Roughly 100 student protesters gathered on Dexter Lawn for the second “die-in” demonstration on campus and a walk-out in support of Palestinian students and faculty on Thursday.
A “die-in,” sometimes known as a lie-in, is a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead, according to an Instagram post by the Cal Poly Social Justice Coalition. Students “died” at 11:10 a.m., remaining silent and motionless until awakening, screaming at 11:40 a.m. The crowd briefly chanted “Palestine!” before dispersing.
Lena, an environmental management and protection junior, said she chose to participate in the “die-in” to stand with the people of Palestine and in Gaza. Lena wished for her last name to remain anonymous.
“As a student and as a Palestinian myself, I feel like it’s my responsibility to speak up for people who don’t have a voice,” Lena said. “Palestinians are still being genocided and are still being bombed. No one ever in the world deserves this, and never again should [we allow this to happen] for any group of people.”
Three student walkouts occurred throughout the day at 10:40 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. to call for a ceasefire in the ongoing war. By the time of the first walkout, there were three police cars present at Dexter Lawn. Cal Poly Students for Quality Education (SQE) and Cal Poly Abolitionist Action Central Coast/SLO (AACCS) shared news of the walkouts in an Instagram post.
Journalism junior Lauren Yoon said she chose to participate in the “die-in” after walking out of her class at 10:40 a.m.
“We’re hoping that people who [witness the walk-outs and “die-ins”] sign on to the divestment demands that Cal Poly Social Justice Coalition, Abolitionist Action of Central Coast and Cal Poly Students for Quality Education have put out,” Yoon said. “Sometimes we have to make uncomfortable sacrifices to make change and Palestinians are way past the point of being uncomfortable. It’s up to us to take a little bit of risk [and] it’s our duty to stand in solidarity with the men, women, children, students and teachers that are being killed.”
Unrelated to the “die-in,” SLO Hillel, a Jewish organization on campus and in San Luis Obispo, was also present at Dexter Lawn for their weekly pizza and pita discussion event at 11 a.m., Lauren Bandari, Executive Director of SLO Hillel, told Mustang News. Bandari emphasized that SLO Hillel was not there to protest the “die-in.”
“[SLO Hillel] is here today because we had a regularly scheduled [event] today, but also to signal that we care,” Bandari said. “We are part of this same campus community, so let’s figure out ways to talk with each other and not at each other.”