Northbay Uprising - Information for the liberated zones of the San Pablo Bay

2011-09-23 "UC Berkeley students protest tuition hikes, cuts" by Nanette Asimov from "San Francisco Chronicle"
[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F09%2F22%2FBAGI1L4JNH.DTL]
BERKELEY -- Protest season began with a bang at UC Berkeley as hundreds of chanting, fist-pumping students angry about tuition hikes charged into Tolman Hall during a raucous protest and building occupation Thursday.
A group filled ground-floor hallways before UC police ordered them to disperse about 9 p.m. Protesters outside Tolman Hall began throwing rocks, bottles and chairs at officers, police said. Two people - both male - were arrested, according to UC police Lt. Marc DeCoulode.
One was arrested for an altercation earlier in the day with a UC police officer, whose .40-caliber magazine went flying.
Officer Donna Chapman, who had been trying to order students to clear the building entrance, ran to pick up the cartridge before protesters could grab it. Around her, students shouting, "No cuts! No fees! Education must be free!" flooded into the education and psychology building.
The second person was arrested after chunks of concrete and a chair were thrown.
"It was a little more violent and aggressive than in the past," DeCoulode said. "We respect people's right to protest, but we ask that they do it safely and peacefully."
Protests are expected to resume today.
During the day, students trying to study rolled their eyes at their cacophonous classmates. But most rooms were empty because the building has been declared seismically unsafe.
"We're going to try to put those classrooms to better use," said Callie Maidhof, a doctoral student in anthropology.
The protesters are angry that basic tuition and mandatory fees have soared to $13,218 this year, twice what they were five years ago - and are likely to rise again.
As the state has drastically reduced funding for UC - it cut $650 million this year alone - university officials have laid off hundreds of employees systemwide and say they need tuition increases of 8 to 16 percent a year for four years. The regents have balked, but that could change. They have raised tuition steadily for a decade.
"Let's go in these classrooms and educate students about the cuts and tuition hikes!" cried student organizer Shane Boyle into a megaphone.

Sproul Plaza rally -
The demonstrations began with a noon rally attended by more than 300 students on Sproul Plaza, where students, campus workers, professors and supporters spoke about the devastating funding cuts.
Professor Richard Walker, vice chairman of the Berkeley Faculty Association, told students what they already knew - that the public university is becoming more privately funded as state support diminishes and students pick up more of the costs.
"This great university may no longer be public and may no longer be great," he cried to those gathered on the plaza.
Competitive poetry slammer Gabriel Cortez, a political science major, awed the crowd with his "Protest Poem," urging them to "protest like you need the extra credit."
Speakers criticized lawmakers for failing to raise taxes at a time when California has too little revenue for social services - and higher education. The audience cheered.
Freshman Andrea Nguyen, 17, was excited to attend her first Berkeley protest.
"It's amazing to be involved in and see the reputation of this place in practice," she said.
Like many students, Nguyen comes from a middle-class background and doesn't qualify for financial aid. The rising tuition at Cal "is definitely a strain on our family," she said.
Shortly before 1 p.m., the rally turned into a march. Hundreds of students surged through Sather Gate, chanting "Whose university? Our university!" They exhorted students lounging in the campus sunshine to join them.
"We share the students' frustrations over the state's disinvestment in higher education, and we absolutely support their right to free speech," said campus spokeswoman Janet Gilmore.
But, she said, the protesters would have to leave when the building closed, she said.
Past discipline
Other protesters who have refused to leave buildings have been disciplined under threat of expulsion. Last week, the Alameda County district attorney prosecuted 21 students who took over Wheeler Hall in March.
Three charged with resisting arrest are scheduled to stand trial on Oct. 11. A dozen got community service for trespassing, and six were found not guilty of disturbing the peace.

September 22nd Day of Action + Crazy Police Brutality @ UC Berkeley (HD)