Occupy Cal

Occupy Cal is an ongoing series of demonstrations in Berkeley based in the University of California, Berkeley in Sproul Plaza. It started on November 9, 2011, in protest of budget increases the UC Regents will vote on November 16, 2011. It is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement. A major theme of this particular demonstration is the role of education in creating jobs and improving the quality of life of society as a whole, and the contrasting failure of the UC Regents and the State of California to honor commitments made in the California Master Plan for Higher Education.

Police violence at Occupy Cal and backlash

External videos
Police beat and arrest students at UC Berkeley, Nov 9

On November 9, students and professors at UC Berkeley began with a series of "teach-ins" around campus, a noon rally and march. Approximately 1,500 demonstrators attended the days' events. Midday, protestors set up seven tents to symbolize their support for Occupy Movement. In response, law enforcement officials from UC Berkeley Police, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and other UC Police officers in riot gear arrived to remove the seven tents from the protest site.

Video footage of the afternoon confrontation showed police using batons and dragging two protesters by the hair, one of whom was UC Berkeley English professor Celeste Langan. 39 protesters including Professor Langan were arrested for charges including "resisting and delaying a police officer in the performance of their duties, and failure to disperse when given a dispersal order."

Response to Occupy Cal police action

The ACLU expressed "grave concerns" about the use of batons on protesters. The UC Student Association a statement saying "UC Students are outraged by the brutal tactics used by the UCPD against students."

In response to the police brutality and other perceived failings of Birgeneau and the UC Regents, the Occupy Cal General Assembly called for a general UC strike on November 15th, 2011. Other student groups from around the state announced plans to join in the protest. On November 11, the UC Davis Faculty Association also voted to endorse the November 15 systemwide strike.

November 9: Demonstration begins; Police response

External videos
Police beat and arrest students at UC Berkeley, Nov 9

The first day of protests began with a series of teach-ins around campus, a noon rally, and a march to a Bank of America. Approximately 1,500 demonstrators attended the days' events. Not long after demonstrators set up seven tents in front of Upper Sproul Plaza in the mid-afternoon, dozens of law enforcement officials from UC Berkeley Police, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and other UC Police officers in riot gear arrived to remove the tents.

Protesters formed a human chain in front of the tents to prevent officers from dismantling the encampment. Police used 36-inch riot batons to push back the protesters and to break the human chain. After the police broke through the protesters, they confiscated and threw away the tents.

Video footage of the afternoon confrontation show police beating protesters with batons and dragging two protesters by the hair, one of whom was UC Berkeley English professor Celeste Langan. 39 protesters including Professor Langan were arrested for charges including "resisting and delaying a police officer in the performance of their duties, and failure to disperse when given a dispersal order."

November 10: Reaction and criticism of Nov. 9 police action

In response to questions about the officers' use of force, UC Police Captain Margo Bennett stated "The individuals who linked arms and actively resisted, that in itself is an act of violence".

Robert Birgeneau, UC Berkeley Chancellor, George Breslauer, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, and Harry Le Grande, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs released a "Message to the Campus Community" in which they stated, "It is unfortunate that some protesters chose to obstruct the police by linking arms and forming a human chain to prevent the police from gaining access to the tents. This is not non-violent civil disobedience." The administrators also stated, "We regret that, given the instruction to take down tents and prevent encampment, the police were forced to use their batons to enforce the policy. We regret all injuries, to protesters and police, that resulted from this effort. The campus's Police Review Board will ultimately determine whether police used excessive force under the circumstances."

The ACLU has "grave concerns" about the use of batons on protesters. The UC Student Association is "outraged by the brutal tactics used by the UCPD against students."

The Department of Integrative Biology stated, "We are deeply disturbed by the images of violence against members of the campus community, as well as the justification and defense of these acts that followed"

November 15: General Strike

In response to the police brutality and other perceived failings of Birgeneau and the UC Regents, the General Assembly held a general strike at UC Berkeley on November 15th, 2011. The timing of the strike and protests was intended to coincide with a meeting of the UC Regents the next day, which was then cancelled by UC Regents and administrators from the UC Office of the President. Many students and faculty did not attend classes and walked out, or incorporated teach-ins, or spent at least part of the day actively protesting. The UC Davis Faculty Association also voted to endorse the November 15 systemwide strike. Events included a downtown march past Berkeley High School, speeches, and resolutions.

See also

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