Circulating word is that #LAPD plans to disperse #UCLA Palestinian solidarity encampment at 6. A number of groups including faculty and campus unions are planning on rallying in defense. Meanwhile an administrator has entered the camp to negotiate
Huge crowds on both sides of the camp defending it from a sweep. Im bad at estimating crowd sizes and not posting pics bc I cant blur but id say about a thousand on one side
It goes like stairs, encampment, cops, crowd, counterprotesters from west to east. So the cops have basically uncontested access to the camp... not really sure what the plan is
It is worth repeating the absolute fuckload of cops that are here. They keep taking shifts rotating in and out of the buildings, so there are like at least 2-3x the fuckload of cops we can see
@jonny
If the experience of the pro-Covid loonies at our Parliament is anything to go by, the next thing you came expect is the Macarena blaring on repeat.
I still am pretty unsure what the plan is... i dont know what the camp can do except liquidate and reform since the cops have uncontested access on the east side. West side has like 3 perfunctory cops keeping watch but like a few hundred people making a secondary camp on the stairs. Cover in numbers. Im gonna take a snooze
To be clear there are still hundreds of people here, been pretty stable for hours. Organizers clarifying that the dispersal order only applies to the camp to keep ppl calm. So we're chilling rested and ready to roll. Sprinklers actually helpful keeping ppl on their toes and able to pick up quick
Taking a second to search X for any additional info ppl might have and good lord that site is a cesspool. Everyone thirsting for student blood. Meanwhile in reality shit is peaceful we just want the university to stop funding death, p simple
Camp is fucking TOUGH. they are still linked up and resisting with an entire army of cops bearing down on them. Some scattered arrests but like most of the camp is still chanting and fighting. Theres no way for anyone outside to get there or back them up since there are so many cops making multiple layers between us and them.
@jonny thank you for all that you are doing, both to actively engage in the protest, and documenting the experience here. I see it being talked about in the news, Democracy Now mostly, which is good, especially their interviews. But hearing about it from someone you trust, who is on the ground, as it is happening is very powerful. I know we are all saying it, and it's a balance, but please stay safe.
We do need to learn to be water a bit better. When we did it, it was fucking glorious, when we didnt, well... hundreds of arrests. Will find the bail fund link later bc theyre gonna need ir
@jonny my oldest has been a part of the protests in their campus. They feel so defeated right now and abandoned by political and higher ed leaders of all stripes. Their latest comment was about just accepting that we live in a police state and that’s ok with Republicans and Democrats alike (ergo we need deeper reform than just defeating Republicans in November). Lots of anger and disillusionment (not just them but a shared sentiment).
@StephanieMoore
They have reached the correct conclusion and i hope that leads them down the natural path of political organizing and agitation outside electoral politics ♥
@jonny non-USian here: what's a legal observer? is it like a congressmember or smth? In Germany we call it Parlamentarische Beobachter if a member of parliament observes a protest to ensure civil/human rights are upheld
@amberage they're usually people from the National Lawyer's Guild that observe any kind of action as neutral third parties to document usually police violence. they also record arrests so ppl can be connected with resources and etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_observer
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