I am told that the Ashe Building, the administrative center of the University, and also the home to many faculty offices in the Arts and Sciences, is currently being occupied by a student group. Here’s the text of an email from an Anthropology professor that is making the rounds,
As of 12:30pm today, a group of approx 20 UM students occupied the downstairs lobby of the Ashe building, and plan to stay there until they can meet with Pres.Shalala regarding workplace justice at UM. They are being supported by about 40 or so faculty, staff, clergy, and union organizers who made it into the building before the Coral Gables and University police arrived and the building was shut down. Currently faculty who have offices and classes in Ashe are being turned away at the door, others are being allowed to enter if they show a University ID. Some members of the UM community are staying inside until 5pm, when a vigil begins outside the building to protect the students in this action. Please consider joining the group of clergy, students, faculty etc outside the building, or entering the building yourself, if possible. Please consider bringing water or food to those inside-when I left a few minutes ago, no one was being allowed to use the water fountains (!) or restrooms (!!). Even faculty who have offices upstairs, and are currently on the ground floor, are not being allowed to leave the ground floor. The Coral Gables police I spoke with inside say their orders come from the University.
The more of us who witness these decisions by the University leadership, the better.
Rumor has it that there were also arrests on US 1 during the demonstration at lunch time.
I am not on campus at present, but will post more when I learn more.
We are advised the arrests will begin at 5.
fr Frank’s wife (Debbie)
There were arrests made during the protest on US 1. CBS4.com has video showing the protest and (at least some of) the arrests. I’ve heard from a faculty member who was at the protest that one woman (shown in the CBS4 video) was not placed in the paddywagon like other protestors but was instead lead to a police car parked somewhere else. I don’t know what to make of it but found it interesting. Also, a student who was inside the Ashe building provided a video of the sit-in to Telemundo, as media were not allowed inside the building, so look for that online/on TV as well.