On Friday, May 3, at 11:37 a.m., UC Riverside’s Gaza solidarity encampment dissolved peacefully after successfully negotiating with the administration to divest from arms manufacturers.
After eight hours straight of negotiations the night prior, UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox signed a contract with encampment leaders to divest from “companies involved in arms manufacturing and delivery.”
Transcript
SAMIA ALKAM: We have decided to dissolve this encampment without a single arrest. Not a single one of you put in harms way. We will no longer be complicit in the crimes perpetrated against my people.
Wilcox and other administrators came to the encampment with student negotiators to announce their agreement to the students chanting at the encampment. UCR Students for Justice in Palestine President Samia Alkam gave a speech to the entire encampment.
“We demanded transparency, we needed the university to disclose all the investments and endowments specifically as it relates to arms and weapons manufacturing,” Alkam said. “We can say that the university has agreed to make it entirely transparent which companies we are investing in and the size of those investments.”
SJP Vice President Imon* elaborated more on why they believed this negotiation was favorable.
“Since that is something that cannot happen overnight, we will be having financial advisors and professionals ensure that our money is being put in the right place ethically,” Imon said.
As Alkam was giving her speech, Wilcox, the administrators and the entire encampment laughed together as she said, “I am confident we will fully divest from weapons and arms manufacturing by the end of next year— actually, there’s not going to be any problems.”
Alkam winded down her speech by addressing her message to other universities across the nation.
“To anyone here that is seeing this message and any chancellor from any other university, this is what leadership looks like,” Alkam said, pointing to Wilcox.
After her speech, Wilcox was handed the microphone to give a brief speech to the encampment. “At the beginning of discussion, it was always clear that we all had the same goal,” he said.
After Wilcox thanked Alkam for her leadership and ended his speech, the protesters started cheering.
Protesters cheered “We did it” after Wilcox’s speech
Brooklyn Adelmann, 21, a student protester commented on her feelings regarding the negotiations.
“I feel like this is setting the example for all of the other universities and their faculty and chancellors,” Adelmann said.
Mo*, 41, a local Riverside resident who came to the encampment with his wife and kid, said he came to “support the students raising awareness to end genocide.” `
“I love, really, how UCR has responded to all of it,” Mo said. “It’s really encouraging.”
*Withheld their last name for anonymity
