The University of California, Berkeley is investigating allegations of police brutality against students and workers protesting fee hikes and budget cuts last week. 40 students were arrested Friday night after campus police entered Wheeler Hall, which the students had taken over earlier in the day. The students were part of a statewide movement protesting the UC Board of Regents decision to raise tuition by 32 percent. Independent journalist Brandon Jourdan, who was embedded with the students inside the occupied building on Friday, files a report for Democracy Now!
AMY GOODMAN: The University of California Berkeley is investigating allegations of police brutality against students and workers protesting fee hikes and budget cuts last week. The university also will request an independent investigation by the campus police review board. 40 students were arrested on Friday night after campus police entered Wheeler Hall, which the students had taken over earlier in the day. The students were part of a statewide movement protesting the University of California Board of Regents decision to raise tuition by 32%. Students at UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and San Francisco State also took part by taking over campus buildings last week. On Monday, more than 200 students rallied at Wheeler Hall in Berkeley to protest against what they called overtly aggressive tactics by the police. Organizers say officers hit demonstrators with batons and fired rubber bullets. Independent journalist Brandon Jourdan was embedded with the students inside the occupied building on Friday and filed this report for “Democracy Now!” from inside the takeover at Wheeler Hall.
BRANDON JOURDAN: On November 20th at approximately 5:00 in the morning, students occupied Wheeler Hall, a main lecture hall at the school.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT 1: All right, now we’re locked in a building on campus. Wheeler Hall, probably the main campus building at UC Berkeley. There are tons of people in here, they’re all shuttling around making sure that doors are being held shut.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT 2: This is about solidarity, This is about not only students, but it’s about faculty members, it’s about workers, and it’s about all of us being fed up with this crisis of priorities that there is. They say that it is a financial crisis, but that’s not the truth. It is what they value and honor within the education system that is the problem. We are fighting for a public good. When students come to school in the morning, they will realize that class has been canceled.
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