The UC Davis Faculty Association (DFA) Board has called for the immediate resignation of Chancellor Katehi in response to her authorizing police action that led to police brutality inflicted on peaceful protestors.
The DFA is a group of nearly 150 Davis faculty from nearly all academic departments, so this is huge!!
The DFA Board calls for the immediate resignation of Chancellor Katehi. The Chancellor’s authorization of the use of police force to suppress the protests by students and community members speaking out on behalf of our university and public higher education generally represents a gross failure of leadership.
Given the recent use of excessive force by police against “occupy” protestors at UC Berkeley and elsewhere, the Chancellor must have anticipated that, by authorizing police action, she was effectively authorizing their use of excessive force against peaceful UCD student protestors. The Chancellor’s role is to enable open and free inquiry, not to suppress it.
We also call for a policy that will end the practice of forcibly removing non-violent student, faculty, staff, and community protestors by police on the UC Davis campus. The University of California should be taking a leadership role in encouraging the exercise of free speech, not in suppressing it.
UPDATE: (h/t to We Won in comments) There is a related letter from the The Council of UC Faculty Associations which represents the ENTIRE UC System faculty.
This week, we have seen excessive force used against non-violent protesters at UC Berkeley, UCLA, CSU Long Beach, and UC Davis. Student, faculty and staff protesters have been pepper-sprayed directly in the eyes and mouth, beaten and shoved by batons, dragged by the arms while handcuffed, and submitted to other forms of excessive force. Protesters have been hospitalized because of injuries inflicted during these incidents. The violence was unprovoked, disproportional and excessive.
We are outraged by the excessive and unnecessary force used against peaceful protests.
We are outraged that the administrations of UC campuses are using police brutality to suppress dissent, free speech and peaceful assembly.
We demand that the Chancellors of the University of California cease using police violence to repress non-violent political protests. We hold them responsible for the violence and believe it can only result in an escalation of outrage that holds the potential for even more violence.
Police brutality damages the University's public image, and, more importantly, it damages the climate for free expression at UC. We condemn the assault on the legacy of free speech at the University of California.
We call for greater attention to the substantive issues that motivate the protests regarding the privatization of education. With massive cuts in state funding and rising tuition costs across the community college system, the Cal State network, K-12, and the University of California, public education is undergoing a severe divestment. Student debt has reached unprecedented levels as bank profits swell. We decry the growing privatization and tuition increases that have been the frequent -- and only -- responses of the UC Board of Regents.
Signed,
The board of the Council of UC Faculty Associations
5:05 PM PDT Update #2:
Students surrounded a building where the Chancellor was giving a press conference (students were not allowed in). Apparently their chanting disrupted the conference, and it was ended early. There is some indication that police are on their way, but the live stream does not show it. It's getting dark, but here is the live stream (h/t to wu ming)
5:20 PM PDT Update #3:
via the livestream: Katehi is claiming that she is trapped in the building despite the fact that the students have cleared a path for her to leave and are chanting that she "can leave in peace".
5:40 PM PDT Update #4:
The livestream is down temporarily while they switch laptops. Katehi has still not come out of the building.
5:53 PM PDT Update #5:
You can see an alternate livestream from CBS here *update @ 6:32 This stream is now showing another city... Oakland, perhaps? Definitely not Davis anymore.*
6:18 PM PDT Update #6:
Another student stream is up here The CBS stream has better video, but the student stream has better sound.
A funny comment: "Someone get the Chancellor a tent? It looks like she is going to occupy this building."
Some interesting twitter chatter: They may be calling in a helicopter for Katehi to get an airlift exit! (funny comment "glad my tuition is going to pay for a helicopter")
6:53 PM PDT Update #7:
Katehi has left the building. The students sat in complete silence as she walked by with her head low. I am SO proud of those students!!!
After she was gone chants of "Who's University? OUR University!!"
8:00 PM PDT Final Update:
Video of the Katehi's silent walk of shame here: http://youtu.be/...
h/t to davehouck in the comments
Interesting Q&A between 1:00 and 1:40:
Q:Do you plan to address the students at all?
Katehi: Yes on Monday at the General Assembly
Q:Do you still feel threatened by the students?
Katehi: No. No.
Q: Did you feel trapped in side?
Katehi: I never felt trapped.
If you're wondering what this is about... Please see the awesome previous diaries by OllieGarkey, Tool, and angelajean for background on the incident.
Please sign the petition calling for her resignation.
For those inclined to write or call, I have gathered a bunch of relevant contact information for a variety of organizations below the squiggle.
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