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Sowing the seeds of peace and justice |
2010/03/05: UWM student protest ends with 15 arrests
Submitted by staff on Fri, 03/05/2010 - 2:55pm
Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) is proud of the 250 students and workers who stood up for the March 4th National Day of Action to Defend Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).
The university administration is intimidated by the UWM Education Rights Campaign, an alliance that Milwaukee SDS helped create of over 20 organizations that are demanding to lower high-level administrative salaries, democratize the school, and establish just policies for workers and students.
Milwaukee SDS condemns the police who used violence and arrests to silence the protest. Furthermore, Milwaukee SDS condemns the university administration for responding to our just demands by defending this repression. “We condemn the university administration for silencing our message by portraying student protestors as violent,” said SDS Milwaukee member Jacob Flom.
Students and Workers Denied Access to Chapman Hall
The demonstration peacefully marched to the Chancellor's office to deliver petitions and make a statement that students and workers will fight cuts to education. Instead of acknowledging the protest, the Chancellor and university administration locked their office doors and called the police, watching from the windows of Chapman Hall as students were maced and beat up by campus police.
The media did not cover the hundreds of students who were blocked out of a public building by UWM Police Chief Michael Marzion, who taunted protesters by saying it was his personal decision to do so. Chief Marzion, who can be seen in video footage kicking and shoving protesters, allowed police forces to use violence and mace on students and workers.
Administration Ignores Demands of Students and Workers
Chancellor Santiago still has not addressed the demands of the Education Rights Campaign. Instead he has chosen to support the police’s use of mace against non-violent protesters and the arrests of innocent students and bystanders.
Rachel Matteson, another SDS member states, “He has attempted to delegitimize the campaign by circulating lies about the conduct of the protest that he did not even attend, another refusal to hear student voices. He continues to criminalize students in the media and by university e-mail.”
This only furthers students’ and workers’ frustration with a university administration that sits on six-figure salaries, caters to wealthy investors, and continues to ignore those who are struggling for basic rights in a time of economic crisis and cut backs to education. In addition, the 15 people charged for demonstrating on March 4th face a total of $4,255.50 in fines—almost a semester of tuition at UWM! The administration is victimizing already financially struggling students with these charges.
We view the university administration as hypocrites when they talk about student violence because this is the same university administration that turns their backs to violence as they create business deals with war profiteers.
Milwaukee SDS Demands Justice
1. A public hearing with Chancellor Santiago to hear the demands of the UWM Education Rights Campaign and to discuss the effects of the economic crisis upon this university.
2. All charges be dropped against those arrested and charged
3. An apology from the UW-Milwaukee Police Chief Michael Marzion for excessive use of force
Education Rights Movement Perseveres
Our demands give the public university administration the opportunity to stand with students and workers instead of with the private businesses responsible for this economic crises. On March 4th, the university administration got a small taste of what it’s like when they stand on the side of the bankers and politicians that expect students and workers to pay for their economic crisis.
The details of the March 4th protest overshadowed the plight of the students and workers at UWM who continue to bear the weight of the economic recession as Chancellor Santiago and other high level administrators maintain six figure salaries and cater to the interests of the bankers and politicians.
The events that occurred reveal the administration’s refusal to acknowledge the struggles being faced by students and workers. Chancellor Santiago still will not address the demands of the Education Rights Campaign. The administration’s legitimization of violence used against the protestors and the lies that were constructed to place the blame on the students and workers is unacceptable.
SDS member Molly Ubbesen asserts, “We will continue to fight for democracy and justice at our University.”
Education is a right!
Drop all charges against the Milwaukee 16!
A student protest Thursday at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee over the cost of higher education ended with campus police using pepper spray, 15 students arrested, and different and conflicting accounts of what happened. Here's the AP version.
This statement is from Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), the youth component of WNPJ member group Voces de la Frontera:
Milwaukee- "Campus police should protect students, not violate their right to peacefully protest" says Antonina Weber a student leader with Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. YES is the youth component of local workers center Voces de la Frontera. While not one of the 23 groups that sponsored yesterday's protest organized by the UWM Campaign for Education Rights, many of its student members participated in the protest. Chancellor Santiago was wrong to block students from his office and instruct police to disperse the crowd. YES members feel strongly that campus police abused their power and used excessive force to break up an otherwise peaceful student demonstration.
YES members were disappointed with local media coverage that portrayed students as violent and out of control. "I think the media missed the point. No one was critical of the police's use of force and the purpose of the demonstration was lost in the coverage" says Alejandra Lopez, a student leader with YES. She adds, "We strongly believe in the right to higher education for everyone. That is why we organized so aggressively to give undocumented students access to in state tuition rates. We also believe that all students should have access to affordable, quality higher education. That message did not make it into the local press."
Julio Cordova, another student leader at UWM, agrees "UWM students were correct to organize against tuition cuts, pay-cuts and worker layoffs. We live in a city with high levels of poverty and unemployment. How can we expect to progress if the doors to higher education are not open to all our students?"
The UWM chapter of YES has pledged to work with student organizers at UWM to support them in their response to yesterday's events.
SDS Condemns Repression of Education Rights Rally
Drop All Charges Against the Milwaukee 16! Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) is proud of the 250 students and workers who stood up for the March 4th National Day of Action to Defend Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).
The university administration is intimidated by the UWM Education Rights Campaign, an alliance that Milwaukee SDS helped create of over 20 organizations that are demanding to lower high-level administrative salaries, democratize the school, and establish just policies for workers and students.
Milwaukee SDS condemns the police who used violence and arrests to silence the protest. Furthermore, Milwaukee SDS condemns the university administration for responding to our just demands by defending this repression. “We condemn the university administration for silencing our message by portraying student protestors as violent,” said SDS Milwaukee member Jacob Flom.
Students and Workers Denied Access to Chapman Hall
The demonstration peacefully marched to the Chancellor's office to deliver petitions and make a statement that students and workers will fight cuts to education. Instead of acknowledging the protest, the Chancellor and university administration locked their office doors and called the police, watching from the windows of Chapman Hall as students were maced and beat up by campus police.
The media did not cover the hundreds of students who were blocked out of a public building by UWM Police Chief Michael Marzion, who taunted protesters by saying it was his personal decision to do so. Chief Marzion, who can be seen in video footage kicking and shoving protesters, allowed police forces to use violence and mace on students and workers.
Administration Ignores Demands of Students and Workers
Chancellor Santiago still has not addressed the demands of the Education Rights Campaign. Instead he has chosen to support the police’s use of mace against non-violent protesters and the arrests of innocent students and bystanders.
Rachel Matteson, another SDS member states, “He has attempted to delegitimize the campaign by circulating lies about the conduct of the protest that he did not even attend, another refusal to hear student voices. He continues to criminalize students in the media and by university e-mail.”
This only furthers students’ and workers’ frustration with a university administration that sits on six-figure salaries, caters to wealthy investors, and continues to ignore those who are struggling for basic rights in a time of economic crisis and cut backs to education. In addition, the 15 people charged for demonstrating on March 4th face a total of $4,255.50 in fines—almost a semester of tuition at UWM! The administration is victimizing already financially struggling students with these charges.
We view the university administration as hypocrites when they talk about student violence because this is the same university administration that turns their backs to violence as they create business deals with war profiteers.
Milwaukee SDS Demands Justice
1. A public hearing with Chancellor Santiago to hear the demands of the UWM Education Rights Campaign and to discuss the effects of the economic crisis upon this university.
2. All charges be dropped against those arrested and charged
3. An apology from the UW-Milwaukee Police Chief Michael Marzion for excessive use of force
Education Rights Movement Perseveres
Our demands give the public university administration the opportunity to stand with students and workers instead of with the private businesses responsible for this economic crises. On March 4th, the university administration got a small taste of what it’s like when they stand on the side of the bankers and politicians that expect students and workers to pay for their economic crisis.
The details of the March 4th protest overshadowed the plight of the students and workers at UWM who continue to bear the weight of the economic recession as Chancellor Santiago and other high level administrators maintain six figure salaries and cater to the interests of the bankers and politicians.
The events that occurred reveal the administration’s refusal to acknowledge the struggles being faced by students and workers. Chancellor Santiago still will not address the demands of the Education Rights Campaign. The administration’s legitimization of violence used against the protestors and the lies that were constructed to place the blame on the students and workers is unacceptable.
SDS member Molly Ubbesen asserts, “We will continue to fight for democracy and justice at our University.”
Education is a right!
Drop all charges against the Milwaukee 16!
608-250-9240, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, 122 State Street, Suite 405A, Madison, WI 53703, Send an email to the office info@wnpj.org.