be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/22/18322461.php
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321742.php
It is a good thing the victims, the students, were young adults and not middle aged or old adults or small babies as this pepper spray could easily cause heart attacks among older people and death to babies. The fact remains the pepper spray was serious, horrific in fact, and hopefully LOTS OF LAWSUITS were filed by the victims against the University of California. Chancellor Blumenthal and his bosses, the parasitic, ruling class UC Regents, who are filthy rich, and include the husband of millionaire Democrat Senator Feinstein, Richard Blum. See Regents' biographies at:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regbios/welcome.html
The issue of till-tapping has returned to the daily capitalist press. See the SF Chronicle, 5/25/07 at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/25/BAG9CPEL5C139.DTL&hw=University+of+California&sn=005&sc=409
There should be no public employee who receives more than $200,000 a year in salary, and there should be no bonuses, relocation allowances or housing loans. As the article states, this scandal has gone on for FIFTEEN MONTHS, and NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEMOCRAT-REPUBLICANS IN THE LEGISLATURE TO STOP IT. If any of these public employees do not like their less than $200,000 salary year with nothing extra, they should get off our payroll IMMEDIATELY, and that certainly includes Chancellor Blumenthal. WE DO NOT NEED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES TO BE "COMPETITIVE" WITH PRIVATE ENTERPRISE; WE NEED THEM TO SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD. Private greed has no place in public employment, and that is clearly what is taking place: The administrators are skimming the cream off the top, COURTESY THE TAXPAYERS, AGAINST OUR WILL. We taxpayers thank the UC students for protesting this outrage, and all the other outrages being perpetrated with our tax dollars. The students have demanded banning pepper spray and much more at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/09/18413302.php?show_comments=1#18413680
CHANCELLOR BLUMENTHAL SHOULD KNOW THAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE OUTRAGED OVER THE SAME ISSUES THAT OUTRAGE THE STUDENTS. He should know that most likely all of the parents of the students, all voters and taxpayers, have been notified of the horrors being perpetrated at UC Santa Cruz, including the pepper spray and racism, as well as the demands of the students. There is no support for the till tapping, the pepper spray, the ever rising tuition, and the COMPLETE LACK OF OPPORTUNITY FOR MOST STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA AS CALIFORNIA NOW PAYS MORE FOR PRISONS THAN FOR EDUCATION. California ranks among the WORST STATES IN FUNDING EDUCATION, and will soon have no skilled labor force. Promoting prisons and the death penalty is by definition promoting fascism. Both prisons and the death penalty should be banned and rehabilitation within 5 years of all currently imprisoned must be the ONLY thing on the State's agenda for all people who do in fact commit the crimes of which they are accused.
Chancellor Blumenthal immediately praised the fascist tactics of the police including the use of pepper spray but took over a week to remove racist graffiti. CHANCELLOR BLUMENTHAL, YOU ARE GUILTY OF PROMOTING FASCISM WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS. IT IS TIME YOU RESIGN, TODAY.
This story is being followed by the capitalist press as the horror of the attack on Ms. Kendrick is obvious and unacceptable, both the police attack, and now Chancellor Blumenthal and his fellow lackeys of the capitalist class promoting a 3 year suspension (in effect, an expulsion) FOR DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL. The district attorney saw fit to drop the charges to misdemeanors as the police were not injured; in other words, this is a frame-up to stop the protests, which of course, cannot be stopped until the student demands are met, for THE STUDENT DEMANDS ARE THE TAXPAYER DEMANDS. See
http://www.gtweekly.com/03-15-07/charges-pending
THIS IS A VICIOUS FRAME-UP. As the SF Chronicle of 5/25/07 states at,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/25/BAG6RQ1AKK1.DTL&hw=Kendrick&sn=001&sc=1000
the hearing demand by Ms. Kendrick will take place on June 6, during the last week of classes before final exams.
THE 37 MILLION TAXPAYERS OF CALIFORNIA ARE JUST AS OUTRAGED BY ALL THE TILL-TAPPING, RACISM, MALE CHAUVINISM AND FASCISM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AS THE STUDENTS. After all, the students are our social, if not biological, sons and daughters. CHANCELLOR BLUMENTHAL: Drop all charges against Alette Kendrick and do not suspend or expel her. SHE SHOULD BE PRAISED AND GIVEN THE UNIVERSITY MEDAL for upholding the Constitution, especially the First Amendment. Agree to ALL OF THE STUDENT DEMANDS NOW, INCLUDING YOUR IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION. Should Ms. Kendrick be suspended, I hope she sues the University of California for MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. Shame on the University of California for STEALING OUR TAX DOLLARS AND PERPETRATING FASCISM, RACISM AND MALE CHAUVINISM.
Let us start with the October 2006 demonstration's demands, which can be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/18/18321441.php
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/22/18322376.php
You will see that the protest included demands for higher wages for UC workers, an end to the till-tapping "bonuses" or more appropriately called bribes for promoting fascism, an end to the ever-rising exorbitant fees the students must pay (all universities should be free, public and require only graduation from high school; this would certainly guarantee ethnic and class diversity), an end to the nuclear war promoting Livermore Laboratory. The UC janitors finally won a few pennies more in wages. See http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/23/18420483.php
The photos of Alette being dragged by the fascist thugs to whom UC gives our hard-earned tax dollars may be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321848.php
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321715.php
The photos of the attack with pepper spray by these same fascist thugs for no good reason whatsoever (and there is NEVER any good reason to use pepper spray; it should be illegal to use) may be found at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/22/18322461.php
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321742.php
It is a good thing the victims, the students, were young adults and not middle aged or old adults or small babies as this pepper spray could easily cause heart attacks among older people and death to babies. The fact remains the pepper spray was serious, horrific in fact, and hopefully LOTS OF LAWSUITS were filed by the victims against the University of California. Chancellor Blumenthal and his bosses, the parasitic, ruling class UC Regents, who are filthy rich, and include the husband of millionaire Democrat Senator Feinstein, Richard Blum. See Regents' biographies at:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regbios/welcome.html
The issue of till-tapping has returned to the daily capitalist press. See the SF Chronicle, 5/25/07 at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/25/BAG9CPEL5C139.DTL&hw=University+of+California&sn=005&sc=409
There should be no public employee who receives more than $200,000 a year in salary, and there should be no bonuses, relocation allowances or housing loans. As the article states, this scandal has gone on for FIFTEEN MONTHS, and NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEMOCRAT-REPUBLICANS IN THE LEGISLATURE TO STOP IT. If any of these public employees do not like their less than $200,000 salary year with nothing extra, they should get off our payroll IMMEDIATELY, and that certainly includes Chancellor Blumenthal. WE DO NOT NEED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES TO BE "COMPETITIVE" WITH PRIVATE ENTERPRISE; WE NEED THEM TO SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD. Private greed has no place in public employment, and that is clearly what is taking place: The administrators are skimming the cream off the top, COURTESY THE TAXPAYERS, AGAINST OUR WILL. We taxpayers thank the UC students for protesting this outrage, and all the other outrages being perpetrated with our tax dollars. The students have demanded banning pepper spray and much more at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/09/18413302.php?show_comments=1#18413680
CHANCELLOR BLUMENTHAL SHOULD KNOW THAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE OUTRAGED OVER THE SAME ISSUES THAT OUTRAGE THE STUDENTS. He should know that most likely all of the parents of the students, all voters and taxpayers, have been notified of the horrors being perpetrated at UC Santa Cruz, including the pepper spray and racism, as well as the demands of the students. There is no support for the till tapping, the pepper spray, the ever rising tuition, and the COMPLETE LACK OF OPPORTUNITY FOR MOST STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA AS CALIFORNIA NOW PAYS MORE FOR PRISONS THAN FOR EDUCATION. California ranks among the WORST STATES IN FUNDING EDUCATION, and will soon have no skilled labor force. Promoting prisons and the death penalty is by definition promoting fascism. Both prisons and the death penalty should be banned and rehabilitation within 5 years of all currently imprisoned must be the ONLY thing on the State's agenda for all people who do in fact commit the crimes of which they are accused.
Chancellor Blumenthal immediately praised the fascist tactics of the police including the use of pepper spray but took over a week to remove racist graffiti. CHANCELLOR BLUMENTHAL, YOU ARE GUILTY OF PROMOTING FASCISM WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS. IT IS TIME YOU RESIGN, TODAY.
This story is being followed by the capitalist press as the horror of the attack on Ms. Kendrick is obvious and unacceptable, both the police attack, and now Chancellor Blumenthal and his fellow lackeys of the capitalist class promoting a 3 year suspension (in effect, an expulsion) FOR DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL. The district attorney saw fit to drop the charges to misdemeanors as the police were not injured; in other words, this is a frame-up to stop the protests, which of course, cannot be stopped until the student demands are met, for THE STUDENT DEMANDS ARE THE TAXPAYER DEMANDS. See
http://www.gtweekly.com/03-15-07/charges-pending
THIS IS A VICIOUS FRAME-UP. As the SF Chronicle of 5/25/07 states at,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/25/BAG6RQ1AKK1.DTL&hw=Kendrick&sn=001&sc=1000
the hearing demand by Ms. Kendrick will take place on June 6, during the last week of classes before final exams.
THE 37 MILLION TAXPAYERS OF CALIFORNIA ARE JUST AS OUTRAGED BY ALL THE TILL-TAPPING, RACISM, MALE CHAUVINISM AND FASCISM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AS THE STUDENTS. After all, the students are our social, if not biological, sons and daughters. CHANCELLOR BLUMENTHAL: Drop all charges against Alette Kendrick and do not suspend or expel her. SHE SHOULD BE PRAISED AND GIVEN THE UNIVERSITY MEDAL for upholding the Constitution, especially the First Amendment. Agree to ALL OF THE STUDENT DEMANDS NOW, INCLUDING YOUR IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION. Should Ms. Kendrick be suspended, I hope she sues the University of California for MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. Shame on the University of California for STEALING OUR TAX DOLLARS AND PERPETRATING FASCISM, RACISM AND MALE CHAUVINISM.
I don't think anyone on campus wants alette to be suspended(essentially expelled) but I think there is a lot of disinformation that is going around. I wish that people would discuss what really happened without polarizing their arguments and omitting certain facts. What I heard on campus immediately following the incident was that she hit a police officer. Now some of the stories I heard from her supporters were that at that point the cops dragged her away hitting her continuously with clubs while they went all the way upstairs to a building(cant recall which) where they locked her in a room to be heckled by the regents. Alot of people were spreading this around. I think stories like these tend to dissuade many potential supporters. Especially when you hear things like some of the regents asking the police not to file criminal charges(which were dropped if they were considering any, which I think they were at some point although Im not positive). So when people go around trying to incite hatred for the racist regents it seems a little hypocritical, rather than talking honestly about the issues of racism in the University system. Bringing up why she was singled out for surveillance prior to the issue is an important question. But if there is a legitimate reason that can not be ignored. At the same time even if there is a legitimate reason there may be white students who should be under surveillance as well, and that is the issue. But should the university be placing any students under surveillance. Is it a legitimate risk that warrants the surveillance or not. These are all questions which should be debated. I just think that the obviously fabricated stories which got worse and worse as time went on do not help. Perhaps im wrong and the only way to draw support is to polarize your position I have no real understanding of the theory of organizing, I guess I just wanted to voice a concern from someone who is not taking sides simply because I do not think that a student should be suspended for three years for a mistake, but at the same time, the radical nature of the arguments which seem to be, to some extent fabricated and exaggerated repel me. Just some food for thought.
I almost forgot, after looking at one of the pictures of the police using pepper spray they appear to be backed in2 a small area and feel threatened. The original story I heard was that some of the protestors became violent(when alette hit the officer) and the officers and regents felt threatened. Im not saying this is true but when all you hear is one polarized side of the argument and the original story you hear is never addressed at all just ignored by students on campus it becomes very hard to swallow. Was the crowd becoming violent/threatening to the regents, were they cornered in2 a building by a mob? can anyone see it from their point of view. Alette should not go to jail and it appears as though that did not happen. I don't know if she actually hit an officer. Ignoring one side of the story and accusing the other side of racism just seems a little black and white to me, and the world is very grey.
I guess I just feel so troubled by this because I think that the argument that the police were threatened by a small girl like alette is ridiculous, the fact the situation arose where they needed to pepper spray also seems ridiculous. I don't think the protestors should have turned violent(if they did) At the same time, the regents are people too and what if the situation was escalating quickly enough to where they did feel threatened and the police acted with force mistakingly, even if the protestors had no intention of becoming violent they would still have to realize that there intentions may be mistook. We live in a society where punishment is used to keep order, whether it works or not it has to be realized and hitting a police officer has consequences. I cant believe that the officer was hurt and havent heard that he was, the legal charges were dropped and I have also heard that some of the regents asked that the legal charges be dropped(by that I mean criminal). I really hope that the efforts at the rally were successful and that Alette does not lose her education, I just wish there could be actual dialogue about the issue rather than all I am hearing be exaggeration and one side of the story. I think it would be a better way to gain mass support. I hope my thoughts have helped a little maybe and good luck to Alette.
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