A few fake tombstones and pictures of those killed by police filled the grass in front of Kerckhoff Hall Wednesday afternoon as students gathered to demonstrate against mass incarceration and police brutality.
About a dozen students gathered around, some voicing their own experiences with police brutality.
At the same time as the protest, Van Jones, a former special adviser for green jobs to President Barack Obama and human rights activist, lectured about mass incarceration and in favor of Proposition 47, a state ballot measure in the upcoming midterm election that would make some property and drug crimes misdemeanors instead of felonies.
Law enforcement groups have criticized the proposition, saying the proposition, if passed, will release many prisoners early and make the community unsafe. They also oppose the proposition because it would make potentially violent crimes like gun theft misdemeanors.
The two events on Wednesday were part of the National Day of Action Against Police Brutality, held since 1996 and organized by the national Stop Mass Incarceration Network.
Throughout October, students have held demonstrations on campus, such as building a mock prison cell that students sat inside for few hours. In August, some UCLA students held a candlelight vigil remembering those who encountered police brutality.
The shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo. in August has been sparking protests against police brutality and mass incarceration for months.
Devin Murphy, the Undergraduate Students Association Council president who brought Jones to campus, said he thinks the incident in Ferguson marks only one example of police brutality.
“There are so many more who have not been talked about,” he said. “This is a moment that is more relevant than ever.”
Murphy said he invited Jones to speak because he sees Jones as someone who can effectively analyze policies such as Proposition 47.
“You have politicians on campus, but you don’t have policy-oriented individuals,” Murphy said.
Students also used the demonstration to advocate for Proposition 47.
Murphy last week created a coalition for the Invest in Graduation Not Incarceration, Transform Education, or IGNITE, campaign. The UC-wide campaign, created last fall, has been advocating for the proposition for months, saying it will help decrease a what they call a bloated incarceration state that disproportionately affects minorities.
“(It’s a) common sense bill,” Jones said. “People should be punished for stupid things they do, but they shouldn’t be punished for the rest of their life.”
Some students witnessing the protest said they thought it was a good way to demonstrate students’ voice.
“It’s extremely important that those things are done,” said Efren Lopez, a graduate student in English who watched the protest. “I don’t think this is done enough on campus.”
Murphy said his office and the USAC external vice president’s office will continue advocating for Proposition 47 next week, including working on a rally on Tuesday with Bruin Democrats.
Contributing reports by Chandini Soni, Bruin senior staff.
I would be remiss if I didn’t let folks know that this protest was also to raise visibility for the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico. This is reflective of corruption and police brutality in a context that is more palatable for people to acknowledge. Time did a good job of providing a cursory view of it: http://time.com/3490853/mexico-massacre-students-police-cartel-corruption/