HWY 6 Benefit Dinner; Join the Fight Against UC Political Repression

The Six students who took to the Highway on March 3rd, furthering the fight against state violence/police terror and the privatization of education and Santa Cruz Community members have organized a benefit dinner to raise money in order to pay off insane restitution costs and to prepare for a massive civil suit against the University.


“There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus — and you've got to make it stop!”
– Mario Savio, Sproul Plaza, 1964

Please join us for an evening of delicious food and inspiring music in a benefit dinner for the UCSC Highway 6.

Members of the UCSC Highway 6 and the Santa Cruz community are organizing to raise funds to further the fight against UC political repression of student activism, at a time when students all over the country are rising against police brutality and inequality in education. We would love to have you be a part of this important movement-building event!

UCSC Highway 6 Benefit Dinner
Saturday, August 29, 2015
5:30 – 8:30 PM
Louden Nelson Community Center
Requested Donation: $25 (sliding scale - no one turned away)

The six students who took the highway on March 3rd have met unprecedented repression by the state and the university, including several violations of constitutional rights by the UC administration during the judicial process. The Hwy 6 will be filing a civil suit against the university with the goal of minimizing further repression of student activists across the UC.

Here in Santa Cruz last March, the repression started immediately after the 6 students took the highway as part of the state-wide call for UC students to participate in the “96 hours of Action” against police violence and tuition increases. Upon entering jail, each student received a letter making it illegal for them to return to campus, for an unspecified period of time, on the grounds that they were a “health and safety threat to the community,” immediately making four of the students who lived on campus homeless and stripping them all of their healthcare and access to food.

Since then, two attacks on the students ensued: the criminal trial over civil disobedience, and UC's quasi-judicial process for student conduct charges. After a prolonged process, UC administrators decided that a “fair and just” punishment would be 100 hours of community service and a one-quarter suspension for four of the students and 150 hours of community service and a two-quarter suspension for the other two.

The final sentencing and restitution hearing in the criminal case is anticipated any day now. Under the expected outcome of that court hearing, the 6 students will be sentenced to 30 days in jail, and required to collectively pay $28,000 in restitution for law enforcement costs, primarily for time spent by UCSC police and also the CHP and Santa Cruz police.

But while these two cases are coming to a close, the battle moves to a new front. Along with fundraising for their restitution, the Hwy 6 are ramping up to file a civil suit against the University of California, challenging the legality of the University’s judicial process.

The goal of the lawsuit would be to systematically change the student code of conduct and how it is enforced through the student judicial process, eliminating the ambiguity in the student code of conduct that allows University administrators to claim jurisdiction over whatever student behavior they choose, on or off campus.

The arbitrary way the administration exercises its authority is demonstrated by the current Title IX investigation of UCSC for slack enforcement of the student code of conduct regarding sexual harassment and rape on campus, clearly showing how the University is not actually taking action on the real “threats to the health and safety of the community.”

This is an opportunity for you to join the movement against the UC’s political repression and ensure the future of political dissent among California’s youth! Please join us at the Louden Nelson Community Center on the 29th of August from 5:30 to 8:30. The proceeds will help pay for restitution and the upcoming legal battle to save student activism within the University.

This event is also an opportunity for you to connect with other community activists, to learn more about recent student activism at UCSC and why things have escalated to the point that they have. There will be a catered dinner, a silent auction, and several inspiring performances.

We really hope to see you there!

In Solidarity,

Members of the HWY 6 and the Santa Cruz Community