Behind the Barricades: Inside Siemens Hall

by Andres Felix Romero and Jasmin Shirazian

Due to potential ramifications, some individuals interviewed for this article are only identified with pseudonyms.

By the afternoon of April 23, President Tom Jackson’s personal porcelain throne was up for free use by the pro-Palestine protesters occupying Siemens Hall after a broken window allowed occupants access to the presidential suite.

After the police had withdrawn from the entrances of Siemens Hall around 11 p.m. on April 22, the protestors opened the doors and barricades to embrace their compatriots outside. Once the students committed to staying the night, they got to work building barricades around the building entrances. Despite the action not being organized by a specific individual or organization within 24 hours, protesters such as Naomi Chambers felt compelled to act in support of Palestine.

“[This action] was loosely organized,” Chambers said. “This has been six months of boiling rage. [This action is run by] like-minded youth that want to see Palestine liberated.”

With law enforcement gone, the protestors got to work around Siemens hall to secure themselves inside out of fear of another clash with police. Protestors sealed the doors with chains, locks, and fire hoses. The occupants then gathered chairs and desks throughout the building and barricaded each of the entrances. Doors were removed from hinges and bulletin boards from walls to be recruited into the barricades. The staircases leading to the second floor of the hall was barricaded as well. 

What was meant to be a sit-in protest had turned into a full-on occupation of Siemens hall following the clash between protestors inside the hall and the multi-departmental police force including agencies from Arcata, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, California Highway Patrol, and Cal Fire. Students who clashed with the police, such as Friend UU, felt frustrated about the police’s action during a prayer circle led by an indigenous student. According to UU, it was officers in tan uniforms at the front lines against the protesters in Siemens Hall.

“We were just chanting and [law enforcement] weren’t doing anything,” UU said. “But then, the second Indigenous students [began to pray], that was the moment they started pushing. I mean, how evil is that?”

Meanwhile, protestors outside of Siemens Hall erected barricades at the entrances. Some also slept or stood guard outside of the hall, behind the outdoor barricades. 

Jasmine Jolly, a child development and family relations major, was one of the student protesters outside. 

“I’m really showing up as support,” Jolly said. “I have been trying my best to hold it down outside so that people inside know they are supported and that they have allies backing them up, and if necessary, blocking the entrances.”

Jolly was at the protest from 8:30 p.m. on April 22 to 3:00 p.m. April 23. They carried a black megaphone that amplified their voice for the crowd. 

“I was leading some chants last night, but I was not the only one by a longshot,” Jolly said. “It was very organic. When someone’s voice started to give in, another person’s voice would take over. It was like a community.”

According to Jolly, the community came together to ensure the safety of protestors. There was not a single leader, but rather a collection of voices.  

“This is a group of people really working together to try to get voices heard,” Jolly said. “This was a community showing up in support of those inside, and even people inside, there’s not a ‘single’ leadership.”

After the building was secured, the occupiers settled in. Supporters outside of the building found ways to smuggle supplies such as food, water, medicine, hygiene products, and blankets into the building. 

Students slept where they could. The occupants set up a sleeping area by the elevator, and a few students were able to erect tents in the hallways outside of the provost’s office. Some students chose to lay out sleeping bags in the hallway, while others found rest on the floors of empty classrooms left open. 

The protesters began to create posters to hang on the windows as well as scrawled messages on the hallways throughout the building. One poster was created using bloodied bandages from an injured protestor. Messages in support of Gaza as well as condemning the police’s actions were scrawled on hallways, done with marker or spray paint. One protestor, Casey O’Connor, drew a mural depicting police striking their friend who was also protesting. 

“I felt the need to convey what happened in a visual medium,” O’Connor said. “So that admin can not ignore the fact that students were bloodied in this building.”

By the end of Siemens Hall rearrangement, the building felt surreal and almost out of a war zone. Doors were boarded up and students were camping underneath their written messages surrounded by supplies.

The first night was spent resting, taking shifts watching the barricades for other potential law enforcement action, and strategizing next moves. There was a mix of emotions amongst the group such as anxiety, uncertainty, and exhaustion. However, the more prevailing emotions were a sense of pride and community. The protestors knew the odds may not be perfect, but they were emboldened by law enforcement withdrawing. 

“I feel exhilarated,” Chambers said. “Everything in this world tells us [resistance] is impossible.”

As the sun rose after the first night, some activists took more drastic measures to get a point across to campus leadership. At some point in the afternoon on April 23, an unknown individual gained access to Tom Jackson’s presidential suite through a door window and protesters entered the suite.

Jackson’s suite had files looked through, wine taken, his desk left a mess, and as with the hallways, messages were written on the walls. Some of them noted the disgust they felt in their writings.

“DO YOU CARE?” One message wrote. “Seeing this office made me sick. Students, Palestinians, so many people are in pain and struggling, while you have an empty office full of amenities. DO BETTER.”

The protestors have vowed to remain occupying Siemens Hall until demands have been met. Despite the chaotic and stressful possibilities with this protest, the occupants are hopeful that the situation will be peaceful with its ending.

“I was expecting to get arrested.” Chambers said. “I was prepared for everything to go wrong, but I was also prepared for everything to go right for us. I’m determined to hold onto that [hope].”