Yesterday, I posted my thoughts about being in the campus Emergency Operations Center during the protests at UC Davis. The students pulled fire alarms, blocked buses and intersections, and confronted a line of police officers when they tried to stage a sit-in on busy Interstate 80.
We didn't plan to open the EOC at all. Nobody was opposed to the student's right to be angry about the tuition fee hikes. The idea was to give them lots of room to demonstrate. We were expecting a peaceful and respectful protest.
Until it wasn't.
The Davis California Aggie did a good job writing a balanced review, trying to capture the sense of conflict in the campus community about what happened.
The fire alarms were pulled in several buildings, forcing all those inside to be evacuated. The Cal Aggie quoted one student as saying, "It was a symbolic gesture to show that education cannot continue under these circumstances," and another who said, "It was completely and totally disrespectful that they pulled those alarms."
The students blocked the student-run bus service. The Cal Aggie quoted one student as saying: "Business cannot go on as usual," and another who said, "I know a lot of people who were late to school. One guy missed his midterm. I agree with a lot of [the protestor's] ideas, but we are here for an education and we already paid for it."
The reader comments to the Cal Aggie story are interesting, reflective, provocative and argumentative. Here is one of the comments from a student responding to a charge that those who did not participate in the demonstrations did nothing.
"Did nothing?!? Just because we didn't choose to take part in your disruptive, childish "protest" doesn't mean we aren't doing anything. A lot of students and their families have been writing to their lawmakers, which is by far a better way to get things done. Just because we think that you're idiots for running onto the freeway with bongo drums doesn't mean we don't support the cause."
To be fair, not all the demonstrators are students. There are a handful of folks who, according to the Berkeley Daily Californian, "personify student's concerns that extremists have hijacked a once broad mobilization effort and hurt, rather than help, the cause." Once motivated ... well, isn't the definition of mob mentality action irrationally in a crowd in a way one wouldn't attempt in isolation?
In the end, nobody wants students to get hurt or property to be damaged. Down at UCLA, the campus police officers lined up to keep the students out of the Chancellor's office, but not out of the building. "It's been a peaceful demonstration and rally," said the UCLA spokesman. "(Force) is reserved for situations where public safety is threatened."
What does this have to do with emergency management? Mostly that events like these can't be generalized. After having a full-blown EOC on Thursday when we didn't expect it; nothing happened on Friday.
There are more demonstrations planned over the next few months. So, what should we expect?
I'm thinking there will be a lot more caution ... on both sides.
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We didn't plan to open the EOC at all. Nobody was opposed to the student's right to be angry about the tuition fee hikes. The idea was to give them lots of room to demonstrate. We were expecting a peaceful and respectful protest.
Until it wasn't.
The Davis California Aggie did a good job writing a balanced review, trying to capture the sense of conflict in the campus community about what happened.
The fire alarms were pulled in several buildings, forcing all those inside to be evacuated. The Cal Aggie quoted one student as saying, "It was a symbolic gesture to show that education cannot continue under these circumstances," and another who said, "It was completely and totally disrespectful that they pulled those alarms."
The students blocked the student-run bus service. The Cal Aggie quoted one student as saying: "Business cannot go on as usual," and another who said, "I know a lot of people who were late to school. One guy missed his midterm. I agree with a lot of [the protestor's] ideas, but we are here for an education and we already paid for it."
The reader comments to the Cal Aggie story are interesting, reflective, provocative and argumentative. Here is one of the comments from a student responding to a charge that those who did not participate in the demonstrations did nothing.
"Did nothing?!? Just because we didn't choose to take part in your disruptive, childish "protest" doesn't mean we aren't doing anything. A lot of students and their families have been writing to their lawmakers, which is by far a better way to get things done. Just because we think that you're idiots for running onto the freeway with bongo drums doesn't mean we don't support the cause."
To be fair, not all the demonstrators are students. There are a handful of folks who, according to the Berkeley Daily Californian, "personify student's concerns that extremists have hijacked a once broad mobilization effort and hurt, rather than help, the cause." Once motivated ... well, isn't the definition of mob mentality action irrationally in a crowd in a way one wouldn't attempt in isolation?
In the end, nobody wants students to get hurt or property to be damaged. Down at UCLA, the campus police officers lined up to keep the students out of the Chancellor's office, but not out of the building. "It's been a peaceful demonstration and rally," said the UCLA spokesman. "(Force) is reserved for situations where public safety is threatened."
What does this have to do with emergency management? Mostly that events like these can't be generalized. After having a full-blown EOC on Thursday when we didn't expect it; nothing happened on Friday.
There are more demonstrations planned over the next few months. So, what should we expect?
I'm thinking there will be a lot more caution ... on both sides.
