NYU Admin offers shitty deal; denies food to guards
Feb 20th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!
Caitlin Boehne, a student representative from Take Back NYU!, was offered the following:
Linda Mills (Senior Vice Provost), and Lynn Brown (Senior Vice President) will negotiate with a group of 5 students at 5pm today, IF the rest of us vacate the space by 4pm today.
She said: “No thank you.” She then told them that will absolutely NOT leave before they negotiate with us, and that negotiation does NOT necessarily mean we are leaving - we’re not moving until we get our first two demands of amnesty and worker’s compensation. So the NYU Admin is still refusing to speak to us.
We have also heard that the guards stationed outside the space have not been given lunch breaks (this has been neither confirmed nor denied by the NYU Admin). We’re DEFINITELY not leaving until they get their food (we’ve offered them some of ours, but they’ve politely declined).
It is obvious that NYU cares neither about its students, nor about its employees.
NEITHER DO YOU. The same guards you bumrushed and whined about using physical force? Ugh! You sicken me!
I’m curious about why one of the demands so focused on has to do with amnesty for those involved in the protests.
In my opinion, what makes protests of the past so powerful is the participants’ willingness to take whatever consequences resulted from their actions. Many many people during the Civil Rights Movement were arrested and put in jail, many were beaten, arrested and put in jail, many died. (Not that I wish any of that on anyone).
Great protests in universities often included students being arrested, having disciplinary action taken against them, having teargas thrown at them, (once again nothing I want to have happen, though it did happen).
If the demands being made are demands that all of the protesters feel so passionate about, shouldn’t you be willing to put your all out there, whatever the risk may be? In my mind, that shows true commitment to a cause…the not wanting to have repercussions feels like saying, we want to do things that are possibly considered wrong (because many of the things happening during the protest are not legal or “okay” by societal standards), and do have consequences.
I’m not necessarily saying I agree or disagree with what’s happening, though I don’t understand the unwillingness to devote 100% to the cause. I feel like that weakens what all of you are fighting for.
Why are these first two concerns the lynchpin of your occupation ending?
Employees are going to receive their wages regardless of the occupation. If you mean paradoxically they deserve additional compensation because the occupation has injured them in some way, certainly you should be responsible for your actions and provide that. Or don’t injure them in the first place.
You might also consider that security guards are often not 9-5 employees, so being “denied” food breaks may just be the result that they aren’t eating between 12-2 as they are a different time schedule. Certainly NYU has enough security personnel to rotate staff for meals.
Given that you’ve rescinded your statement on property destruction, why should amnesty be on the table? Money that was now going to be allocated to student services and programming may have to be used to repair balcony damage or whatever other facility damage that may be caused. If any lesson was learned from the New School occupation, it is that the occupation resulted in concessions that were marginal at best, and could have been gained through sustained protest and pressure that did not damage the university or put students and staff in harms way.
It also just seems a strange twist to insist on amnesty for action, when many SDS action in the city over the last couple years advanced respective advocacy and causes while putting concerns about theirselves last. Issues like tuition, responsible investing and increased student governance should be primary, before concern of a small academic punishment that would be meted out.
don’t yall know what their demands are? it’s amazing - the same shit we did in the 60s to take back control of universities for the students and the workers, at least a little bit, and that we obviously must do again since our school are getting out of control - our control, that is - on how they steal our money, take our rights and freedoms, and make poor social and environmental choices on our behalves. of course they dont wanna be arrested - who does???
GO TAKE BACK NYU!
so i’m here wondering who we should call to get yall amnesty and meet with you on ur terms. WHO SHUD WE CALL? update plz:-)
stay strong my brothers and sisters. u have supporters worldwide, and im sure the guards support u too.
yall want us to call the executive VPs office or someone else? ill give out that number till u tell me different;-)
I am trying to reach someone from NYU’s SDS chapter. Please email me at chris@themercyhouse.com