Take Action to Support Hunger Strikers' Fight against Arizona Racist Law

UPDATE on Hungry for Justice Student Hunger Strike against SB1070

Take Action to Support Hunger Strikers' Fight against Arizona Racist Law

University of California Berkeley students are now approaching their seventh day of a hunger strike that began Monday, May 3, 2010. Calling their campaign, "Hungry for Justice," the students are calling on UCB Chancellor Robert Birgenaux to denounce SB1070, the anti-immigrant, racial profiling law approved in Arizona in April.

Student hunger strikers report that Chancellor Birgenaux telephoned the students and he demanded tha students end their hunger strike before considering to negotiate.

The students are calling for support. They are asking that calls be made to the Chancellor and demand that he meet with the students.

You can call Chancellor Birgenaux at (510) 642-7466 and also email him at chancellor@berkeley.edu

• Tell Chancellor Birgenaux that you support the students' hunger strike and their demands to oppose SB1070 (see below issues from students).

Please copy your letter to two of the hunger strikers:
Mayra Gonzales at m.a.gonzales@gmail.com (323) 394-2484 and
Alejandro Lara Briseno at larabriseno@gmail.com. 510-717-8361

Please call and email the Chancellor to express your support for the Hungry for Justice demands made by the students on hunger strike.

Hungry for Justice students call on UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgenaux to:

"1. Publicly denounce Arizona's SB 1070 law and ask UCB President Mark Yudof and other UC Chancellors to do the same as such blatant signs of racism are not representative of the values of the UC system.

"2. Implement the promised AB540 task force to begin Fall 2010 ant to include student representation. (AB 540 students are undocumented who attend schools in California for the same costs, but often without support of financial aid programs

"3. Drop any and all student conduct charges related to protest actions that occurred during the academic year 2009-10

"4. Stop cuts to low-wage workers on campus and stop attacks against union activists; rehire all AFSCME service workers and UPTE union activists and CAL performance employees.

"5. Suspend the Student code of conduct and initiate a democratic student-led process to review the code. Those participating in this process should be charged with attending particularly to concerns about students due process rights and to free speech considerations. If through this review, it is determined that a new code can be written in any way that adequately addresses these concerns, a new code should be written by a democratic, student-led body. If not, the student code of conduct should be abolished.

"6. Accept responsibility for the violence and escalation of the confrontation and surrounding Wheeler Hall on November 20th and December 11, 2009 that resulted in injuries to many students and jeopardized the safety and security of AB540 students. Additionally, commit using non violent means of ensuring safety at student demonstrations is the future."