The newly founded We Are CSULB coalition confronted President Jane Close Conoley outside her office early Tuesday afternoon.
The protest began outside of the Nugget on upper campus and with a loud flurry of chants through megaphones, proceeded down to Brotman Hall and stopped right outside of Conoley’s office.
Conoley stood waiting on at the top of the staircase as the procession flooded the third floor.
“Ain’t no power like the power of the people ’cause the power of the people don’t stop / Say what?” the crowd sang out as they reached their destination.
The unofficial We Are CSULB coalition is comprised of several on–campus organizations. Members of the coalition include Students for Justice in Palestine, Black Student Union, La Raza and the Chicano/a–Latino/a Studies Student Association.
Members and organizers from We are CSULB listed off their demands to President Conoley as she listened quietly, surrounded by student and non-student protesters.
Some protesters talked to President Conoley through a megaphone and chanted loudly over her as she prepared to answer questions and provide statistics.
“We are protesting the administration’s lack of action regarding the student who displayed a knife,” spokesperson Alberto Diaz said. “He is still walking around on campus and has not been kicked out.”
The male student who displayed a knife in a sociology class in February, though under investigation, is still an enrolled student at CSULB. Diaz and other members of We Are CSULB agree that it is unacceptable for the male student to be allowed to continue his education at CSULB.
He said that he and the other members of the coalition have a list of demands which have not been met.
Diaz, a senior and linguistics studies major, is the media contact for the Muslim Student Association and acted in a similar capacity for the Tuesday afternoon protest. The Muslim Student Association is another one of the groups comprising We Are CSULB.
“First, we [the Muslim Student Association] are in solidarity with the other organizations and we want the student expelled from campus,” says Diaz. “Second, there has been no action regarding Jeff Klaus; he has not resigned and has not been removed from the campus. And third, we are in solidarity with our Latino and Latina sisters. We want to ensure their safety and for campus police to discontinue working with ICE in deporting undocumented [people] from the community.”
Diaz pointed out that the Cal State Long Beach police has worked with ICE to deport the undocumented Long Beach community member.
We Are CSULB members demanded immediate action from Conoley and asked her for a brief meeting in her office to discuss their demands. Conoley agreed and she and We Are CSULB members entered her office.
The coalition passed out fliers, took to Facebook and Instagram to garner support from students as well as outside members of the Long Beach community.
“I follow the [Africana Studies Student Association] on Instagram and saw that they posted it,” said Nathanael Joseph, a junior sociology major. “I also have a friend, he’s the president of the ASSA [Xavier Giles-Rogers] who told me he was going to be here, so I came out.
“I feel the protest is pretty good. I don’t like [the] president’s response but people are making their voices heard, and I think that’s what counts more than anything else.”
We Are CSULB has vowed to continue to protest until their demands are met.
Please describe in detail what made it a “violent incident”.
Demanding answers from an administrator a month and a half after a violent incident occurred and they did nothing to protect the student body from it happening again, is not bullying. We can’t continue to politely ask and get the same bs. We aren’t gonna sit around and wait until this unnamed guy decides to bring a gun on campus. We demanded answers, angrily and passionately because our safety is being ignored. As for the whole DA thing, you are completely wrong, (partly because the administration changes their story every other day) but after We Are CSULB leaders met with her she told them that he is still being investigated by the school. I know these things because I was there, actively finding out what was happening with my safety on my campus instead of hiding behind a computer screen criticizing those who did.
What is this “violent” incident that occurred that happened again? Do you mean “alleged”? You stated yourself it’s still under school investigation. Also, I didn’t hear about a second incident that occurred again that they did nothing to protect us from. I heard about an incident where another student brought out knives and was arrested. What’s this other knife incident you’re referring to that they didn’t protect us from?
You mentioned that I was wrong about the LBPD finishing their investigation, and I admit I could be wrong (it’s what I read on the Daily 49er), but the school investigation is completely separate from the LBPD investigation. Also, why do you jump to the conclusion that this unnamed guy is going to bring a gun to campus? Going with that assumption, why would getting expelled prevent him from bringing a gun to campus? It wouldn’t, which is why I was suggesting for your group to talk to the LBPD / DA’s office instead.
Here I am saying the way you handled yourselves was very aggressive and threatening, and here you go “minimizing it”. The videos clearly show bullying. As an LGBTQ individual, I got flashbacks of bullying incidents. Yes, I’m hiding behind a computer screen because I fear for my safety against your We Are CSULB group, the very thing you guys say you are protesting for. Ironic isn’t it? I can be angry, passionate, and demand answers about my own cause without having to yell and verbally attack the president.
This article is way too nice. What this article failed to mention is the hypocrisy of how the members of WeAreCSULB acted.
If you watch the videos they posted, the hypocrisy part I’m talking about is how they were saying they felt unsafe with the student not being expelled, yet the way the practically bullied, yelled, and verbally attacked President Conoley was so unjust. I was afraid for President Conoley’s safety. Then, while the woman was making claims and asking questions towards President Conoley, and the President was trying to answer her, they kept yelling at Conoley and cutting her off yelling “why are you cutting her off?” Umm, Conoley was trying to answer the questions and claims the woman had, you guys were the ones cutting her off. And let’s not forget about the guy with the megaphone.
If you’re going to protest safety, make sure you do it in a peaceful way and don’t look like a jerk. It looks pretty hypocritical when you’re saying you don’t feel safe, yet the way your members act makes people feel unsafe. Also, you need to protest to the correct people. The school is following the justice system. If you’re going to protest safety, protest to the DA’s office. The LBPD finished their investigation and has handed everything to the DA’s office. It hasn’t been said whether they’re bringing charges or not. The school can’t/won’t expel the student unless the justice system finds him a threat. Go talk to the DA’s office because expelling a student isn’t going bring safety, putting him behind bars is (if found guilty).
Beware of the <.1% of student population crybully mob comprised partly of the majority Latinx demographic (38% @ csulb) student group(s) that wants to impose their will on 34k students and unreasonably, without substantiation, call for the dismissal of a competent, caring Dean of Students. Other student journalists in So Cal have become wise to the mob intimidation tactics, why not LB?
http://claremontindependent.com/we-dissent/
Ariana,
I wish you knew about the state of Dr. Klaus. I think if you did, you would have written a more sensitive article despite the situation that occurred on campus.
Sean
Sean,
Ariana is the photographer. Amanda Mayberry wrote the article (stated at top). I think she did a good job. No matter what Dr. Klaus is feeling, it is the responsibility of the journalist to accurately report the sentiments of the people being reported on. This is an article about the protesters. She’s going to say how they feel. She never said herself that Dr. Klaus was or is in the wrong. I think she was as sensitive as she possibly could have been.
Sean,
It’s true I didn’t write the article, but I am the news editor, and so I did assign it. The assignment was to cover the We Are CSULB protest that day.
If you have information you’d like to share, please email me or call my cell at 415.235.1686.
Thank you,
Ariana