Protesters amass outside UC Regents meeting at Covel Commons
By Kelly Zhou
Nov. 18, 2009 12:30 p.m.
Demonstrators rushed Covel Commons around 11:10 a.m. today in an effort to protest undergraduate fee increases being voted on this week by the UC Board of Regents.
After hours of chanting outside Covel, protesters pushed against the barricades that prevented access to the building and broke through them, which led to a flood of protesters stampeding to get inside.
“The UC Regents don’t care. “¦ They only care about their progress, basically themselves,” said Miles Goodloe, a third-year political science student who said he was Tasered twice by police. “And I had to get Tasered to understand that.”
As of approximately 1 p.m., UCPD spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein said she did not believe Taser guns had been used.
The UC Board of Regents has been meeting since Tuesday to discuss the 32 percent fee increase, which was passed by the board’s Committee on Finance earlier today. Students from a variety of campus organizations came to Covel this morning to voice their disapproval of the proposed fee hikes.
“It’s ridiculous how I have to protect my education,” Goodloe said.
After demonstrators attempted to break through the barricades, university police forced students back with the threat of clubs and Taser guns.
Protesters made a second attempt to get past the police, which only led to expanded barricades. Police armed with clubs and stun guns then formed a line from the side of Delta Terrace to Covel Commons, pushing demonstrators away from Covel.
UCPD declared the protest as unlawful activity after “bottles, food and rocks were thrown at police officers,” said UCPD Capt. John Adams.
“This assembly is now in violation of the law,” Adams said to the crowd. “On the condition of unlawful assembly, I command that you disperse. All persons who do not leave the Covel Commons courtyard within the next five minutes may be arrested.”
Most protesters then left the area, although some came back later to demonstrate their solidarity.
“We want the public to know we’re invested in this,” said Jan Victor Andasan, campus organization director for the USAC EVP office and a second-year English student. “We’re still here standing together and … we want to know where the money goes.”
