Today is a day of action on the UC Berkeley campus. It is devoted to bringing attention to the unjust charges brought against twelve students and one faculty member who were beaten by UC police or otherwise involved in protests six months ago to the day (on November 9th, 2011) and the unconstitutional stay-away orders demanded by Alameda County's power mad District Attorney as a result.
Condemned by many, these stay-aways and prosecutions have been called "chilling" by the ACLU, the Berkeley City Council and others as well.
As one part of the day of action, people are being asked to call and email District Attorney Nancy O'Malley to request that the charges and stay-away orders be dropped. And to call and email UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau to request that he send a formal letter to DA O'Malley requesting that the stay-away orders and charges be dropped. (Insofar as he declared a campus-wide 'amnesty' for all those participating in the events of November 9th, 2011, this seems like the least he could do...)
You don't have to be a University of California student or a resident of California to call and email. Indeed, let them know that, months afterward, the whole world is still watching!
District Attorney Nancy O'Malley
phone: 510.272.6222; (510) 268-7500;
email: askwwm-da@acgov.org
Chancellor Birgeneau
phone: 510-642-7464;
email: chancellor@berkeley.edu
A simple message will suffice:
To DA O'Malley: "The whole world is watching. Please drop the charges and rescind all stay away orders against UC students and Occupy protesters."
To Chancellor Birgeneau: You promised amnesty for those involved. Please keep your word and request that DA O'Malley drop the charges and stay aways.
A press conference will be held on campus at Sproul Plaza at 11:00 AM to call further attention to these matters. Below is a draft of the press release.
Support the Sproul 13: Call the DA's office April 9-11
Last November 9, UC Berkeley students, staff and faculty tried to set up a small encampment on campus, in solidarity with the then-burgeoning Occupy movement and in opposition to the ongoing privatization of the UC. Campus police and Alameda County Sheriffs viciously beat the students in order to stop the tents from going up. This incident, captured on videotape, sparked international outrage. Nonviolent protesters were dragged to the ground by the hair, hit over the head with batons, and sent to the hospital with broken ribs. The event was a scandal for the campus police and the administration, and the Chancellor eventually admitted that he took "full responsibility for [the] events" and offered amnesty under the campus code of conduct to everyone arrested that day. You can watch the videos of the events here:
http://www.youtube.com/...
http://www.youtube.com/...
Now, nearly four months after the fact, 13 people are being charged with misdemeanors for the events of November 9, even though most of them were never arrested. Their charges include obstruction of a thoroughfare, resisting arrest, battery on a peace officer and remaining at the scene of the riot. Conviction on these charges could bring, at worst, up to a year of jail time. Despite the Chancellor's promise of amnesty, the UC Berkeley police forwarded cases to the DA, recommending charges for 12 students and one professor. What's worse: the DA recently issued stay-away orders for 12 of the protesters, telling them they could only set foot on UC property for "lawful" purposes, such as attending class. After public pressure from government officials, the DA has rescinded ((some of)) ((1)) these orders, but they remain evidence of the vindictive arrogance of the prosecutors.
The charges against the Sproul 13 set a troubling precedent. Students who protest the rising tuition and mounting indebtedness that follows in the wake of the privatization of the University should now fear that, at any time in the future, they might receive a letter in the mail, carrying with it the threat of jail. These unfounded charges have already produced strong responses at Berkeley and beyond. The faculty associations of Berkeley and Irvine have condemned the charges, and called on Chancellor Birgeneau to stand with them. The Graduate Assembly at Berkeley has called for the charges to be dropped, as has UAW 2865, the graduate student union. The Berkeley City Council passed a resolution calling for the charges to be dropped. And the ACLU has issued a letter putting the circumstances of the charges into question. This is, of course, in addition to the widespread outrage about the role of the police and the administration that day.
(1) There is a bit of confusion about whether all the stay away orders have recently been rescinded, or just some of them.
a Daily Californian article dated today suggests that six of the twelve stay away orders against UC students have been dropped. That is my understanding, and the understanding of one of the organizers of today's event. The press release seems to be confused.
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Here are my emails:
TO: DA O'Malley
The whole world is still watching. Please drop the charges and rescind all stay away orders against UC students and Occupy protesters.
As a resident and voter in Alameda County I find these proceedings both
absurd and disgusting. I cannot believe that your office is pursuing this
stuff, or that my tax dollars are paying for it.
Until every murder, rape, robbery, breakin, and white collar crime has been
solved in Alameda County I feel that your actions are an insult to everyone
who wishes to be sure they are safe in their homes and communities.
TO: Chancellor Birgeneau
You promised amnesty for those involved in November 9th protest. Please
keep your word and request that DA O'Malley drop the charges and stay aways.
As a resident of Berkeley and a taxpayer who supports the UC system
I find these prosecutions disgusting and stupid. I find your role in the
entire debacle blameworthy in the extreme; the least you could do is to
take steps to undo the damage that has been done against your own
students.