While the past two days of the Johnson Hall protest have only resulted in trespassing violations, Thursday’s attempt by three students to enter the president’s office resulted in a swarm of Eugene Police officers dragging one student to jail.
Environmental studies major Nolan Brewer refused to accept his $255 citation and leave Johnson Hall after his arrest. Police took him to jail and released him at about 9 p.m. Thursday night without any extra charges.
Thursday’s demonstration marked an escalated effort by protesters. Human Rights Alliance member Sarah Jacobson said the protesters tried to set up a formal meeting with University President Dave Frohnmayer for Friday evening. The protesters are demanding Frohnmayer join the Worker Rights Consortium, which monitors working conditions in factories, like Nike’s, that make University licensed products.
However, by 4:30 p.m. the president had not commented on their request via University administrators. Frohnmayer left Eugene for an Institute of Health conference in Washington, D.C., early Wednesday morning and is expected to return sometime Friday evening.
In an e-mail statement to the faculty and staff on Wednesday, Frohnmayer stressed his willingness to join the WRC and his unwavering demand that the decision go through the proper channels of University governance. A 75 percent majority voted to support the WRC in this year’s student election.
When there was no word from the president, demonstrators decided to move their protest off the steps and into the lobby itself. About 50 protesters gathered in the short corridor leading to Frohnmayer’s office, chanting and banging drums, while Brewer and fellow students Shannon Hoke and Emily Walter sat inside the office on the floor, quietly chanting.
At 5 p.m., those in the lobby agreed to leave and police arrested the three inside Frohnmayer’s office, making a total of 14 people arrested for trespassing in the past three days.However, the tone of the arrests changed when Brewer refused to give police his personal information and leave the building with his trespassing citation. After Hoke and Walter were released out the back of the building, two lines of police carried Brewer to a waiting van, which took him to jail.
When Brewer returned to Johnson Hall with bruises on his shoulder and wrists, he said he did the right thing.
“I had a duty to sit there until the meeting [with Frohnmayer] was set,” he said. “I stated that I was not going to willfully leave the building.”
The police and administrators also drastically changed the drill for the media inside Johnson Hall on Thursday. At 5 p.m., OPS officers, who kept the press out of the president’s office, announced reporters and photographers would have to leave with the protesters.
On Tuesday and Wednesday reporters and photographers were allowed to remain in the lobby to watch police handcuff and arrest those inside after 5 p.m. On Thursday, the arrests happened without the press watching.
“I’ve let you in and I’ve made you go out, too,” OPS officer Marte Martinez said when reporters asked why they couldn’t stay.
After the melee with protesters and police ended, Martinez explained that one reporter began demanding entrance to Frohnmayer’s office right before arrests were about to be made. OPS decided, for safety, to remove reporters as well.
ASUO Vice President Mitra Anoushiravani, who, along with ASUO President Wylie Chen, has worked to improve relations between EPD and students this year, said Thursday’s incident made her frustrated at more than just the police.
“Having the administration stand by and watch as police treat students that way was disgusting. I have never seen something so repulsing and invigorating in my life,” she said.
The incident revitalized the pledge to remain at Johnson Hall for many others as well.
“We weren’t asking for a miracle, not even to talk to Dave,” Walter told the demonstrators after being released. “We just want to set up a meeting.”
Jacobson said protesters will remain camped outside Johnson Hall through the weekend if Frohnmayer does not meet their demands and join the WRC.