Campus Repression at UCF Intensifies
January 12th, 2007 by Jay Jurie
Orlando, FL - January 11, 2007 Late Wednesday morning, January 10, 2007, campus police at the University of Central Florida appeared at the free store table operated by the UCF SDS chapter and issued a trespass notice to one SDS member, meaning he's subject to arrest on the next occurrence, and took personal information from two others, who were told they may be "noticed."
Operating for several hours around noon nearly every Wednesday since last August, the SDS chapter at UCF has set up a free store table on campus. Tabling activities of various sorts are located in the plaza in front of the student union. Similar to Food Not Bombs, and a descendant of the Digger tradition of 17th Century England and 1960s Haight-Ashbury, free stores provide students with donated free food and beverages, recycled clothing, CDs, books, kitchen utensils, and other items. Perhaps most important, the free store is an example of "pre-figuration," showing how society can be organized and operate differently. Tabling provides a space where students can explore and develop a sense of community. A sense of presence is created for SDS, where outreach, participation, and discussion of the issues of the day can take place. Literature about SDS and activities such as divestment are set out for distribution.
This is all peaceful activity that in no way impedes the other workings of the university, save to ideologically challenge its most badly misplaced priorities of corporate domination, rampant commercialization and privatization, militarism, and intolerance. There were other tables set up in proximity to SDS, yet they were not approached by campus police.
At UCF, the SDS free store must be placed in the larger context of campus repression, and the free expression fight in which the chapter has already been engaged. Having previously asserted the First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly, SDS has likely been singled out for harassment. For these reasons, SDSers at the table initially refused to comply with demands the table be closed down or relocated.
When and where "free speech" or "free assembly" zones at UCF appear or disappear is capricious and selectively applied by administrators. According to SDSers on the scene, five uniformed campus police officers, accompanied by other university administrators issued the trespass notice and took the personal information. Four police vehicles were parked nearby, including one containing dogs. Garbage bags were brought out from the student union into which administrators planned to throw the free store table goods. After some dialog, the administrators relented and allowed chapter members to reclaim the table and its effects.
Denial of freedom abroad is linked to denial of freedom at home. Just as the U.S. government falsely contends it is fighting for freedom in Iraq, students in the U.S. are denied freedom on campus.I