UC students march through UC Berkeley, vandalize chancellor’s home

“Whose UC? Our UC! Whose UC? Our UC!”

A group of about 150 UC students chanted together as they marched through the campus of UC Berkeley, their host for the annual UC Students of Color Conference. Their destination: University House – UC Berkeley’s Chancellor Nicholas Dirks’ home.

On Sunday, Nov. 8, what was initially supposed to be an action demanding a $15 minimum wage for UC workers, scheduled as part of the conference, turned into a fifteen minute march to the Chancellor’s home located on campus, an action no longer supported by the UC Student Association.

From outside the residence, students from different UC campuses gathered and demanded that Chancellor Dirks come outside, while others held a giant banner that read, “Dirks is a racist.”

The banner was inspired by the fact that Dirks has failed the Black students on the UC Berkeley campus by undermining their struggles and continuing to ignore their demands for more Black faculty, a UC Berkeley student explained in the crowd.

Several students took turns standing in front of the group and explained how UC workers are continuously mistreated, overworked, and how it all relates back to it being a “race issue.”

“In October, multiple campus demonstrations brought attention to UC Berkeley’s affiliation with Performance First, a janitorial services company being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor for allegedly underpaying its workers,” reported Andrea Platten in The Daily Californian.

UC Riverside student, Aja Campbell explained, “The issue is that institutions like the University of California exploit minorities in this country because they know they need the money and can’t afford to risk losing their jobs by being outspoken about their mistreatment.”

Upset that the Chancellor refused to come out and speak with protesters, Kristian Kim - a UC Berkeley student leader – jumped the fence separating the crowd from the Chancellor’s home and pushed past the police officers blocking the stairs, but not before encouraging others to follow her example.

All at once, the students rushed up the stairs and pushed the three police officers out of the way. Immediately, the officers called for backup.

As the group of students gathered around the entrance of the home, some began to yell, “We know you’re in there,” while others banged on the door and windows.

A student abruptly interrupted the group to let them know that more police officers would be showing up along with the riot squad. He pleaded that anybody who could not afford to get arrested leave the group, and that those who decided to stay write down a lawyer’s number on their forearm. At this time, about a third of the students left, some walking quickly, others slowly, as if debating whether they could or could not ‘afford’ to get arrested.

Following in the tradition of the recent demonstrations put on by Black communities across the nation, students began to sing hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar’s song, “Alright.”

“We gon’ Be alright! We gon’ Be alright!”

As their voices grew louder the worry in some of their faces disappeared, and some who had began to walk away from the group returned to their original positions.

Rain began to fall, and two more police cars could be seen in the distance, but instead of being discouraged, the students began to reassure each other by beginning yet another chant.

“Ain’t no power like the power of the people, because the power of the people don’t stop! Say what?”

Realizing that the Chancellor would not come out, some students began to vandalize the house by writing on windows with Sharpie markers. Some of the things they wrote read, “You’re a racist,” or “Fuck you,” and yet some wrote more obscene messages.

A tall Black student with a megaphone interrupted everyone by saying, “Mic check,” and encouraged students to wrap things up in

order to avoid the riot police. The student encouraged others in the group to reflect on the power in community and the lack of fear that was achieved as a result of their coming together. He pointed out that change can only occur when a group of people comes together and reminded them that, “An injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.”

As the students wrapped things up and walked down the stairs of the Chancellor’s home, they linked arms in order to prevent being handcuffed by police officers waiting at the bottom of the stairs. No arrests were made, giving hints that protests on the residence were a regular occurrence on Berkeley’s campus.

After reaching the bottom of the stairs safely, a student turned back and yelled, “We’ll be back!”