Last Thursday a group of protesters rallied outside the Memorial Union (MU) building to show support for the “Davis Dozen” and to
celebrate the closure of U.S. Bank’s UC Davis branch.
The “Davis Dozen” are a group of student and faculty protesters that allegedly took turns protesting U.S. Bank by sitting for months outside its doors, eventually contributing to its closure and a cancellation of its contract with UC Davis. Recently the Yolo County District Attorney has cited members of the group with 20 accounts of misdemeanor charges.
“Education is not a private good,” said a student protester who asked to remain anonymous. “We need to remember that this is a public university.”
Members of the group ordered to appear in court blamed bank-subsidized student loans as a contributing factor to tuition hikes.
Speakers at the rally said that the UC Davis administration is using a new tactic of “retroactive repression” to suppress student
protests. They said the administration is sending a message by punishing demonstrators.
Some demonstrators said that they could face up to 11 years in prison for their charges.
“The administration is using tactics of fear to drown out our voice,” said junior transfer Roxanne Favre. “We need to show them that we’re not afraid.”
After all the speakers had gone, the group marched around campus to further voice their message.
Later in the afternoon, protesters marched to Mrak Hall and considered occupying the building. However, the students ultimately decided not to stay in the building overnight.
MAX GARRITY RUSSER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
