Reports from Occupy: 11/23

Greensboro, N.C.

By Julie Southerland

THE UNIVERSITY of North Carolina (UNC) system is pushing through a set of tuition increases that will surpass the 6.5 percent cap previously instituted by the state government. In some cases, the tuition hikes will be as much as 44 percent (at North Carolina School of the Arts). Reportedly, UNC Greensboro tuition is set to increase by around 10 percent.

The UNCG administration is holding two sham "open forums" for Chancellor Linda Brady to do a presentation outlining the tuition hikes, and then take questions from those in attendance. There is no room for anyone to make alternate proposals or to oppose the tuition increase in any meaningful way.

Occupy UNCG opposes any tuition increase for the 2012-13 school year and has voted to "occupy" the forums and "mic check" Chancellor Brady, stating why we are there and who we are. Participants plan to then read personal statements by using the people's mic.

In light of this, Occupy UNCG organized a successful direct action at UNC-Greensboro on November 18. A group of students, alumni and supporters met and "occupied" the UNCG forum on tuition hikes at a meeting of the Student Government Association. Approximately 15 of us joined the audience of some 80 people to read the following statement using the people's mic:

We, the students, faculty, staff and community at UNCG declare this meeting a sham. Students are systematically shut out of the decisions that impact us and our community. We have had enough.

We demand that there be no hikes in tuition and that the money being used to gentrify the Glenwood Neighborhood be instead used to close the universities' budget gap.

We invite you to join us, Occupy UNCG. We invite you to listen to our stories tonight. We invite you to our meeting at 11:30 tomorrow to join in organizing a movement to defend our right to education.

We followed our statement by reading personal statements: one from a prospective student who has been trying to go to UNCG for a number of years, but has not been able to attain funding to go, and another by a student at UNCG whose father is unemployed and mother is disabled. She lives on $500 a month, which makes it difficult to pay for education. Her statement was unfortunately cut short, as this was the moment when the police showed up to escort us out of the meeting.

Los Angeles

By Kurt Krueger

OCCUPY UCLA activists gathered for the national movement's November 17 day of action--and later in the week set up a new encampment after being kicked out of their first spot.

On November 17, some 80 activists gathered in Wilson Plaza, the site of an encampment with 30 tents. An impromptu teach-in was held on what to do if arrested. Although there were no police in sight, students were cautious after the crackdown on other Occupy sites, and as a result of the arrest of 11 students on November 9 after they held a sit-in at the intersection of Wilshire and Westwood.

The General Assembly began around 9:30 p.m., and from there, the number of people arriving continued to grow. At midnight, there were approximately 350 people. Wilson Plaza was renamed "Angela Davis Plaza" by the occupiers.

After the reading of a working statement of Occupy UCLA's demands, the group had a speak-out, where some students voiced their frustrations at everything from the destruction of the environment, to the oppression of Palestinians, to the University of California Board of Regents, to capitalism itself.

The speak-out was interwoven with song and dance and chants of "Evict us, we multiply! Occupy will never die!" and "This is what democracy looks like!"

Overall, Occupy UCLA had a very festive atmosphere. Many students spoke about how they had been convinced that this was an apathetic campus, but have now changed their way of thinking.

However, at 5 a.m., UCLA administrators and police surrounded the encampment and sectioned it off with caution tape. The gathering was then declared unlawful and ordered to clear out. Thirteen activists were arrested, but students remained determine to carry on the fight and possibly setting up new encampments in other areas of campus.

After being forced to vacate Wilson Plaza Thursday night, students relocated Angela Davis Plaza to the new location of Bruin Plaza on November 21.

During the day, students set up tents, made signs and banners and held a teach-in on the tuition fee hikes. Because it was the week of the annual UCLA versus USC football game, there were other rallies happening on the campus, including the burning of the USC mascot in effigy. In response, students walled off the statue of the UCLA Bruin Bear with a wood platform on top where they set up tents. It was a symbol of protecting the Bruin Bear from being privatized. There was a large banner hung which read "Public or private?"

With many students on campus for the game, occupiers found creative ways to engage them and draw them in to the General Assembly. When one of the major sports rallies of the evening ended, we paused the General Assembly to grab signs and have an "Occu-Party." This consisted of the newly created Occupy UCLA rally chant, dancing, music and a "people's mic" speak-out to urge those students not involved to join us, as the tuition hikes affect everyone.

And it worked. The idea of "Occu-Party" created a festive atmosphere where students were drawn in out of curiosity and the spirited nature of what we were doing. The GA started out with about 80 people and, during the Occu-Party, swelled to 300 participants.

This encampment was successful in making it through the night without being disbanded, a huge victory for Occupy UCLA.

Washington, D.C.

By Brian Ward

ON NOVEMBER 17, some 200 people gathered at McPherson Square, the site of Occupy D.C., to stand in solidarity with in solidarity a day of action called by Occupy Wall Street for November 17. The gathering featured the nurses, students, teachers, and members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as well as other union members.

After a short rally, the crowd headed down K Street (known for all of its lobbying firms) and through Georgetown to the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Protesters took the streets all the way there and were met with a very large police presence at the bridge, where Occupy D.C. met up with the organization called Our D.C. After some confusion, we were allowed on the sidewalk of the bridge on each side.

On the bridge, members of Communication Workers of America (CWA) held anti-Verizon signs after having marched from the other side of the river. One large banner read "Our Bridges Need Work--So Do We."

This bridge is a major commuting bridge for those who work in D.C. and live in Virginia. Most car drivers were very friendly, raising fists out of their windows and giving honks to the marchers.

The action ended with a speech from a member of Our D.C. who warned, "Obama, we elected you in, and we can elect you out." In all, some 500 people participated throughout the march and protest on the bridge to send the message that we're tired of the 1 percent stealing from the 99 percent.