Students protest Ferguson grand jury decision around campus, Westwood
Students protest the grand jury’s decision to not indict Ferguson, Mo., officer Darren Wilson near Bruin Plate on the Hill. (Eu Ran Kwak/Daily Bruin)
By Jeong Park
Nov. 24, 2014 10:00 p.m.
About 30 protesters marched around campus and in Westwood Monday to protest a grand jury’s non-indictment of a Ferguson, Mo., police officer who shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown.
The protesters, many of them students, called for reform of the criminal justice system, which they perceive to be biased against racial minorities. They took to marching around campus and then down to Westwood minutes after it was announced in Ferguson Monday night that no charges would be brought against white police officer Darren Wilson, who shot Brown.
At one point, the protesters entered Bruin Plate, holding up the entrance line for 10 minutes as they walked around the restaurant to jeers from students eating in the dining hall. Then protesters marched down to circle the intersection of Westwood and Wilshire boulevards, temporarily blocking traffic from crossing the intersection on Westwood Boulevard.
“Michael Brown didn’t have to die, we all know the reason why. The whole damn system is guilty,” protesters chanted.
Monday’s announcement of the non-indictment sparked outrage from protesters across the country who say the shooting incident was grounded in racial discrimination.
The grand jury declined to indict Wilson on all five charges filed by St. Louis County prosecutors, including involuntary manslaughter and first-degree murder, saying that many eyewitness accounts contradicted the physical evidence, St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch said.
Christina Anderson, a fourth-year anthropology student, said she spontaneously joined the protest after leaving work at Lu Valle Commons, as she felt upset over the verdict.
“I felt the anger and I thought I had to do something,” said Anderson, who is black. “I was hurt. I have a 19-year-old brother and I fear for his life.”
The protesters decided to act in response to the grand jury’s decision while they were protesting the University of California’s recently approved tuition hike plan Monday afternoon, said Matthew Holland, a fourth-year political science and history student who is a member of the Student Collective Against Labor Exploitation.
“We are all sickened,” Holland said.
Andrew Kwaning, a second-year psychology student, came to the protest after watching the live stream of the verdict. He said he is calling for the UCLA community to address the issue of racial discrimination that he thinks is happening on campus.
“I just couldn’t stand it,” Kwaning said. “I feel like nobody cares here. I feel like these issues aren’t addressed here … and I think it’s up to us to fix that.”
Afrikan Student Union will hold a “healing protest” Tuesday afternoon at Meyerhoff Park, said Kateisha Menefield, a fourth-year African American studies student and chair of the organization.
Contributing reports by Amanda Schallert, Bruin senior staff, and River Sween, Bruin contributor.
