A.C.L.U. visits Cal Poly Humboldt as hundreds march past barriers

The skies were sunny yet uncertainty hung in the air at Cal Poly Humboldt on Monday. Law Enforcement guarded the roads and students could be seen patrolling rooftops. The American Civil Liberties Union was on campus, observing the scene. 

Student protesters were asked to leave occupied buildings on campus Friday.

Northern California’s A.C.L.U. Director, Abdi Soltani, told Redwood News, “I came today to Humboldt to be present. So that i could understand what’s been happening on this campus and to speak up for the rights of students, to protest, to demonstrate, and to be free from unreasonable and excessive force by law enforcement.”

Cal Poly Humboldt is under a hard closure; that means, access to campus is restricted. 

If you don’t have prior authorization, you can’t be on campus.  

At one of the barriers was the head of the Wildlife Department, Dan Barton, conducting office hours. 

Professor Barton told Redwood News, “We’re doing the best we can.  We are hoping that this ends peacefully.

Another professor told Redwood News that it’s time for this to be over and for the students to leave the campus, as it is closed.

The California Faculty Association organized a march around the closed perimeter of campus.

“This is a solidarity event organized by C.F.A. to support students who are speaking out for Palestine,” said Andrea Delgado, Council for Racial and Social Justice Representative for the Humboldt chapter of the California Faculty Association. “Because of the hard closure of campus, we’re not going on campus. We’re just marching the perimeter.”

The march originated at the corner of LK Wood and 14th street.

Campus has been officially closed since last Monday. 

The school says it has met the protesters’ list of demands and those who are trespassing or illegally camping need to “leave campus peacefully now”.