Hand Delivered to UC Office of the President on February 15, 2018
Dear President Napolitano and Chancellor Christ:
WE DEMAND JUSTICE FOR DAVID COLE, REAL SANCTUARY, AND THE END OF ANTI-BLACK POLICIES AT UC
On January 18th, 2017, UC workers and students delivered our demand that all UC campuses, medical centers and the Lab be declared formal sanctuaries. Establishing sanctuaries as detailed in our communication to President Napolitano, Chancellors, CEOs, and UCPD required, among other commitments:
NO EXCESSIVE FORCE: Prohibit use of riot police, SWAT teams or other militarized forces against student and/or worker protests, rallies, sit-ins, walkouts, strikes or civil disobedience; aggressively pursue justice and accountability in cases of excessive use of force against Black people and other people of color;
NO CRIMINALIZATION: Limit the offenses that are subject to arrest by UCPD, limit the circumstances in which students, staff, and others are turned over to outside law enforcement; Ban the Box and adopt more inclusive hiring practices;
AGGRESSIVE ENFORCEMENT: Aggressively enforce policies prohibiting hate and discrimination based on race, color, national origin, faith, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any intersection of these factors;
EXTENSIVE TRAINING: Implement training programs that include but are not limited to: UC’s sanctuary status and provisions, the reporting and investigation of incidents, UndocuAlly, deescalation intervention techniques, and restorative justice.
Janet Napolitano didn't so much as respond to UC workers and students. The UCPD also failed to respond after having received the demands from UC Berkeley workers and students.
Over a year later, at a peaceful protest honoring the 50th Anniversary of low-wage African-American workers and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marching together to fight racial injustice and affirm the dignity of all labor, the University of California deployed police tactics more befitting of the Jim Crow South--unjustly assaulting a 51 year-old African-American UC Berkeley employee named David Cole. In addition to the assault, UC Berkeley made an immediate effort to publicly criminalize David Cole.
In addition to continuing to demand all of the above sanctuary provisions, we hereby demand that UC Berkeley:
DROP THE CHARGES: Drop all charges against David Cole immediately;GRANT A FULL AND FAIR REMEDY: David Cole must receive a full and fair remedy for unjust actions taken
by, and injuries sustained at the hands of, UCPD;
SUSPEND ALL UCPD OFFICERS INVOLVED: Suspend officers pending an independent investigation of the incident, which must include but not be limited to investigation of the excessive use of force and violation of UC Police Policies paragraph 902.3 - Treatment of Arrestees and Suspects;
REFORM THE UC BERKELEY POLICE DEPARTMENT REVIEW BOARD: Reform the UCPD Review Board consistent with ASUC Senate Resolution No. 2017/2018-40, as well as by creating seats for Union Coalition- appointed representatives; and
COMPLY WITH ALL REYNOSO TASK FORCE REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS: UCOP has failed to ask the Legislature to address provisions of the Police Officer Bill of Rights that limit independent public review of police conduct (Reynoso Recommendation C-3).
UC's violence against Black workers is not limited to police violence. UCPD's assault is but the latest manifestation of the UC system's anti-Black racism responsible for the decline in the percentage of Black workers at UC, the daily disparate treatment of Black workers still employed, UC's failure to support the development and promotion of Black workers, and more. In addition, Black students throughout the UC system have made repeated demands for greater resources and retention. Establishing real sanctuaries and ending anti-Black policies also requires that UC:
INVEST IN BLACK RECRUITMENT, EDUCATION & TRAINING, AND RETENTION: Make major, meaningful investments in the recruitment, education and training, and retention of Black workers and Black students across the UC system.
Sincerely,
AFSCME 3299
Afrikan Black Coalition (ABC)
California Nurses Association
Council of UC Faculty Associations
Teamsters 2010
United Auto Workers 5810
UC-American Federation of Teachers
University of California Student Association
UPTE-CWA 9119
cc: University of California Board of Regents
