Student Unrest 54 Years Apart: Cal Poly Humboldt Protests Echo Historic Campus Activism

At Cal Poly Humboldt this last week, the students’ protest against the war in Gaza has grown. Students have been actively demonstrating since last Monday, occupying Siemens Hall in a stance against university policies and international issues, particularly around the Israel-Hamas war. The university has responded by closing the campus (though mostly people have been free to walk through and speak with the protesters and even law enforcement).

All classes were moved to online due to safety concerns​ expressed by the University and administration claims, “While it’s too early to assess the cost of illegal activities, we estimate it to be in the millions. That includes damage done by theft, vandalism and graffiti, and the supplies and personnel needed to repair that, in addition to the loss of revenue from disruption to University operations.”

The protest at Cal Poly led to confrontations with law enforcement who were called to manage the situation.

The police response has included the assembly of officers from multiple agencies including state police. One clash captured by our reporter Ryan Hutson has received national attention.

The protesters say they want transparency about how the university handles its financial ties and relationships with Israeli institutions, and they’re pushing for a divestment from Israel. But this isn’t just about those issues. This protest is part of a larger tradition of campus activism where students leverage their collective voice to instigate real change on global issues.

The ongoing protests at Cal Poly Humboldt, and similar movements elsewhere, are drawing comparisons to the iconic campus demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Although each movement is unique in its own right, they share a common thread: they highlight the powerful impact of student activism on shaping policy and sparking wider societal discussions.

The protesters locally have been voicing their concerns loudly for a week. They’ve been occupying as well as damaging campus property which echoes back to the tumultuous 1970 anti-war protests catalyzed by the tragic shootings at Kent State University which left four dead and more wounded.

The tragic events at Kent State in 1970 provides a somber reminder of the human costs of these protests. Alison Krause, one of the four students killed by the Ohio National Guard during the protests, became a symbol of the dangers inherent in militarized responses to campus demonstrations. Her sister, Laurel Krause, has since been an outspoken advocate against militarized policing on campuses. On April 24 she wrote a statement aimed at the response to the occupation of Columbia University. Late Saturday, she provided us with a statement about the Cal Poly Humboldt protests. In both statements, she vehemently criticizes the approach of bringing armed forces to manage student protests:

“On May 4, 1970, my sister Allison Krause was killed by the Ohio National Guard on the campus of Kent State University as she protested against the Vietnam war and Cambodian invasion. Three other students were shot dead that day by guardsmen and many other students were injured. As the family member of a peaceful student protester killed by the state, I am aghast at the way that Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, along with administrators at other U.S. institutions of higher education, have endangered the lives and well-being of student protesters by inviting militarized police onto campuses to disperse protesters.” – Laurel Krause

Krause’s statement addressed the Cal Poly Humboldt administration,

I urge President Jackson, along with administrators at other U.S. institutions of higher education, to protect the lives, human rights and well-being of student protesters, and for administrators to refrain from inviting militarized police onto campuses to disperse protesters and close the campus. (See below for the full statement)

Krause’s words underscore the possibility of a tragic outcome similar to that at Kent State which galvanized anti-war protests across the nation. Educational institutions and students need to work toward dialogue and peaceful protest without resorting to violence on either side. Krause argues that the administration needs to use restraint:

In 1970 failures of Kent State University leadership enabled the massacre which left ‘Four Dead in Ohio.’ Our institutions must learn from these past mistakes and not use militarized responses against unarmed, peaceful student protesters by calling in the National Guard, bringing in State Troopers or deploying Police in riot gear.

“We must not repeat the horrors of Kent State 54 years later.” 

In an interesting juxtaposition, the current protests at Cal Poly Humboldt began with students occupying a university building, named after Cornelius Siemens, the president of the institution during the Vietnam War era.

During his tenure, Siemens wrote a letter to President Nixon*, expressing his and the college community’s disillusionment with the government’s decision to invade Vietnam and highlighting a desire for peace among most students at that time. His words from decades ago seem relevant today:

“As president of Humboldt State College, I implore you to consult with the mainstream of our responsible college youth and to attempt an understanding of their widespread, deep-seated desire for peace. The Cambodian decision is causing the most serious and disturbing concern and dismay. Personally, I am disillusioned and disappointed that the war has widened instead of coming to a close. The college community now needs fully justifiable acts and assurances to maintain or regain its faith in national leadership and to dispel its feeling of futility.” – Cornelius Siemens

Siemen’s letter mirrors the current cries for peace among students at Cal Poly Humboldt, albeit under different circumstances. But the issues for both eras involve distant wars and administrative decisions and how they could affect the students’ lives as residents of the United States.

The similarities between the protests at Cal Poly Humboldt today and those at Kent State over half a century ago underscore a continuous struggle for student rights and the university’s need to provide a safe place to study. And both times show how student activism shapes not only academic but also global discourse.

As we look at Cal Poly Humboldt today, the administration decrying the damage not just to property but to the needs of other students, Cornelius Siemens’ advocacy for peaceful resolution, and Laurel Krause’s warning against militarized responses remind us of the delicate balance between the need to govern to provide for safety of all and the right to protest.

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Laurel Krause’s full statement below:

“This time of year is always difficult for me as we near the anniversary of when my beloved sister Allison Krause who was killed on May 4, 1970 at Kent State University by the Ohio National Guard as she protested the Vietnam War and Cambodian invasion. This year is especially challenging when I consider the thousands of peace-loving students who have organized demonstrations on their campuses to demand institutional divestiture from weapons manufacturers and Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

“Like Allison’s memory, the North Coast of California is very special to me. The Allison Center for Peace is located in neighboring Mendocino county where I have made my home for 20 years. 

“I am deeply moved by the students of Humboldt Cal Poly who have occupied physical space on their campus to demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and divestiture.

“These students represent the best of us. These students are not ‘criminals’ despite what some administrators may have publicly alleged. These students should not be arrested, suspended or sanctioned – instead they must be listened to.

“I urge President Jackson, and those in leadership to engage with students, listen to the demands of ALL protesters, to encourage and facilitate zones of free expression, and to support the rights of your students to protest an ongoing genocide on campus without the threat of state violence and militarized force.

“I urge President Jackson, along with administrators at other U.S. institutions of higher education, to protect the lives, human rights and well-being of student protesters, and for administrators to refrain from inviting militarized police onto campuses to disperse protesters and close the campus.

“In 1970 failures of Kent State University leadership enabled the massacre which left ‘Four Dead in Ohio.’ Our institutions must learn from these past mistakes and not use militarized responses against unarmed, peaceful student protesters by calling in the National Guard, bringing in State Troopers or deploying Police in riot gear.

“We must not repeat the horrors of Kent State 54 years later.” 

— from Laurel Krause, co-founder of the Kent State Truth Tribunal and the Allison Center for Peace www.TruthTribunal.org, April 27, 2024

Hat tip to Bob Doran who first posted about Cornelius Siemen’s letter here.

Earlier:

• Pro Palestinian Protesters Occupy Siemens Hall at Cal Poly
• From Campus to Courthouse: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Demand Release of Activists After Clashes at Cal Poly Humboldt
• Protestors Continue to Occupy Cal Poly Humboldt Buildings
• Anti-War Protestors Continue Occupation of Cal Poly Humboldt Building: Campus Closure Extended
• Letter From Student Urges Cal Poly Humboldt Leadership to Rethink Campus Closure and Facilitate Peaceful Protests
• Cal Poly Humboldt Extends Campus Closure Amid Ongoing Protests
• Anti-War Protestors Continue Occupation of Cal Poly Humboldt Building: Campus Closure Extended
• Cal Poly Humboldt Responds to Protesters Demands as Students Continue to Occupy Seimens Hall (Almost Five Days)
• Breaking News: Cal Poly Humboldt Announces Campus Closure and Shift to Remote Operations Until Semester’s End
• Safe Exit Offer: Cal Poly Humboldt Provides Opportunity for Occupants to Leave Buildings Without Immediate Arrest
• Sheriff Honsal Visits CPH as Protestors Opt Out of Safe Exit Offer; Siemens Hall Opens
• Cal Poly Humboldt Campus Sealed Off Amid Law Enforcement Buildup and Student Protests