Protesters debate role for campus police
Inside a dome made of metal poles and tarps, a group of students and outsiders discuss the future they want for police on the UC Davis campus.
The general strike has not pulled in the whole campus, with many teachers still having classes to prepare for ever-nearing midterms. But, in the Quad encampment, spotted with multi-colored tents and tables topped with food and utensils, people sit in small and large groups, talking and transgressing, keeping ‘the movement’ alive.
Off to one side, a man teaches a group of students Latin. Their back-and-forth in the dead language adds a mystical tinge to the encampment.
The main discussion centers under the large dome. Today, the topic of discussion is the role of police.
“Police say they are here to protect us,” one speaker said. “But in history and right now were seeing that, particularly for black or gay students, who have already had police brutality, the police are hurting us and not helping.”
“Students who are coming to colleges, and their parents, want a safe environment,” one man responds. “We can’t just decide we want cops off campus without thinking about what that might do to the university and enrollment.”
The conversation has moderate and radical fringes. Some say the police are promoting safety while others say that police generally repress the poor and protect the rich.
People leave and join the discussion silently. A communal pile of shoes lies at the entryway to the tent. Before anyone enters, they remove their shoes and set them in the pile. Then they step in, find a clear spot, sit down, and listen.
