Reflections
on
March
4th
2010
University
of
Washington,
Seattle
Democracy
Insurgent
In
the
wake
of
the
student
strike
held
on
March
4th
at
the
University
of
Washington,
Democracy
Insurgent
offers
this
reflection
to
review
what
happened.
The
action
was
an
overwhelming
success
and
we
appreciate
the
efforts
that
everyone
put
into
building
what
was
the
largest
and
most
energetic
demonstration
at
UW
in
recent
years.
March
4th
was
just
the
beginning
for
building
toward
a
statewide
and
nationwide
fight
involving
students
and
workers
against
the
most
destructive
economic
crisis
of
our
generation.
Democracy
Insurgent
is
a
member
group
of
the
UW
Student/Worker
Coalition
(SWC),
the
organizing
body
that
planned
the
March
4th
Student
Strike.
This
account
is
written
from
the
perspective
of
Democracy
insurgent
organizers
and
is
not
an
official
statement
of
the
SWC.
Beyond
our
expectations:
loud,
dynamic
energy
on
the
Quad
In
the
lead‐up
to
March
4th,
as
a
part
of
the
SWC,
we
made
detailed
plans
for
the
day’s
action.
The
picket
lines
would
start
up
at
1
p.m.
in
the
Quad,
a
central
place
on
campus
surrounded
by
buildings
in
which
classes
are
conducted.
Interspersed
with
speeches
and
chants,
our
picket
would
continue
till
2:30pm,
when
we
planned
to
march
through
buildings
to
convince
students
to
walk
out.
Blocking
a
road
intersection
to
campus
was
also
in
the
escalation
plan
for
the
day.
We
had
picket
leaders,
police
liaisons,
independent
media,
and
legal
observers
ready.
On
the
day
of,
at
1pm,
we
set
up
picket
lines
on
the
Quad
and
encouraged
a
lot
of
students
to
walk
out
by
marching
in
a
way
that
blocked
the
main
paths
students
take
to
go
to
class.
Hundreds
of
students
and
workers
came
out
in
full
force.
There
was
an
inspiring
dynamic
convergence
of
high
school
students,
workers
and
college
students.
People
spoke
out
about
solidarity
with
students
of
color
facing
racism
at
UC
San
Diego,
the
need
to
fight
to
make
UW
more
accessible,
and
how
to
fight
overwork
and
harassment
of
workers
at
UW,
particularly
the
situation
of
custodians.
There
were
also
2
spectacular
banner
drops
by
other
member
groups
of
the
SWC,
declaring
to
everyone
the
purpose
of
our
actions.
Students
of
color,
women,
and
students
with
disabilities,
were
in
the
lead
‐
organizers
with
the
Student
Worker
Coalition,
as
well
as
dozens
of
other
folks
who
stepped
up
spontaneously
and
led
the
crowd
in
chants
against
the
privatization
of
the
university.
The
vibrant
and
dynamic
energy
of
the
crowd
was
a
huge
success
in
itself.
We
found
out
soon
that
the
detailed
plans
that
we
had
agreed
to
as
a
coalition,
could
not
be
effectively
carried
out.
One
of
the
key
barriers
was
the
lack
of
a
sound
system.
The
scheduled
speeches,
which
were
intended
to
break
up
the
picketing
routine,
would
now
be
inaudible
to
most
people
in
the
crowd.
The
bullhorns
we
had
were
too
soft
for
such
a
large
crowd.
We
were
also
unable
to
communicate
effectively
with
the
crowd
to
convey
our
plans.
This
key
logistical
problem
meant
that
our
previous
plans
had
to
be
altered,
and
we
now
had
to
think
on
our
feet.
Democratic
leadership
on
the
spot
We
picketed
for
an
hour
and
then
re‐formed
into
a
mass
crowd.
We
intended
to
announce
what
happened
at
other
schools
like
UC
Davis
and
San
Francisco
State
University
so
far
that
day,
and
then
to
march
through
the
classrooms.
People
would
“vote
with
their
feet”,
meaning
that
those
who
want
to
go
through
the
buildings
would
go
with
some
picket
leaders
while
those
who
didn’t
want
to
participate
would
stay
outside
and
do
a
solidarity
rally.
However,
after
we
announced
that
students
in
California
had
blocked
roads
around
their
campuses
and
had
even
stopped
interstate
highways,
many
people
in
the
crowd
started
chanting,
“Take
the
Ave!”
The
chant
resonated
through
the
crowd!
It
became
the
most
audible,
most
energetic,
and
most
democratic
decision
that
the
crowd
made.
People
were
getting
tired
of
marching
around
the
quad
and
many
folks
were
expressing
this
to
us
before
we
had
re‐converged.
As
organizers,
we
decided
to
respect
and
follow
this
energy
of
the
crowd.
This
flexibility
and
ability
to
respond
to
the
mass
spontaneous
energy
of
the
people
who
came
out
on
March
4th,
was
a
key
feature
of
the
day.
It
was
also
a
contested
theme
of
the
day.
Off
to
the
Ave
we
headed!
However,
we
still
wanted
to
make
sure
that
we
marched
through
some
classrooms
to
bring
more
students
out,
so
we
started
chanting
"Kane
Hall
‐
On
Strike!"
and
stormed
one
of
the
largest
academic
buildings
on
the
Quad.
We
marched
through
an
overcrowded
lecture
that
was
still
in
session
and
encouraged
students
to
walk
out.
As
we
headed
toward
the
Ave,
some
students
in
the
crowd
were
agitating
to
occupy
Gerberding
Hall
on
Red
Square.
This
is
the
main
administration
building
on
campus.
Democracy
Insurgent
members
chose
not
to
back
this
proposal
because
an
occupation
requires
a
lot
of
prior
logistical
planning
that
we
had
not
done.
It
was
not
something
we
felt
that
could
be
done
on
the
spot,
the
same
way
our
plans
changed
to
take
over
the
Ave.
An
occupation
meant
that
we
needed
to
be
ready
to
stay
there
for
the
long
haul
with
food
and
water,
and
also
required
building
mass
support
on
campus.
However,
the
fact
that
some
people
assembled
there
wanted
to
do
this
shows
the
rising
militancy
and
sense
of
urgency
on
campus
around
the
issue
of
the
budget
cuts.
Organizers
who
support
such
actions
need
to
think
about
the
strategy,
the
coordination
required
with
those
on
the
outside,
and
the
timing
of
occupations
in
the
future.
The
strategy
has
a
rich
history
on
the
UW
campus,
winning
admissions
of
people
of
color
as
well
as
the
birth
of
Ethnic
Studies
on
UW
campus
in
1968,
after
a
building
occupation
by
the
Black
Student
Union
then.
It
would
be
continuing
the
legacy
of
student
of
color
militancy
on
this
campus,
if
an
occupation
happened
again
at
a
time
when
we
are
increasingly
denied
entrance
from
this
university
through
tuition
hikes
and
a
lack
of
academic
support
services.
On
our
way
to
the
Ave,
we
effectively
shut
down
the
main
streets
entering
campus,
bringing
traffic
to
a
halt.
Confronted
with
a
700‐strong
crowd,
the
cops
did
nothing
to
try
to
stop
us,
and
at
multiple
points
we
stopped
and
occupied
key
intersections.
It
is
worth
asking
ourselves:
Under
what
conditions
did
the
cops
respond
this
way?
Would
it
be
same
the
next
time
round?
We
saw
in
the
California
struggles,
particularly
in
the
Wheeler
Hall
occupation
at
UC
Berkeley
as
well
as
the
UC
Regents
meeting
in
UCLA
in
2009,
that
behind
every
tuition
hike
is
a
line
of
cops
defending
those
decisions
and
putting
down
student
and
worker
resistance.
How
can
we
be
prepared
to
carry
on
and
defend
our
struggles?
The
Interstate
5
(I‐5)
Debate
The
crowd
was
at
its
largest
as
we
moved
up
the
Ave
towards
45th,
another
main
street
in
the
University
District.
With
the
mass
of
people
and
upbeat
energy,
a
lot
of
people
started
agitating
to
march
onto
Interstate
5
(I‐5).
Some
Democracy
Insurgent
organizers
were
inspired
by
this
energy
and
joined
in
the
call
for
the
takeover
of
the
freeway.
The
takeover
of
I‐5
is
part
of
the
historical
memory
of
UW
activism.
In
1970,
thousands
of
students
marched
onto
the
freeway
as
part
of
a
massive
student
strike,
demanding
an
end
to
the
war
in
Vietnam
and
the
increasing
attacks
on
the
Black
liberation
movement
in
the
country.
This
was
a
proud
tradition
that
was
coincidentally,
being
commemorated
on
campus
through
museum
exhibits.
Many
in
the
crowd
were
not
happy
only
with
commemorating
the
history.
We
wanted
to
make
history
to
fight
back
against
the
crisis
of
our
generation
too!
We
turned
onto
45th
and
stopped
at
the
intersection
of
45th
and
Brooklyn
(one
block
away
from
45th
and
the
Ave).
We
blocked
the
intersection
for
about
half
an
hour
at
this
point
to
hold
a
speak‐
out.
At
this
time,
people
at
different
points
of
the
crowd
were
saying
different
things
–
some
felt
that
marching
onto
I‐5
was
too
risky
and
we
were
too
unprepared;
others
felt
we
should
take
the
chance.
Because
of
the
absence
of
an
effective
sound
system,
these
conversations
were
being
held
in
small
groups
rather
than
as
a
mass
grouping.
Flawed
as
it
was,
we
felt
that
this
back
and
forth
discussion
among
the
crowd
was
an
important
process.
We
were
sensitive
to
the
change
in
peoples’
attitude
toward
the
taking
of
the
freeway.
In
response,
Democracy
Insurgent
members
called
for
a
vote
to
get
a
better
sense
of
how
many
people
wanted
to
take
the
freeway.
When
we
realized
that
there
wasn’t
a
clear
mandate
from
the
crowd
to
escalate,
we
decided
not
to
proceed
with
the
plan.
We
decided
that
in
the
absence
of
enough
people
advocating
the
takeover
of
I‐5,
we
would
not
be
able
to
pull
of
such
an
action.
Taking
the
freeway
is
an
action
that
needs
the
power
of
numbers.
It
is
a
scenario
where
the
more
people
there
are,
the
safer
it
is.
1968:
Black
Student
Union
fights
for
admission
of
students
of
color
into
University
of
Washington.
rd
BSU
member
climbs
up
to
the
3
floor
during
occupation
of
President’s
office
Pictures
from
Seattle
Civil
Rights
and
Labor
Project
As
organizers,
we
aim
to
build
a
fierce
and
strong
democratic
movement
that
is
neither
afraid
of
militancy
and
spontaneity,
nor
reckless
in
its
escalation.
We
have
been
told
too
many
times
to
follow
and
obey
rules
that
suppress
our
rage
and
our
power.
Ironically,
the
same
rules
of
legality
are
broken
when
the
state
attacks
our
right
to
affordable
education,
breaks
union
contracts
to
attack
healthcare,
and
shovel
our
communities
into
prisons
and
wars
in
the
Middle
East.
It
is
moments
when
hundreds
of
oppressed
people
take
the
streets
that
we
realize
our
power
and
we
must
not
be
afraid
of
it.
Our
decision
to
turn
back
away
from
the
takeover
of
the
freeway
is
rooted
in
the
belief
that
we
need
large
numbers
of
people
who
will
come
together
to
shatter
the
myth
of
our
powerlessness.
It
is
a
myth
that
these
tuition
hikes,
attacks
on
social
services
and
healthcare
are
inevitable.
Through
bold
mass
actions,
we
demand
that
top
administrators
take
a
pay
cut,
that
the
state
tax
the
rich
to
fill
the
budget,
and
keep
tuition
and
healthcare
affordable
for
all
working
people!
We
realized
later
that
some
people
were
advocating
marching
up
to
the
off‐ramp
of
I‐5,
NOT
onto
the
freeway
itself.
This
was
also
lost
in
the
moment.
Regardless,
the
uncertainty
expressed
in
the
crowd
was
a
sign
that
we
need
to
organize
for
more
people
to
join
us.
This
has
to
be
a
powerful
citywide
and
statewide
movement
including
community
colleges,
teachers,
and
off‐campus
workers
and
communities.
We
decided
at
the
point
to
convene
at
the
UW
Tower.
The
UW
Tower
is
a
securitized
and
highly
inaccessible
22‐storey
office
building
with
only
revolving
door
entrances.
When
we
arrived
at
the
UW
Tower,
it
was
lined
with
cops.
There,
one
person
advocated
rushing
the
entrance
of
the
UW
Tower.
Others
advocated
going
back
to
campus
so
we
could
march
through
more
classrooms.
We
took
a
democratic
decision
and
decided
to
do
exactly
the
latter.
Questions
of
Leadership
Since
March
4th,
some
have
questioned
the
actions
of
Democracy
Insurgent
members
who
organized
for
a
speak‐out,
and
a
vote
regarding
the
I‐5
action,
suggesting
that
this
shows
a
lack
of
leadership
in
a
mass
action.
We
have
received
criticisms
that
democratic
assembly
in
the
middle
of
a
mass
action
is
not
strategic.
As
a
movement‐building
organization,
we
are
happy
that
these
questions
are
coming
to
the
fore.
It
means
people
have
a
stake
in
what
happens.
We
need
to
channel
these
constructive
criticisms
toward
the
planning
and
organizing
of
future
actions.
Even
with
our
different
viewpoints,
we
should
come
together
to
fight
against
the
budget
cuts
that
hurt
us
and
our
communities.
We
believe
that
leadership
and
a
respect
for
the
spontaneity
of
the
crowd
are
complementary.
As
people
who
want
to
advance
the
struggle
against
the
budget
cuts,
we
realize
that
it
is
only
the
mass
activity
of
large
numbers
of
people
who
are
willing
to
take
more
action,
that
will
be
able
to
change
the
current
scenario
of
retreat.
This
movement
energy
cannot
be
planned
beforehand,
and
neither
can
it
be
feared.
We
are
careful
and
conscientious
organizers
who
work
daily
to
cohere
a
strong
message
against
the
propaganda
that
these
cuts
are
inevitable.
However,
this
daily,
careful
organizing
cannot
replace
the
raw
anger
and
militancy
when
thousands
of
oppressed
people
hit
the
streets.
We
are
a
group
that
is
made
up
of
oppressed
peoples
who
envision
a
world
where
justice,
democracy
and
compassion
can
thrive.
Together
with
others,
we
support
these
moments
of
mass
activity.
What
we
can
learn
from
March
4th
On
March
4th,
in
collaboration
with
other
members
of
the
SWC,
Democracy
Insurgent
organizers
worked
to
ensure
that
our
route
was
always
accessible.
The
struggles
of
people
with
disabilities
have
been
obscured
too
long
even
in
progressive
movements.
Too
many
times,
people
with
disabilities
have
been
excluded
from
movements
and
treated
as
second‐class
citizens
because
of
our
society’s
continual
enforcement
of
ableism.
We
aim
to
build
a
movement
that
brings
people
together
across
race,
genders,
and
disabilities.
We
have
to
reflect
that
in
our
actions.
The
media
painted
the
actions
as
only
a
student
issue.
In
reality,
on
March
4th,
there
were
many
campus
and
off‐campus
workers
who
joined
us
in
our
actions.
The
combination
of
students
and
workers
in
a
struggle
that
affects
us
all
creates
opportunities
for
us
to
break
down
the
barriers
that
divide
us.
In
fact,
many
students
are
workers,
and
many
workers
are
also
students.
Joint
organizing
between
workers
and
students
in
actions
like
March
4th
give
new
possibilities
to
us.
In
these
times
in
particular,
the
UW
functions
on
the
one
hand,
as
an
administration
that
imposes
tuition
hikes
and
decreased
accessibility
of
the
university,
as
well
as
an
oppressive
management
that
uses
the
budget
cuts
as
a
pretext
to
impose
union
busting,
dictatorial
working
conditions,
weak
contracts
and
inhuman
amounts
of
work.
We
believe
the
state
functions
in
the
same
way
in
these
times
of
economic
crisis
when
we,
students
and
workers,
carry
the
brunt
of
the
economic
crisis.
We
realized
through
our
experience
in
March
4th,
that
there
is
need
for
further
education
about
the
significance
of
strikes
and
the
importance
of
picket
lines.
Strikes
are
crucial
weapons
of
the
working
class
against
attacks
by
the
rulers
and
the
wealthy
who
seek
to
further
squeeze
more
profit
through
our
exploitation.
However,
in
our
time
and
age
where
only
a
meager
12%
of
the
US
workforce
is
unionized,
alongside
a
general
erosion
of
knowledge
about
labor
history
and
struggles,
the
significance
of
strikes
and
picket
lines
have
been
lost.
In
the
liberation
movements
of
the
1960s,
student
strikes
were
also
important
strategies
that
won
the
demands
for
Black
Studies
and
Ethnic
Studies,
countering
the
white
supremacist
curriculums
in
universities
that
erased
the
agency
and
histories
of
people
of
color.
On
March
4th,
as
organizers,
we
were
at
times
unable
to
convey
the
importance
of
maintaining
picket
lines.
This
is
partly
because
the
crowd
could
not
hear
the
SWC
speakers
who
explained
the
significance
due
to
the
weak
sound
system.
In
any
case,
we
aim
to
educate
one
another
and
others
involved
on
the
significance
and
relevance
of
strikes
to
our
movement
against
these
further
cuts.
Democracy
Insurgent,
along
with
other
organizations,
intend
to
participate
and
organize
for
a
month
of
action
in
May
against
the
budget
cuts
that
will
only
deepen
if
we
do
not
rise
up
and
fight
back.
May
1st
marks
International
Labor
Day
and
Immigrant
Rights
day
and
we
will
participate
in
citywide
actions
then.
Along
with
the
SWC
and
other
supporting
organizations,
we
will
be
working
toward
a
May
3rd
Campus
Strike,
in
solidarity
with
the
teaching
assistants
on
campus
whose
contract
is
currently
being
negotiated,
as
well
as
with
all
state
workers
whose
healthcare
and
jobs
are
on
the
line.
We
demand
from
Gregoire
and
the
state
legislature:
Tax
the
rich,
don’t
tell
us
to
sacrifice!
We
been
giving
too
much,
too
long!
We
aim
to
build
a
citywide,
statewide
movement
to
push
back
against
these
cuts.
March
Forth
Seattle,
toward
a
month
of
May
actions
for
immigrant
rights
and
worker,
student
power!
We
are
a
majority
people
of
color
activist
group
animated
by
principles
of
democracy,
anti‐racism,
anti‐imperialism,
queer
liberation,
Third
World
Feminism,
and
workers'
power.
We
are
based
in
Seattle,
Washington
www.democracyinsurgent.org
*
www.nobudgetcutsuw.blogspot.com