UC, CSU systems release new protest parameters as new school year begins
With campus clashes top of mind, new protest parameters are now in place on campuses within the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems as the new school year starts.
UC and CSU systems released new protest rules statewide that will allow no encampments of any kind, no temporary or permanent structures, and no wearing masks to conceal identities with the intent of intimidating.
The plans are in direct response to attempts to pre-empt renewed protests over the war in the Middle East.
Jonathan Groveman, with the Davis October 7th coalition, sued UC Davis in May after he recorded a video that he said shows pro-Palestinian protesters blocking his access on campus and hitting him with umbrellas.
"I think we're all going to hold our breath to see if regents actually do something, and specifically Davis," Groveman said.
State Senator Scott Wiener is co-chair of the legislative Jewish caucus and chair of the senate budget committee, requiring both UC and CSU campuses to submit a report they are keeping campuses safe.
The state is withholding $25 million from the UC system.
"And then once they produce those reports, then they'll receive the $25 million," Weiner said. "That's an accountability measure."
Omar Altamimi is with the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and helped student protesters at UC Davis and Sacramento State understand their rights last year.
"I actually think it will rile students up more," Altamimi said. "These new policies are retaliatory."
UC Davis Civil Rights Professor Vik Amar said that the government can regulate protests, without restricting freedom of speech.
"Regulations that say no overnight camping, they don't focus on the content or message of the speech that prohibits a particular manner of speaking," Amar said.
The new policies are in place- the question will be how will campus police enforce the policies. Neither Sac State nor UC Davis would comment on Tuesday.