Students occupy administration building at Howard University

#huresist

Update Apr 6: Administration agrees to 7 of the 9 original demands, occupation ends in victory-protest WORKS!

Update Apr 4 8PM: Progress reported in negotiations, students at press conference report far more Howard Trustees now attending the negotiations. Emphasis on "transparency" as an overall demand

Update Apr 3 4:20PM: This is now the longest occupation in HU history

Update Apr 2 2:22PM: HU Trustee Rock Newman grabs at WUSA Cameraman's camera(this is assault)Rock Newman's video originally posted to twitter

Update April 2 2:10PM: Police attack does not materialize, occupation holding strong. Students rename Admin building Kwame Ture Student Center

Update April 1 10:30PM: Calm for the moment, no cops after earlier police buildup, and fears of forcible eviction if 9PM meeting w Board of Trustees went badly. Students chanted as board members entered, Trustees promised not to use violence to clear the building. Worries that MPD will be quietly told to do exactly that, followed by denials of responsibility. Watch this promise!

Update April 1 2PM: University agrees to one demand, extends housing deposit deadline to May 1. Negotiations with Board of Trustees ongoing, 8 demands to go.

March 30 7PM: University President still refusing to meet with students, board of Trustees doubles down with statement of support for HU President Wayne A.I. Frederick.

On the 30th of March, students at Howard University occupied the main administration building at 2400 6th st. The adminstration attempted without succcess to get them out by turning off the HVAC and letting the building become quite hot inside. Demands included housing for all students under 21, stopping tuition hikes, disarming the Howard University Police, sacking the university President and many more.

On Friday, March 30, the second day of the occupation, students declared the adminstration building "closed," securing all entrances and barring anyone without a Howard University student ID. Adminstrator's personal documents are of course not student ID. Several administrators already inside locked themselves in their offices. Students declared they are free to leave at any time, saying "we are not stopping anyone from leaving." Of course, once outside these executives cannot return to their offices.

The Washington Post implies in an article that the student takeover was triggered by the previous day's report that six "employees" had been double-dipping financial aid plus university grants. This however may have been but the last straw among many other issues. While student leaders have condemned the cluprits in that case as having "stolen huge sums from deserving aid recipients," student demands go well beyond just dealing with the fallout from this wholesale theft of financial aid funds.

The demands of HU Resist are as follows:

1: We demand that Howard University provide adequate housing for all students under the age of 21 and extend the Fall 2018 housing deposit deadline to May 1.

2: We demand an immediate end to unsubstantiated tuition hikes and complete access to administrative salaries.

3:We demand that Howard University actively fight rape culture on campus in an effort to prevent sexual assault.

4:We demand that Howard University implement a grievance system to hold faculty and administrators accountable in their language and actions toward students with marginalized identities.

5:We demand that Howard University hire more counselors and implement an inclusive attendance policy that accounts for mental and emotional health issues.

6:We demand the immediate disarming of campus police officers and the formation of a Police Oversight Committee controlled by students, faculty, staff, and off-campus community representatives.

7:We demand that Howard University allocate more resources toward combating food insecurity and gentrification within the LeDroit-Shaw community.

8:We demand the immediate resignation of President Wayne A.I. Frederick and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.

9:We demand that students have the power to democratically influence the decisions of the administration and the Board of Trustees by way of popular vote.

Video-students chant and read out their demands inside the Administration building