BREAKING: Everything going down at the Student Store protest

OQARC and bridges Multicultural Resource Center are currently holding a protest at the Cal Student Store.

The study-in was planned in advance and blasted across social media over the course of the last few days. The protest began at noon, and is slated to continue until 6pm.

This protest is being held jointly by bridges Multicultural Center, and the Queer Alliance Resource Center. Both groups are overarching organizations that represent and link together a number of more specific student organizations, with bridges representing students’ of color organizations on campus and QARC representing Berkeley’s queer student organizations.

The two groups have banded together to protest the spaces they were allocated when Eshleman reopened: both groups had their spaces significantly downsized, and put in the Eshleman basement.

Shortly after the protest began, however, UCPD showed up t0 shut down the Cal Student Store. This occurred despite the completely peaceful nature of the protest, which simply featured students sitting on the stairs and occupying the space.

The Student Store then refused to let anyone else in, according to QARC and bridges facebook page for the protest. The students already inside refused to leave, and were allowed to stay for the course of the protest. Meanwhile, newcomers gathered outside the Student Store with protest banners.

In order to compensate for being barred from the Student Store, which shut down business shortly after noon, the protesters spread out across the beginning of Sproul Plaza for an outdoor rally. What students had arrived earlier were already occupying the store itself.

Not too long after, however, the Student Store reopened their doors at approximately 2:30pm, leaving protesters to move back into the store.

21-year-old Kristy Drutman, who’s participating in the sit-in, said: “The protest is currently occupying both floors of the Student Store, with over 100 students participating in the protest”.

    

Kristy spoke to a number of participants.

According to Celine Chen, the Political Advocacy Coordinator for bridges, a 3rd Year, Conservation and Resource Studies, Environmental Economics and Policy Major:

“bridges and QARC are asking for a space that is representative of the work that we do. Right now we are both located in a small part of the basement of Eshelman – where there is no accessibility, visibility, nor ventilation.”

Jerry Javier, a 3rd year, Ethnic Studies Major with a Minor in LGBT studies, is also one of the officers on the QARC Board:

“Historically we have held space on the third floor of Eshelman. We are the umbrella organization for all LGBTQIIA+ organizations on campus, we serve 30 organizations as well as the greater community. We were displaced for a few years once Eshelman was under construction until Spring 2016. When the new student building was erected we were in shock to discover that the new space for QARC was the size of a dorm room! We discovered that Bridges and the RRC’s had also been reduced from having space on an entire floor in the old student union to now being in cubicles.” [ . . . ]

“So now QARC is demanding the entirety of the 5th floor of Eshelman and BRIDGES and the Retention and Recruitment Centers are demanding the ASUC student store space. So as of now the ASUC and the administration have told both QARC and Bridges/ RRC’s ‘NO’ to getting these spaces.”

Student complaints about the QARC and bridges spaces also involve safety concerns after a whiteboard in bridges fell and cracked on a student’s head. In addition, mice have been spotted in the rooms currently occupied by the two students organizations. Members of the various organizations QARC represents have been heard humorously referring to their current space as “the closet in the basement.”

About the protest itself, Jerry Javier said, “We are here today protesting [the administration’s] complete lack of support for students of color and LGBTQIIA+ students. By occupying the student store we are showing the power we have as a community and as an intersectional coalition. By stopping the operations of the student store, we are prioritizing students over profit. Unlike the administration and the student government who are not seeking out our best interest. Though both communities are not fighting for the same space, our struggles are inherently intertwined and we are showing a clear message of unity.”

The Student Store is the space demanded by Bridges. The organization has noted in their demands that the Student Store is not making a profit for the university.

Bridges’ demand, and QARC’s demand for the entire 5th floor of Eshleman, were refused by the administration in a meeting Sunday night. The protest is a response to the administrations denial of increased space and visibility for QARC as well as Bridges.

David Lemus, a representative for the activists was overheard saying to a staff member: “If you don’t want this to happen every day, then you need to find a solution.

“We met multiple times with multiple people, and we can’t deescalate. We have no option but to keep escalating.”

Members of the administration were heard saying that the space is owned by a private company.

Protesters have said they’ll only leave if the administration begins the process of negotiating demands, preferably in the form of an email sent to the bridges and QARC tonight listing space options.

An emergency meeting will be held tomorrow at 10am at the Multicultural Community Center. If there’s no actual process discussed at the meeting, QARC and bridges will march over to the Student Store and occupy it again.

Reps from each recruitment and retention center and QARC will go up to the front to speak.

The discussion with administrators ended at 4:50pm but occupation is continuing.

The protest is going strong three hours in with at least 100 people still there, and is scheduled to continue until 6pm, with more students planning to show up later in the evening.