The Aftermath (Encampment)

I think for a lot of students, it was their first time experimenting with what critical people power was like. And so for a lot of folks, I think there was excitement; there was energy that was really healthy in many ways.” – Husayn || “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 || “I definitely think there were a bit more biased actions that they used towards certain people. ... They were slightly more humane towards some people that were more white- appearing, as opposed to those that were not. Whether that’s once they saw your name or the actual color of your skin.” – Redacted || "There were a couple that were huddling together in groups, pointing at students, making jokes and laughing at us... My reaction wasn't fear, it was more so anger. I was pissed that these people, these fully grown men with guns, batons, shields, all their weapons, thought it was so humorous what they were doing to us."" –- Millian || “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 || 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 || "I feel like both my identities, being queer and being Jewish, are being weaponized right now to justify what is going on in Palestine. And i want to make it very clear that Judaism is inextricably linked with freedom from oppression. It's not in spite of my Judaism that i believe in a free Palestine, but rather because of it." – Skylar
Voices from Inside the Encampment/UCSD Guardian