UCSC Palestine encampment grows to nearly 100 heading into the weekend

Two days after dozens of UC Santa Cruz students first set up an encampment in support of Palestine in Quarry Plaza, the number of campers has nearly tripled to more than 100, organizers said Friday. 

The encampment was created in response to a call from the national Students for Justice in Palestine organization and was set up by the group’s UCSC chapter, said the campers’ media liaison, third-year student Sasha Stetler. 

She told Lookout the group plans to remain at their camp in Quarry Plaza until university administrators meet their demands, which include the University of California divesting from, and ending research with, weapons-manufacturing companies. Stetler added that UCSC Students for Justice In Palestine have also called for an in-person meeting with Chancellor Cynthia Larive. 

Donations of food, supplies and tents have poured in from students, staff and the community, and Stetler said the campers currently have enough food to last them for a week. 

“We do not plan on giving up anytime soon, ever,” said Stetler on Friday. “For the past seven months, we have been doing rallies, fundraisers, protests, signing petitions, calling representatives and it hasn’t done much – sometimes that calls for a greater action. So we’ve posted our demands, and we don’t plan on stopping until they are met.” 

UCSC spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment about the campers’ request for an in-person meeting between the students and Larive. 

He also did not respond to questions about how long UCSC would allow the encampment to continue; however, the school posted a notice on its website Thursday that it was postponing a staff appreciation picnic scheduled for next Thursday, May 9, “in light of current events.”

Hernandez-Jason did, however, say the university would continue to focus on student safety. 

“The continued safety and well-being of our students and employees remains our highest priority,” he wrote in an email. “We also continue to support free expression while ensuring that our teaching and research mission continues unabated.” 

The camp set up by students had more than 85 tents Friday and spread out from the most southern part of Quarry Plaza and up to the entrance of the Quarry Amphitheater. More than 20 hammocks hung to the left of Cafe Iveta, which was closed due to the encampment, and two tents hold medical supplies and food for the campers. The Bay Tree Bookstore was also shut down.

Photo gallery: Scenes from the UCSC Palestine encampment Friday

Next to the tents, students set up a library – which was overflowing with books and zines – and dedicated it to Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer. Alareer was killed Dec. 7 by an Israeli airstrike. 

Campers had set up fencing around the perimeter of the encampment. Students enter the camp at one of several entrances, where organizers monitor who comes in. Stetler said a security team of student volunteers keeps watch 24/7 and students are trained in case of an emergency. 

She said campus police have checked on the encampment from time to time and the campus fire marshal stopped by to tell campers to keep a clear pathway through the plaza alongside the tents. 

Outside of those interactions, public safety officials have kept their distance, she said. 

Stetler said the environment has been supportive and full of energy since the group launched the camp. On Friday morning, she woke up around 10 a.m. to several faculty members walking into the camp carrying banners in support of the students. “Some of them brought their kids,” she said. “It’s amazing.” 

Stetler said there’s a wide range of levels of participation from the more than 100 students and volunteers in the encampment. Some students have camped out just one night, many have dropped off donations, others have camped every night so far. She said there’s also a group called the red team who have committed to not leaving the camp until their demands are met. 

“No matter the police presence, no matter how long, these people are not leaving,” she said. “They’re not going to work, they’re not going to classes. They’re incredibly committed to this.” 

UCSC Students for Justice in Palestine organized a full week of events, including lectures from faculty, communal prayers and training new student volunteers. 

Stetler said this is the most significant action she’s participated in. She said one of the main reasons she’s involved is because she’s Jewish. 

“It’s really abhorrent to see the state of Israel weaponizing my religion, weaponizing the very real issue of antisemitism as an excuse to commit genocide,” she said. “I believe that does a dishonor to every real victim of antisemitism. I think Jews should be for liberation, Jews should be for freedom.” 

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