Report Back: #OccupyPurdue

At the time of writing this, undergrads, grad students, faculty and staff have been occupying the atrium of Purdue’s main administrative building (Hovde Hall) for 29 days after Nazis (i.e. American Vanguard and fuckboy sympathizers) took to canvassing the campus with their white nationalist propaganda like they have done at many other college campuses across the country in an effort to normalize their fascist bullshit and recruit sad, disaffected white boys.

Immediately after the flyers went up, many people wrote to Mitch Daniels (the President of the University and former Republican Governor of the state of Indiana) demanding simply that a statement be made condemning white supremacy and fascist actions on campus. Of course for Mitch and the likes of those who will defend assholes like Richard Spencer, Milo Yiannopoulos, and The Fascist Cheeto in charge, the spook of “free speech” would be (in their minds) put at risk if the white supremacists were to be unequivocally condemned.

So, Ole boy Mitch gave a lame ass statement which said, “Reading the dozen or so words on the posters in question, it’s not at all clear what they mean.” Nobody with even a remote understanding of history could pull off this trick, obviously, and more letters from faculty, grad students, staff, and students were written demanding a stronger, more robust statement.

But the second statement was just another milquetoast ejaculation.

With anger over the administration’s lack of response, the community assembled outside of Hovde on November 5^th to yell and scream and vent, to come together in solidarity at the administration’s blatant disregard for marginalized individuals at Purdue, and to DEMAND that real policy change be enacted.

And wouldn’t you just know it the Nazis, who Mitch said were just attempting to “trigger an overreaction,” were there. In front of Hovde. On the President’s front porch. Chalking hate speech. Ready to meet us.

One of the students managed to take pictures of the Nazis, before being told by the Nazi to “Hail Victory Bitch!” At the pressure of local liberals, the students sent pictures to the racist Purdue PD (they are currently under investigation by the DOJ for racial discrimination within their own pig-pen) who told students that “surveillance” couldn’t manage to identify the Nazi. Of course.

The gathered community told administration at the conclusion of the rally that if no action was taken by the administration to meet the five demands by January 20^th, they would be back.

And on January 20^th, students conducted a blackout demonstration and then democratically voted to occupy the building (during business hours at the suggestion of liberals and threat of pigs arresting people) until the demands were met.

We have been in the building for six fucking weeks, and since, Mitch has spoken to students occupying for maybe a grand total of five minutes, abruptly interrupting any student who questioned his lack of policy knowledge or made a reasonable argument that didn’t float with his white-washed narration of what he called “American” history.

The Purdue Police department have come up with all kinds of petty ways to threaten arrests and persona non gratas, including loitering, disruption by whistling or squeaky shoes, dropping textbooks, hanging posters on wood paneling with the wrong kind of tape, and a whole slew of other garbage.

The janitorial staff kindly informed students that if they were in the building a minute beyond business hours they were instructed to call the cops and the students would be immediately arrested. Which is funny, as Nazis have several times entered the space outside of business hours, and put up more of their racist and xenophobic propaganda.

When the donut munchers were contacted about the Nazis entering the building outside of business hours the pigs told students they would “check surveillance” although there aren’t any cameras in the space that is being occupied.

Other times fuckboy conservatives have come into the atrium, attempted to take pictures or film without consent and get names even though they were told to fuck off. Lots of faculty, staff, and cultural center admins who anonymously support the cause have been told that their jobs are on the line if they came out in public support of the occupation.

If there’s anything that the occupation has brought to light, it’s this: liberals who insist on playing nice and being respectable don’t get shit done. University Presidents and police (as it could be predicted) are, despite how polite or Midwestern they talk, blatant supporters of fascism.

All the admin at Purdue cares about is protecting their money and their image. Purdue administration, especially Mitch Daniels, does NOT actually care about marginalized students, only sounding like he cares. He gets offended by being called a racist and a bigot, but remains quiet in the face of white supremacy and it is known the world over that if you are quiet in the face of injustice you have joined the side of the oppressor. Therefore, Mitch Daniels is a racist and a bigot. He only wants to protect the status quo, brush numerous racist actions on campus under the rug, and slide his greasy dollars back in his silky pockets.

White supremacists at Purdue act without fear of consequence, while students who advocate for a healthier and more diverse community on campus are threatened with imprisonment, retaliation from the administration, persona non gratas, etc. even though meeting the demands doesn’t take Neil fucking Armstrong or Amelia Earhart.

Those involved with the occupation have been followed, sexually harassed, reported to the Dean of Students as “students of concern,” and had their jobs threatened, while the administration has done NOTHING (and it seems will continue to do nothing) to combat racism on campus or look out for students of marginalized identities.

Fuck milquetoast neo-liberals. Fuck the police. Fuck Mitch.

We are not stopping this occupation until the demands are met.

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