{"id":34090,"date":"2024-05-31T13:29:07","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T20:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=34090"},"modified":"2024-05-31T13:29:08","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T20:29:08","slug":"uc-santa-cruz-classes-switch-to-online-only-after-demonstrators-block-two-main-entrances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/05\/31\/uc-santa-cruz-classes-switch-to-online-only-after-demonstrators-block-two-main-entrances\/","title":{"rendered":"UC Santa Cruz classes switch to online-only after demonstrators block two main entrances"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0Eli Rosenberg<\/a>,\u00a0Dominic Fracassa<\/a> Updated\u00a0May 29, 2024 6:53 p.m. (SFChronicle.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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UC Santa Cruz switched to remote learning for two days after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut the university\u2019s two main entrances late Tuesday. One had reopened by midday Wednesday.Andrea Tamayo<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UC Santa Cruz officials said classes on Wednesday and Thursday would be online only after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza and University of California\u2019s handling of Gaza protests<\/a> blocked the only two routes to and from the university\u2019s campus late Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University Chancellor Cynthia Larive called the demonstrations \u201can extremely dangerous effort to cause intentional harm to our campus community unprompted by any action on the part of UC Santa Cruz\u201d in a scathing public letter addressed to the \u201ccampus community\u201d on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By midday Wednesday, the campus\u2019 west entrance had been reopened to traffic after protesters voluntarily removed their blockade. The main entrance, on the south side of the campus, remained closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As upbeat music played from portable speakers, people affiliated with the United Auto Workers continued to stage a \u201csoft picket\u201d at the west entrance into the afternoon. A handful of counterprotesters showed up Wednesday morning but left by noon. A few cars driving by honked their horns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larive said the roads were blocked starting between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, preventing faculty, students and other campus workers from leaving or coming to campus in cars. She said the demonstrations were not free speech, but instead violations of the law and university policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The demonstrations were the latest episode of activism related to the Gaza war to shake the University of California. The school system, like many around the country, has seen a robust pro-Palestinian protest movement take root since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel and Israel\u2019s retaliatory bombardment and invasion of Gaza. In recent weeks, the escalation of protesting tactics \u2014 including on-campus tent villages<\/a> at many schools, building occupations and blockades \u2014 have drawn headlines and arrests<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since May 20, the University of California has\u00a0faced a strike<\/a>\u00a0among its graduate student instructors, who initially walked off their posts at Santa Cruz and then\u00a0expanded their protests<\/a>\u00a0on Monday to UCLA and\u00a0UC Davis in protest of the university\u2019s handling of the Gaza protests, including discipline meted out to some instructors for participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UAW Local 4811, which represents some 48,000 student workers across the system, said the statewide strike could grow this week if progress is not made in negotiations with the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for the university could not be reached for comment on the status of talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Reporters at TV station KSBW<\/a> in Salinas reported Tuesday afternoon that perhaps 200 demonstrators chanting and waving signs that read \u201cfree Palestine\u201d had formed a blockade at UC Santa Cruz\u2019s entrances. News reports at the scene showed what appeared to be red paint in the streets. Images shared on social media showed hundreds of protesters blocking one of the roads into campus, as a line of cars stretched behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While nodding to the importance of free speech, Larive said in her letter that the right to unfettered expression \u201cdoes not include the ability to block access to our campus or roads.\u201d People who took part in the demonstrations \u201cshould be aware that their actions carry with them severe penalties \u2014 penalties that they should be prepared to receive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for the University of California said the school system had filed a motion with the state\u2019s Public Employment Relations Board asking them to ask a court to immediately end the strike, citing evidence of irreparable harm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the union announced its unlawful strike vote, its members have forcibly occupied an academic building at UCLA and damaged it with graffiti, invaded classrooms where faculty and students were trying to learn, blocked roadways, and have refused to teach, conduct seminars, administer exams, among other duties that students rely on to complete their course work,\u201d the filing said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The filing also made note of the protesters blocking entrances at UC Santa Cruz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe impact of this unlawful behavior on our students is substantial,\u201d said a statement from Melissa Matella, Associate Vice President for Systemwide Labor Relations. \u201cAllowing the strike to continue deprives students of access to crucial instructors as they prepare for finals and work to complete final projects. This instructional time can never be made up, nor can the impact of lost projects and exams.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporters Andrea Tamayo and Jordan Parker contributed to this story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach Reach Eli Rosenberg: eli.rosenberg@sfchronicle.com. Reach Dominic Fracassa: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 29, 2024|Updated May 29, 2024 6:53 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli Rosenberg<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

REPORTER<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli Rosenberg comes to the San Francisco Chronicle most recently from NBC News, where he covered tech and economic issues. Before that, he was a reporter at the Washington Post for four and a half years, covering labor on the business desk. He has written about misinformation campaigns, politics, immigration issues, and fires and other disasters across the country. He spent years in New York as a metro reporter, at the Brooklyn Paper, Daily News, and the New York Times, and is looking forward to getting back to his roots as a local reporter. He lives in the East Bay with his family, and enjoys cold plunges, beach camping and exploring the Bay Area food scene when he’s not on deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic Fracassa<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

ASSISTANT METRO EDITOR<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic Fracassa is an assistant metro editor overseeing breaking news and criminal justice in San Francisco. He previously covered San Francisco City Hall as a staff writer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Eli Rosenberg,\u00a0Dominic Fracassa Updated\u00a0May 29, 2024 6:53 p.m. (SFChronicle.com) UC Santa Cruz switched to remote learning for two days after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut the university\u2019s two main entrances late Tuesday. One had reopened by midday Wednesday.Andrea Tamayo UC Santa Cruz officials said classes on Wednesday and… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34090"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34092,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34090\/revisions\/34092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}