After UCSC encampment students block intersection, protests remain in place

UC Santa Cruz students leading the encampment on campus blocked the university’s central intersection at Hagar Drive and Steinhart Way from about 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday in support of Palestine and to reiterate their demands that UCSC divest from weapons-manufacturing companies and cut ties with organizations like Hillel International. 

A student media liaison, who chose to remain anonymous, told Lookout that students have no plans to leave the encampment that still had about 60 tents, further noting that negotiations with the administration appear to not be restarting anytime soon. 

He said the students hoped that blocking the intersection would help raise awareness.

“I know people have places to go and places to be. We all do, but this disruption of the status quo is completely intentional,” he said. “It is to show people that their everyday life – everything we do here runs on blood money basically. [This action] is supposed to open people’s eyes to the fact that there cannot be business as usual.” 

Campus spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason didn’t respond to questions about the potential of restarting negotiations or whether there are plans to remove the encampment.

“We are disappointed that student demonstrators are blocking Hagar Drive, requiring students, employees, and visitors to take alternate routes through campus,” he wrote, via email. “This action causes disruption and inconvenience for the entire campus community and is a violation of the student code of conduct. Our highest priority continues to be the safety and well-being of all of our students and employees.” 

Students also said they blocked the Hagar Drive-Steinhart Way intersection Wednesday to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Nakba – Arabic for catastrophe. The day marks the period about 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. 

Further, demonstrators aimed to raise awareness about two Wednesday deadlines:

• The deadline for prospective UCSC students to declare their intent to register at the university by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. The university’s student body government, the Student Union Assembly, is telling prospective students, “Say no to UCSC” via a social media campaign, telling them not to enroll. The SUA wrote, “UCSC admissions and administration have failed to provide resources and support to students who are currently already enrolled @ucsc.” The organization added that the university is investing in weapons-manufacturing companies and wrote of “complicity in the on-going genocide.”
• The 4 p.m. deadline for the University of California’s estimated 48,000 graduate student workers to vote to authorize a strike. The United Auto Workers 4811 union filed unfair labor practice charges against the UC after UCLA called in the police to arrest and clear the encampment on that campus. The union announced Wednesday night that 79% of nearly 20,000 members who voted had approved the strike authorization; the union’s executive board will ultimately decide whether or not to strike, though it gave no immediate indications of its plans. UAW 4811 represents about 2,000 graduate student workers at UCSC. 

At about 2 p.m. in the intersection, organizers passed out lunch to fellow students sitting on the sidewalks and in the road. With chalk, they wrote phrases like “All eyes on Rafah” and “Free Palestine.” Some students in the Quarry Plaza parking lot sold clothing or other items with signs saying that all proceeds would go to Gaza. 

Student media liaisons told Lookout that they will continue to have actions and rallies, but they’re unsure about returning to block the intersection in the immediate future. 

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