Occuparty at Bruin Plaza hopes to attract more students to the movement
About 100 protesters convene at Bruin Plaza around 9 PM Monday night for a general assembly meeting. Approximately 20 tents, including two on top of the box housing the Bruin statue, were pitched for the night.
By Naheed Rajwani
Nov. 22, 2011 2:37 a.m.
Jason Ball, third-year graduate student in political science, leads an Occupy UCLA meeting on Monday night at Bruin Plaza.
Third-year history student Joseph S. hunkers down in a tent pitched on top of the box housing the Bruin statue, which is currently “hibernating” to avoid possible vandalism preceding Saturday’s football game against USC.
Occupy UCLA protesters march down Bruin Walk toward the Hill on Monday afternoon.
A pair of tents sat on top of the box housing the Bruin statue, and chalk messages of the Occupy movement decorated the box itself.
In front of the J.D. Morgan Center, participants in Occupy UCLA had pitched about 20 tents.
Monday’s daylong event series and campout in Bruin Plaza, called “Occuparty at UCLA,” marked both location and tactical change for the Occupy UCLA movement.
The new name was intended to gain greater student understanding of the issues at large, said Zubeda Dhada, a third-year psychology student and active participant in Occupy UCLA.
The name also aimed to attract students not initially interested in the movement, said Kyle Arnone, a doctoral student in sociology.
“We want to celebrate UCLA as a great institution,” Arnone said. “We don’t want to alienate students who think we are against UCLA.”
Participation reached a maximum of about 150 people in the course of the daylong series of events.
Joshua Rahtz, a graduate student in history who participated in both Occupy UCLA campouts, said he was happy with the turnout for the nighttime rally at the Bruin statue. Many students who attended the Beat ‘SC Bonfire stopped by to observe the Occupy UCLA rally.
Third-year environmental studies student Russell Bogda said he planned to join protesters at the Bruin statue later that evening after attending the bonfire in Wilson Plaza.
The day of action began with teach-ins on the steps of Powell Library at noon. The first of two teach-ins was led by Rahim Kurwa, a graduate student in sociology, and featured a discussion about UCLA’s admissions policies.
Following the teach-in, about 50 protesters marched down Bruin Walk, chanting and attracting attention from passersby.
Among the demonstrators was Ali Hamdan, a graduate student in geography who was participating in the protests for the first time.
Videos showing harsh police actions against students at UC Berkeley and UC Davis inspired him to attend Monday’s events, he said.
The day’s events were held in solidarity with demonstrations at UC Davis and UC Berkeley, Dhada said.
Protesters later marched on the Hill to gather support from students who live in the residence halls.
The day culminated with the protesters setting up more than 20 tents in Bruin Plaza at about 6 p.m. with the intention of spending the night on campus.
Administration officials were present throughout the day to monitor the situation.
University administrators are continuing talks with the protesters and are working to balance the protesters’ rights to express free speech with the university’s policies and regulations, said UCLA spokesman Steve Ritea.
