BANNER DROP ON THE BALCONY!!!
Feb 20th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!
We busted their fuckin’ doors and we’re out there! We’ve got a banner we want you to see. Come visit, come talk to us, come shout and scream and smile at us! Thank you so much for your support outside.
Here’s what you can do to help:
- send emails over listserves & to everyone you know
- send messages over blackboard - tell your classes & your professors
- call members of the administration & tell them you support this occupation
- then GET OUT HERE so you can GET IN HERE with us!
I apologize: I’m somewhat new to this; I hope you don’t find my sudden flurry of comments annoying! But: how does the university’s involvement in Israel relate to the other demands? If this one is not met but the others are, will you consider this a success? You seem at risk of alienating people who are supportive of your educational and social positions as it relates to the university – and education in general – but see more nuance in the situation in Gaza. How do you respond to these people? Would you rather that those who do not fully agree with your stance on Gaza not join your cause, even if they may be fully supportive of your university-related positions? I fully support your institutional positions and demands but am a bit uncomfortable with your relation to the events in Gaza; this is not to say that I don’t find the violent actions of the Israeli government in Gaza abhorrent – I certainly do –, I just think that the situation is considerably more complicated and serious than the banners I have thus far seen can communicate, particularly when collided with these other demands. How should I align myself with your group’s demands? I don’t want to sacrifice my allegiance to your demands for institutional change in NYU because I don’t fully agree with your stance on Gaza, but neither do I want to feel that I’m demeaning my understanding of the situation in Gaza by joining your group and thereby implicitly supporting all of its postulations. What do you suggest I do? And could you explain the full relationship between your demands for internal change within the structure of the university and its relationship to the students and the university’s “external” relationship to Israel? Why can’t you argue for these as two separate issues? Do you find them inter-related? And if so, how? Thanks!
That said, I do agree with your policy demands. I just don’t see why making public its contributions to Israel also entails that the university need withdraw them. Sorry; and thanks again!
Sorry again: and why are you saying that you’ve “occupied” NYU? Isn’t it yours already? And isn’t that a word to be avoided, or at least not associated with your objectives, considering your stance on Gaza? Thanks; I sincerely hope to hear a response and apologize if these posts are annoying you: I’m not trying to challenge you, just to better understand the full breadth of your mission.
[...] activists. However they have seen quite a Renaissance recently. Recent examples include the Take Back NYU! occupaiton, Greek solidarity actions across the nation, and many more instances than could be listed [...]