"When they put me in cuffs, what immediately came to mind was the mass graves that they found in Gaza, people who were found wearing the exact same cuffs that were found dead and buried there. So I wasn’t scared of anything that police or school could do to me because it’s nothing in comparison to what other people are currently experiencing — what the martyrs in Palestine experienced before they died."
– Millian
Vivian Dueker, Raymond Tran and Carter Castillo (2024) Voices from Inside the Encampment, UCSD Guardian, June 16. https://ucsdguardian.org/2024/06/16/voices-from-inside-the-encampment/
"Today’s events directly contradict what we teach, including the rich history of activism at UCSD, which has long been celebrated as a beacon of social change and progress. The actions taken by the administration stand in stark contrast to these values, undermining the very ethos of our institution and betraying the legacy of those who have fought tirelessly to make UCSD a place where activism is not only welcomed but celebrated."
– UC San Diego Graduate Students
UC San Diego Graduate Students (2024) Statement from UCSD Graduate Students Condemning UCSD’s Response to Student Protest, The Triton, May 7. https://triton.news/2024/05/ucsd-graduate-students-condemn-protest-resp…
"We are especially troubled by administration’s repeated turn to 'safety,' including language in Chancellor Khosla's May 5th email, to justify retaliation against students. His claim that encampment activities are 'dangerous' and pose a safety concern stand in contrast to mainstream media descriptions of the campus protest."
– San Diego Faculty Association
San Diego Faculty Association (2024) SDFA Statement on Student Protests. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAJeLbTxFkkJ6NHxECD8h7GtmPHsm…
"When the sliding doors opened and we heard the crowd, it made me feel like I wasn't alone. In my experience being arrested, in my struggle against police, and in my struggle for a free Palestine, just that indescribable feeling of solidarity. It was that feeling of solidarity in is purest form, when people came out in solidarity with us and the cause."
– Willy
Vivian Dueker, Raymond Tran and Carter Castillo (2024) Voices from Inside the Encampment, UCSD Guardian, June 16. https://ucsdguardian.org/2024/06/16/voices-from-inside-the-encampment/
"Although the campus was essentially closed down to students, staff, and faculty on the morning of May 6 with very little notice, the media were present to document the police response, situating themselves primarily behind a line of officers clad in riot gear. News cameras appeared to have been given unfettered access to the scene, often moving freely among mobilized police officers while protesters were cordoned off into separate areas. In addition, after protesters were cleared from the encampment, local media were permitted to roam through the area, broadcasting their own perusal of personal belongings and other materials... Police appeared to selectively remove items of clothing from the students; most notably, in several instances visible on local media’s news streams, police were seen deliberately and roughly removing keffiyehs from around protesters’ necks, which they then dropped to the ground and trampled."
– UC San Diego Department of Communication Faculty
Department of Communication Faculty (2024) Statement on the Events of May 6, 2024. https://communication.ucsd.edu/about/department-statements1.html#statem…
"Can nobody see what’s going on? Is nobody gonna stand up for us? I thought of the kids in Gaza. So this is what it’s like to live in a camp, except we have a ton of resources and community support. So imagine what it’s like living in a camp without those things. And then you’re standing in front of the police, and you’re like, now imagine your mom is 10 feet under the rubble."
– Sunflower
Vivian Dueker, Raymond Tran and Carter Castillo (2024) Voices from Inside the Encampment, UCSD Guardian, June 16. https://ucsdguardian.org/2024/06/16/voices-from-inside-the-encampment/
"We demand the immediate resignation of Chancellor Khosla. His actions this morning placed hundreds of students in danger at the hands of aggressive, militantly organized police and resulted in arrests and injuries; violated the constitutional rights of our students to peacefully assemble and protest; and demonstrated a level of hostility against our students that has absolutely no place among University leadership... We demand police be removed from campus immediately and permanently. UCPD, San Diego County Sheriffs, California Highway Patrol, and all other police have no place on the UC San Diego campus and should never be called upon to surveil, repress, and threaten our students."
– UC San Diego Ethnic Studies Department Faculty
Ethnic Studies Department Faculty (2024) Press Release: UCSD Faculty Call for Chancellor’s Resignation, May 6. https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/view/8BZRqWqVETf6t8BX1u+lLsnOvFTj1-NKqu…