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News :: Civil & Human Rights : Protest Activity |
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Anti-Chief Sit-in still going after 18 Hours |
Current rating: 0 |
by Zach Miller
Email: zach (nospam) chambana.net (unverified!) |
16 Apr 2004
Modified: 01:09:57 AM |
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Anti-chief protestors log 18th hour amidst rowdy oblivious bar crowds. |
A group of IMC reporters checked in at the Anti-Chief sit in this evening. We interviewed activists inside and outside the building and cheered as the 17th and 18th hour marks were posted.
About 40 protesters have locked themselves in the Swanlund Administration building and are determined to stay, disrupting the work of campus administration, until their demands are met. They expect to be there at least throughout the weekend. Their demands include a dialog with the chair of the UIUC Board of Trustees, a vote on retiring the racist Chief Mascot, and increased funding for minority student programs.
One police officer is also in the building with them. One source from inside the building said that the decision to allow the officer inside was based on debate and a vote among the protestors. Outside the building several supporters sit on the steps of Swanlund and several police offers across the street observe. Everyone we talked to agreed that the police were not a threat to the protesters but are there to keep the peace.
One source from outside the building said that Chancellor Nancy Cantor herself requested that the campus police not arrest the protestors or clear the building. The Chancellor will be meeting with the protestors at 8am Friday morning and they ask that their supporters arrive at 7am for a rally.
Hundreds of drunk university students walking past the building were oblivious to the sit in. A few yelled hostile comments. A few more yelled their support. Some came demanding free sandwiches, while others attempted to engage the supporters in some debate. At a point when the tension among the crowd seemed high, supporters chose to simply sit down and talk amongst themselves to defuse the situation.
One young white male suggested that Native Americans should just suck it up and take the mockery of UIUC's racist mascot. He said that he felt sympathy for oppressed minorities because "right now America is very anti-Christian" but he said he wouldn't complain if a school chose the "fighting jesuses" as their mascot.
Eventually falling temperatures led the reporters to go home, vowing to return at 7am on Friday. We hope to see you there too.
Look forward to ongoing coverage of the events at Swanlund here at the UCIMC website and on IMC Radio News on WEFT 90.1 FM on Monday. |
This work is in the public domain |
