No Justice, No Peace

As thousands of University of California students protested at campuses state-wide this week in opposition to the now-passed the 32% tuition hike, the University has ignored student cries for a more reasonable dialogue and tactful approach. And in even furtherance of their seething contempt for freely gathering students, they watched and even tipped off police to students who engaged in political acts by freely demonstrating their First Amendment rights.

With hundreds of students arrested to Sahil Kapur of RawStory reports that 52 were arrested yesterday at UC-Davis and cordoned off to a According to Kapur, one PhD. activist claimed a 19-year old student protester was held in solitary confinement and physically abused and emotionally traumatized by police. All of the arrests at the behest of the university were allegedly done without the simple courtesy of the university informing their parents or making any effort to provide practical help.

While such movements as "Occupy California" and others have pushed for real political student action, the institution would not simply allow it. While "walk-outs" and "sit-ins" were popular and even in some places common occurrences in America in the 1960s and 70s and before, it has now become a cause extreme and reason for suspicion and harassment.

But no matter what the university may do, or may wish to do, it will not change the path University of California students, while small in proportion, may be choosing to attempt change in their small world. And without compromise from the power-wielding faction of the institution, it is highly unlikely a more compromising attitude will be one students will have.

The vast amount of young people of this country are not stupid, or liable to be taken as fools, but only if they are treated so will they be all the more eager to show the fool of the other.

So let this message be carved into every school's weighty cornerstone, that these scrawls of students are not without reason or certainly not to be taken lightly. For without students, there is no university and without the educated seeking an education, little can be expected of these once grand institutions.