On Wednesday, Black Lives Matter joined students at Occidental College in a demonstration that forced Occidental president Jonathan Veitch to leave campus under police guard.
Hundreds of students surrounded the administration building, which students have been occupying for three days under the banner of “Oxy United for Black Liberation.” On Wednesday evening, they pounded on Veitch’s office, demanding his resignation.
“The resourcefulness and unity on display this week has reaffirmed our belief that in our power and strength and our conviction, that you need to resign,” a female student declared to the president, after crowds of students descended upon his office.
— OxyUnited (@OxyUnited) November 18, 2015
Veitch Leaves, Again Check out more here: https://t.co/oG0DTlmRFypic.twitter.com/zyxsR77zuL
— OxyUnited (@OxyUnited) November 19, 2015
Veitch had been willing to talk to the students, but his efforts proved fruitless, as he was faced with a relentless crowd that refused to negotiate. The Los Angeles Police Department was called to campus to back up the (unarmed) campus security force, and Veitch left under police guard as a helicopter hovered overhead.
Students on their way to deliver the dialogue President Veitch has been pressing for -despite his lack of appearance pic.twitter.com/gilH9o9Qed
— OxyUnited (@OxyUnited) November 18, 2015
The students say that their occupation will be “indefinite” until their 14 demands are met. Among them are the removal of bulletproof vests for campus security guards, and hiring more black physicians to treat injuries associated with “identity.”
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz and on Facebook.