Milwaukee students protest Gov. Walker’s budget cuts, take over student union

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Milwaukee students protest Gov. Walker’s budget cuts, take over student union

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By Andrew Urban

Milwaukee, WI - Over 200 students, faculty, teaching assistants and workers rallied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Feb. 4, in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's proposed $300 million budget cut. Governor Walker's cuts to the statewide system will force layoffs, fewer courses, the closure of departments and possibly some campuses. The proposed budget will place the UW system under the control of the governor-appointed Board of Regents instead of the elected state legislature.

"No ifs, no buts, no education cuts!" and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Scott Walker has got to go!" rang out as the crowd in Spaights Plaza on the Milwaukee campus grew larger and larger.

Protesters marched into the student union after listening to students and professors speak about the harm the proposed cuts would cause, particularly to working class and low-income students. Students formed a large picket line taking over the concourse, while a group dropped a banner from the third floor stairway reading "They say cut back. We say fight back! No cuts to UW."

"The rally for me was a small but incredibly important starting point for what I hope is a long and successful struggle against those who support these cuts," said student protester Will Guenthner.

He continued, “Education is something I find essential to our society and its prosperity. Also, solidarity is something that honestly gives me the chills. There's nothing more powerful than unifying with your peers, especially when the consequences are as drastic as the ones we face."

Organized by Progressive Students of Milwaukee, an affiliate of Students for a Democratic Society, there are more plans are in the works to oppose Governor Walker's austerity plans. Student leaders say they do not want to sacrifice the quality, accessibility and affordability of higher education in Wisconsin just to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

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13 arrested in sit-in at University of MN presidents office

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By Matt Boynton

Minneapolis, MN - On Feb. 9, two simultaneous actions occurred on the University of Minnesota campus to demand racial justice and substantive diversity. The protesters’ eight demands can be found here: http://www.fightbacknews.org/2015/2/9/university-mn-students-start-sit-demands-targeting-institutionalized-oppression.

While scores of students rallied outside Morrill Hall, the University of Minnesota’s (UMN) administration building, and listened to speakers from the Department of African and African American Studies, the Social Justice minor, Black Lives Matter, Whose Diversity? and AFSCME 3800, 16 activists affiliated with Whose Diversity? slipped into the president’s office and began an occupation in Morrill Hall. After meeting with UMN President Eric Kaler and other top administrators and being given formal written responses to their eight demands, 13 of the 16 activists were arrested around 7:00 p.m. by the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD) on trespassing charges.

According to one of the activists, there were police present in Morrill Hall before the action even began. Both uniformed and plainclothes police appeared prepared for the occupation in advance, indicating a high level of surveillance of campus activists by both UMN administration and the UMPD. When Morrill Hall closed at 6:00 p.m., police gave students the option of leaving the building with citations or facing arrest.

The 13 activists arrested on trespassing charges were told by the UMPD that they are banned from entering Morrill Hall for one year, unless given explicit written permission in advance. While Whose Diversity? was able to bail the 13 out immediately, the activists were still held overnight in jail and weren’t released until 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 10. The court date for the activists is set at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 24.

Beyond legal action, the 13 activists could face further political repression by the university administration. Last spring semester, 8 Whose Diversity? and Students for a Democratic Society members were given disciplinary letters by the Office of Student Conduct threatening them with punishment, including the threat of expulsion, for their actions in leading protests on campus.

Jesus Estrada-Perez, one of the 13 activists who occupied Morrill Hall, indicated that the next steps in the struggle for racial justice at UMN are to counter any attempts by the administration to spin portrayals of its actions and those of the protesters, and to hold the administration accountable to its promises. On this, Estrada-Perez stated, “The U is spreading tons of misinformation, but remember, as Assata Shakur said: ‘We have nothing to lose but our chains!’”

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]