Editor’s note: Seia is a pseudonym used to protect one source’s identity due to possible retaliation from the university. Additionally, the article does not mention multiple sources’ full names for fear of backlash and retaliation from the administration or university.
A crowd rallied in support of Palestine at the University Union Plaza on Sept. 26.
Organized by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter and the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter, their first event of the year aimed to speak out against injustice towards Palestinians and promote divestment from Cal Poly’s ties to weapons manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies and Chevron, according to the flyer organizers passed out at the rally.
Student organizers passed out flyers to participants of the Sept. 26 rally. Krithi Sankar | Mustang News
Divestment describes the movement to sever financial support from defense contractors – made in the form of scholarships, research grants and facilities, according to a list of demands publicized by Cal Poly YDSA on May 6.
Roughly 30 people attended the rally. Speakers stood in between two large handheld banners stating, ‘For the martyrs, for the children, end the occupation, free Palestine’ and ‘Divest from Genocide.’ Some attendees appeared to don the keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf often used to show solidarity for the movement.
Organizers also enlisted help from four faculty and student peacekeepers, distinguished by their safety vests, as trained mediators meant to protect attendees, according to philosophy sophomore Juls Altman.
In response, the university sent the Dean of Students Joy Pedersen and three other DOS employees as peace ambassadors, along with George Hughes, chief of the Cal Poly Police Department and the designated law enforcement liaison for Cal Poly’s campus-specific time, place and manner (TPM) policy, university spokesperson Matt Lazier wrote in an email to Mustang News.
In addition, four CPPD officers spectated and four law enforcement vehicles were parked by the Davidson Music Center, 1901 Marketplace and on Mott Lawn.
The university’s Freedom of Speech guide is on the Dean of Students website – detailing campus activism policies. The website also links to Cal State TPM and Cal Poly’s TPM policy.
“When I got there at first, those first twenty minutes before we started [the rally], it’s always tense because there’s cops here, there’s administrators there, there’s the misconduct people,” student organizer Seia said. “They’re always watching you when there might be other free speech activities that go on talking about other things on campus, and no one watches that as closely.”
George Hughes, assistant vice president of public safety and chief of the Cal Poly Police Department, and another Cal Poly police officer stands on the balcony above the Lounge, observing the rally. / Credit: Dijia Wang 
Two law enforcement vehicles are parked on Mott Lawn. / Credit: Izzy Romero 
A University Police truck parked between 1901 Marketplace and Mott Athletic Center. / Credit: Krithi Sankar
As the first speaker of the rally, Seia said that “every ten minutes, a child in Gaza is killed,” crediting the chief of the World Health Organization.
Seia then made a statement about Cal Poly’s involvement in defense companies, talking about graduates’ employment in these companies.
“I hope every single one of you all are reading right now on those flyers we’ve handed out today out: That this large scale massacre, these war crimes and genocide have been financially funded by all our university institutions,” Seia claimed in their speech script.
Seia also spoke about the TPM policy implemented by the Cal State system and made a call of action to the participants of the rally, saying they will not be silenced by an administrator or politician.
Seia ended their speech with demands for justice.
During the rally, two student organizers placed the Palestinian flag on a railing by the Lounge. SJP’s faculty advisor was then approached by Pedersen to ask them to take down their flag; organizers complied with this request. The organizers allegedly broke the university’s posting and signage policy (CAP 145.7.2) and ASI’s UU policy, according to Lazier.
“It seems like a small thing, but it sets a precedent of what they are allowed to get away with in enforcing what they’re talking about,” Seia said.
Meanwhile, computer science sophomore Eman Castillo Hernandez led the crowd with chants like ‘1, 2, 3, 4 the occupation has got to go,’ ‘No peace on stolen land,’ and ‘Viva, viva Palestina.’
Hernandez said the rally’s attendance was around a third or a fourth of the crowd size that usually occurs for protests in the city of San Luis Obispo.
“As our actual first action as a chartered club here on campus, this was an amazing turnout,” Hernandez said. “To see thirty people show up today was actually really amazing, and it’s a good sign that SJP will take off here.”
During the rally, Associated Student Inc. hosted SLO Music Hour with a performance by the local band Amtrak on the University Union stage. Upon learning about the rally, Amtrak said they had wanted to back out of the performance to support the rally, according to an Amtrak band member.
However, the band signed a contract with ASI — backing out would result in steep fines. As a result, the guitarist chose not to sing and the instrumentalists played as quietly as they could. A cardboard sign reads ‘Cal Poly funds genocide’ in front of the stage.
What pro-Palestine organizations on campus stand for
Seia believes the least they can ask for is the university to acknowledge Palestinian suffering and its emotional toll on the campus community. Seia also suggested the university should host a public, open dialogue or mental health workshop for students who lost loved ones in Gaza.
“There hasn’t been anything other than just lip service,” Seia said, alluding to an invite-only meeting between South West African and North Asian (SWANA) students and university administration on May 23.
Similar demonstrations were put on last school year to increase campus awareness, including die-ins, marches and protests.
Local community activist groups such as Students for Quality Education and Abolitionist Action Central Coast/San Luis Obispo promoted the rally via social media, Seia said.
On Oct. 21, pro-Palestinian protestors march through downtown San Luis Obispo. / Credit: Alice Sukhostavskiy 
On May 1, protestors engage in a ‘die-in’ demonstration on Dexter Lawn. / Credit: Jordan Triebel 
On May 23, multiple police vehicles appear for a pro-Palestinian demonstration blocking the California Boulevard campus entrance. / Credit: Owen Lavine
Witnesses of the rally
Less than ten observers were watching at a distance, with a few observers occasionally recording the rally. They were not there in support of SJP.
Microbiology sophomore Benjamin Broudy jokingly called the rally “free entertainment.”
Materials engineering senior Avi Shapiro was also present and while he doesn’t agree with the rally’s demands, Shapiro believes the rally was following the new TPM guidelines.
Mustang United for Israel president and kinesiology-public health junior Lexi was walking by to meet a friend at 1901 Marketplace, when she noticed this rally happening and stopped to observe.
Lexi watched the rally – not as a supporter – and said that like-minded students should actively reach out to join MUFI.
“You just have to be open to talking and getting out there and you have to be strong,” Lexi said.
Concerns over the university’s response
Multiple participants were seen wearing masks, but not confronted for their attire. The Cal State’s new TPM policy restricts mask-wearing for those who wear a mask to hide their identity, to either harass others or to evade identification when approached by university officials.
Hernandez expressed concerns, mentioning a Jan. 23 defense company protest when a small group of pro-Palestinian protestors amplified their calls for divestment and used wooden shields outside of the winter quarter career fair – leading to protestor-law enforcement altercations. Eight arrests were made – three of which were Cal Poly students – and city police issued cell phone warrants for those arrested, according to previous coverage from Mustang News.
Armstrong cited the university’s existing TPM policy to bolster law enforcement’s methods to “maintain a safe campus community for all” in an email response to the protest.
“I’m still a bit shaken up by January 23,” Hernandez said. “But seeing the amount of people that showed up and seeing faculty actually standing there as peace officers was really nice. Like, I mean, it’s the bare minimum, but still, even the bare minimum is nice.”
Correction: A previous version of this article named Cal Poly YDSA as “Young Democratic Society of America.”
