In light of a lawsuit filed by former Cornell University student identified as Jane Doe against seven fraternity students, Aria Wang PO ’27 writes about the rally against sexual assault on Oct. 8, which attempted to display solidarity with Jane Doe. She situates the rally within institutional constraints, arguing that demandless action without adequate input from survivors on future care and resistance can often fall short.
Tag: Protest
ACLU, Amnesty International report on repression cites Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps; Pomona disputes claims
Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges were mentioned in a Sept. 23 report by Amnesty International USA and the American Civil Liberties Union addressing suppression of “pro-Palestine speech and dissent” across college campuses nationwide. In a statement to TSL, a Pomona spokesperson wrote that the report “makes serious errors, unsupported by the source material.”
OPINION: Where have all the political organizers gone?
Lina McRoberts PO ’27 examines the afterlife and political inheritance of campus organizing in an attempt to tackle this question. Student organizing isn’t gone, she argues, but has only assumed an altered form.
OPINION: What Minneapolis can teach us about America’s descent into fascism
“As students at the 5Cs, we have the privilege of residing in a community that feels physically and emotionally distant from ICE activity, despite deportations taking place as close as Pomona County,” Olivia Brinkman PO ’29 writes. “Scrolling through horrific reels, at a loss for what to do, we think to ourselves: What impact do we really have when our government is crumbling around us? This sense of helplessness is exactly what Trump and other elected officials want you to feel — it allows them to continue to exercise their power to commit crimes without facing the consequences. ”
Documenting collective memory: Archival projects at 5C APIDA spaces
Many of our campuses’ APIDA spaces came into being in the wake of student protest and political contention. Decades later, we risk forgetting these histories. The AARC and CAPAS are carrying out archival projects meant to preserve institutional memory and share the history of 5C APIDA student life and organizing.
OPINION: Trump’s authoritarianism doesn’t listen to your No Kings Day cardboard signs
Trump’s administration has sanctioned a campaign of extrajudicial kidnappings, careless deportation, and general terror. It has forced those it targets to ask the permanent question of will I still be here tomorrow, every day. So why do we only show our dissent if we get a little free time, and nothing good is on TV? In the No Kings protests, Jason Murillo PO ‘28 sees performance, not praxis. Cheerfully bobbing oh-so-clever signs on streetcorners does nothing to practically oppose a regime that has no respect for the Constitution, much less polite dissent.
Claremont community voice opinions on Trump in wake of ‘No Kings’ demonstration
On Oct. 18, over 1,500 people gathered at the intersection of Foothill and North Indian Hill Boulevard to participate in a “No Kings” protest.
OPINION: Celebrating the oppressors: How corporatized pride harms queer liberation
This June, pride month celebrations and protests are backlit by political unrest spurred by ICE raids, mobilization of the California National Guard against protestors in Los Angeles and police response to protests. In light of these imminent threats to undocumented members of the queer community, LA Pride organizers stated that they were “actively working with local Law Enforcement to ensure a safe and welcoming environment at all Pride events.” Evan Sevaly, CM ’26 argues that the cognitive dissonance of asking the members of the queer community to put their trust in the same people who are persecuting them is indicative of how pride has been leveraged by the forces it was found to fight against.
Latest Trump threats to protesting spark concern at the 5Cs
In a Truth Social Post on March 4, President Donald Trump threatened to freeze federal funding for colleges and universities that allow “illegal protests”, concerning 5C community members about their possible targeting.
OPINION: Our duty to protest
Since January, Donald Trump has signed over 81 executive orders targeting DEI, immigration rights, transgender protections and more. Why aren’t we protesting? For many, the combination of hopelessness and fear has led to inaction. Alex Benach PO ’28 examines our lack of faith in protest, confronts our duties as college students and argues that silence isn’t an option. Benach lays out tangible steps we can take to resist authoritarianism and protect our communities.