Written by Andrew Alonzo and Mick Rhodes | aalonzo@claremont-courier.comeditor@claremont-courier.com
Claremont College students staged a sit-in protest on Dec. 8, demanding that Pomona College withdraw funds from its endowment that they say benefits arms manufacturers and institutions that aid Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. The students also called on Pomona College officials to call a ceasefire in the conflict.
“We have every reason to believe they are financially and materially invested in the ongoing apartheid in Palestine and now the genocide in Gaza,” said Jessica, a 22-year-old student and member of the apartheid organization Pomona Divest. family name. We have seen time and time again that their actions do not match their words. And so, as students here… we feel morally compelled to be here and to stand in solidarity with the international call from the Palestinians to do whatever we can do within the institutional spaces of which we are a part to stop funding the ongoing genocide.
Pomona Apartheid, the 5C Palestine Liberation group that was behind the protest, as well as three other recent demonstrations over the past three weeks, also made demands at the event, which included more than 100 demonstrators, including that Pomona College commit to campaign promises For the United States academic and cultural boycott of Israel; Publicly condemn the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the genocide of the Palestinian people there; Develop anti-discrimination policies that specifically protect Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Southwest Asian, North African, Black, Latino, and Indigenous students.
“If Pomona divests, if Pomona issues a statement demanding a ceasefire, it will certainly impact, at the very least, other institutions of higher education around the country and the world,” said Marla, a 5C student and college graduate. A member of the PDA’s de-escalation team, who was present at the demonstration and also chose not to give her last name. “Moreover, it will contribute to this momentum of saying: ‘Enough is enough, this is unacceptable.'”
“Gabe Starr tries to convince people in so many words that this is not where Pomona is, that the school has no influence, that it’s just a small giveaway, but that’s not the case,” Marla added.
The latest available data indicates that Pomona College’s endowment is close to $3 billion.
A Claremont student at a Dec. 8 protest on the Pomona College campus. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
The Courier repeatedly reached out to Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr this week, but she declined an interview, citing her work schedule.
“I addressed this issue in a letter a few weeks ago,” Starr wrote in an email, adding a link to her Nov. 8 statement titled “Pluralism, Dissent, and Discrimination,” which can be viewed at pomona.edu/administration by clicking “Office “For the President,” then “Data.”
Starr wrote in a statement issued on December 9 that the door is open for discussion with the protesters.
“I and other officials have repeatedly offered to meet when protesters come to Alexander Hall, but these offers have been declined,” she wrote. “I will remain open to dialogue with students.”
The December 8 demonstration began outside Pomona College’s Freire Dining Hall, where demonstrators from Pomona Digest placed about 2,665 Palestinian flags on the grounds of Walker Beach, which they said represented every Palestinian child killed in the conflict between October 7 and October 26. Two students released red dye into the Edward P. and Mary J. Pospichel Fountain during the protest, and protesters blocked the north and south entrances to the Ferrari Dining Hall. PDP activists also led chants, including, “Israel bombs, Pomona pays, how many children did you kill today?”
“This points to the fact that while Israel is relentlessly dropping bombs on Gaza’s schools, hospitals and places of worship, we know that Pomona is sending them money,” Jessica said. “We know that Pomona invests in the weapons manufacturers that make those bombs,” and when asked for evidence of that assertion, she said, “I think it would be great if you asked the school.”
A Claremont student plants some of the thousands of Palestinian flags displayed at the December 8 protest. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
“Several times they refused to disclose their investments,” Jessica added. “Students have been asking for this for a very long time. We know that if Pomona had not invested in very unsavory companies and had not had very unsavory investments including the Gaza genocide, it would have disclosed its investments and ended this because it could easily have done so. And it did not “They have been meeting this demand for years.”
Starr’s December 9 statement also addressed the December 8 protest outside Ferrari. It reads in part:
“While the demonstrators were blocking access to the dining hall, a student who tried to pass the demonstrators was blocked and arrested in an incident documented on video. Physical contact of this kind is completely unacceptable and will be investigated under our judicial procedures as well. It is also unacceptable under our protest policies for access to the building to be blocked, which in this case forced hundreds of students to find somewhere else to eat and resulted in hundreds of pounds of food being wasted.
“We live in turbulent times, and the Board of Trustees and I support the right of all members of our community to protest in ways consistent with college policies. However, when such a protest disrupts the normal operations of the college, or worse, puts others at risk, we will take action.” necessary to ensure Pomona is a safe environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors.
“We will be coordinating with other Claremont colleges as we conduct a full investigation into Friday’s events. Beyond individuals, any university institutions found to be involved may be subject to disciplinary action, in accordance with our judicial processes.”
A Claremont College student demonstrator added red dye to the fountain during the protest. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
Pomona College Executive Chef Travis Ellis sent an email about 90 minutes after the Dec. 8 protest began indicating that the annual Harry Potter-themed dinner, which was scheduled to be held in Ferrari, had been canceled due to the protest.
Organizers then read hundreds of names of Palestinian children who they say were killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas between October 7 and 26, continuing a counting process that began during a December 5 demonstration on the Pomona College campus, when about 2,000 names were spoken. The protest also included an audio presentation of testimonies from Palestinians on the ground in Gaza.
The demonstration concluded with students signing pledge cards aimed at amplifying the demands of the PDA. Organizers also distributed flyers depicting the faces and names of Pomona College Board of Trustees members and some salaries.
“Ultimately, we hope and believe that we have the political power here to pressure all five countries to divest and meet our demands,” Jessica said. “Right now…we are focusing on Pomona because they have the largest endowment and therefore they are funding the Palestinian genocide the most right now. We also believe that once we are effective in our organizing campaign at Pomona, it will be easier for other schools to do the same, and we are confident that will happen.
Claremont Colleges students block the south entrance of the Ferrari Dining Hall during a protest. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
They said the student protesters wore masks to protect their identity and for hygienic purposes. The majority of those the letter spoke to declined to identify themselves, citing fear of retaliation from Pomona College or “doxxing,” the unauthorized digital dissemination of a person’s personal information by parties with malicious intent.
“Masks are a concern in any situation as they prevent identification of someone violating the campus code of conduct,” Starr wrote in the email to The Courier.
According to a safety rule sheet provided to protesters, students were asked not to engage with “adversaries,” including campus security, Claremont police, professors, or anyone filming, including media representatives.
On December 9, the day after the Courier posted its story about the protest on its website, it received a flurry of more than 30 emails and several voicemails. The messages, purportedly from the 5C students, but also from a group of people claiming to be the students’ parents, arrived over a period of about one hour. Each of them asked Al-Resala to remove photos taken during the protest from its website, including a photo of the man who spoke at the protest.
All of the sample letters were slight variations of this one: “I beg you to remove the front page photo of your recent issue on campus protests and not to include photos of this person in future articles,” the sample letter read. “It features a very vulnerable person of color in the 5Cs who is a first-generation, low-income individual. And so, they are exposed to massive backlash or violence on campus. As you may have noticed, campus security has gone to great lengths to photograph students and their faces during the protests. There is harm Extraordinary and real caused by this photo. Thank you for covering the vigil. In the future, please blur out faces in highly condemnatory photos or videos (especially of queer, Muslim, and black individuals).
The campus of Pomona College has been abuzz with protests in recent days, as students voice their concerns and demand change from the administration. Tensions have been running high, but the administration has stated that it is open to dialogue and willing to listen to the grievances of the student body. The protests have brought attention to various issues, and it is clear that the campus community is eager to see meaningful and lasting change. As the campus grapples with these demonstrations, it is evident that the need for open and constructive dialogue is more crucial than ever.