John Mejia, the University of Vermont staffer who vowed to refrain from eating until the university and the city of Burlington addressed a list of demands, ended their hunger strike Thursday after nearly a week of a water-only diet.
“I started this hunger strike because I wanted people who are supposedly our leaders to care. I wanted them to stop for a second, and they haven’t,” Mejia told a group of students at UVM’s Davis Center late Friday morning.
“The unfortunate side effect is that I’ve negatively impacted my own community. There are plenty of people who are distraught at the thought of me dying … who could not eat knowing that I was starving,” said Mejia, who started the strike February 16.
The UVM staffer, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” plans to “refuel” and “recharge” and continue to work with student leaders in pushing for their demands to be met. Mejia had asked for a Black Lives Matter flag to be permanently flown on campus and for increased funding for anti-racism events.
The student gathering in the Livak Fireplace Lounge and Gallery on the fourth floor of the Davis Center was the second protest in as many days. About 100 anti-racism protesters blocked a section of Main Street on Thursday and caused evening rush-hour havoc. Students also swarmed the Waterman Building on Tuesday in a similar display.
The latest assembly Friday coincided with an event for admitted students. Various campus departments had set up information tables at the Davis Center to offer assistance to prospective students and their parents, some of whom stood on the fringes and listened to the speeches made by the student leaders and Mejia.
Just before noon, the students made their way down to the building’s Olin Atrium on the first floor, where they chanted slogans that called for UVM president Tom Sullivan’s resignation.
Sophomore Olivia Bowman, who was manning the Student Life, Division of Student Affairs table, said a couple of parents had asked her about the commotion. Others didn’t take much notice of the assembly.
“Some people would put their head down and ignore what’s going on, which is what I’ve seen a lot of students do, too,” Bowman said.
Later Friday, Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo released a statement about the police response to Thursday night’s “civil disobedience” on Main Street. He said there were no arrests made and defended his department’s decision to allow the protest to proceed.
“When the reason people are blocking traffic is to engage in political protest on matters of great interest to the community, officers are required to be judicious in the use of their powers to remove protesters from the road,” the statement read.
“The police department rejects the idea that it has an automatic obligation to put an end to any protest that employs civil disobedience. Similar traffic delays have been caused by fatal accidents, hazardous spills, the Independence Day fireworks display, the Champlain Valley Expo, and snow.”
But del Pozo also said that “the action was unlawful” and that “widespread disruptions cannot become the norm.”
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“When the reason people are blocking traffic is to engage in political protest on matters of great interest to the community…” Is the chief under the impression he gets to decide what is a matter of great interest and therefore immune from prosecution, and what is simply criminal misbehavior? That sounds like going well beyond simply enforcing our laws, but instead appointing oneself with the powers of a court.
Happy to see this stupid hunger strike is over. Bullying his employer into doing what he wants or watching him do harm to himself was never a good way to accomplish anything. Sit down with the other side, and discuss the issues like adults. Arrange for interviews with WCAX, Seven Days, VT Digger, and others if the other side won’t come to the table. If you really feel you have to, go on the hunger strike JUST to raise awareness of the issue and start debate.
Don’t go the “do what I say, or else” route. That’s always the wrong way to accomplish change.
Glad to see the police chief is tailoring his style to our community, and not just importing nyc crowd control tactics. Hopefully we’ll be successful in creating an environment where we can all live our lives
Get rid of the incompetent chief and replace him with someone who will enforce the law. You are not allowed to walk on the interstate- that alone constituted a crime. “Civil Disobedience” is a bunch of leftist BS straight out of the BLM playbook. Who is this police dept working for?
The people of Vermont
Or the democratic party?
“The police department rejects the idea that it has an automatic obligation to put an end to any protest that employs civil disobedience. Similar traffic delays have been caused by fatal accidents, hazardous spills, the Independence Day fireworks display, the Champlain Valley Expo, and snow.”
Bravo, Chief del Pozo. Glad to see Burlington hasn’t been infected by the Standing Rock anti-protest virus. Peaceful civil disobedience is a necessary component of a functioning democracy.
Sounds like Mr. Mejia is not truly committed to the cause. Hes a quitter just like a liberal when the going gets tough they quit. Kids your leader got hungry so he abandoned you and your cause. Time to follow leaders that are willing to stick it out when things get tough. Or better yet start thinking for yourselves. Group think is the death of democracy.
Oleander,
This wasn’t civil disobedience, calling it such cheapens the term. Civil disobedience includes accepting the consequences of your actions. Henry Thoreau didn’t refuse to pay the poll tax and then expect to wander off back to his lake house. He accepted the consequences and went to jail. With no risk of consequences, this was simply pandering and indulging the temper tantrum of a favored and pampered group of children at the expense of uncounted other citizens.
Patrick, have you asked the involved students whether or not they were willing to risk the consequences? I imagine they were. They are just as well educated in history as we are, and the graduate students quoted have already demonstrated that they’re willing to risk their diplomas, despite the monetary and time costs. That’s nothing to sneeze at. I think it’s incredibly ironic of you armchair quarterbacks to call this generation entitled. They’re fighting back in the only way they know how.
Intentions are unknown and unknowable though I’m sure they would all claim to be willing to be held accountable as long as they didn’t have to follow through, but let’s help them out and actually make this civil disobedience retroactively. There are numerous photos of perfectly identifiable kids in the act of committing crimes. Let’s see them actually held accountable. Otherwise if you keep pandering to them, they are just going to keep whining and acting out.
This is why I don’t like hunger strikes, no one sees thru.
This is why I don’t like hunger strikes, no one sees them through to the end.
I felt the need to finish your thought. Hope you don’t mind.
Rich ard, Kawskwe- look up Bobby Sands. Does no one study history anymore?
So, an out of state racist group posts racist provocative signs on campus and the consequence is that the University President must resign and the library be renamed or there will be hell to pay?
My family was heavily involved in protest movements in the 60s and we kids had our political ideas formed by the conflicts of those times. I was quite the long haired radical myself in my teens.
I was all for BLM when it got started.
Now I believe that BLM promotes racial tension and misunderstanding and causes more harm than good.
The problem of racism is very real and how can one help but have some feelings of support for people who are fighting racism.
But they do so many uselessly provocative things that backfire. Demands! What a word, Demands! A word sure to cause a backlash. There is this thing called democracy. A demand is inherently undemocratic. Screw the process, screw voting, we Demand that the president resign. SO sick of this. BLM and this kind of nuclear powered campus PC brought us to trump.
The out of state racist organization ( I wish the police would name them!) must be beside itself with glee, it played the campus protest movement perfectly, it got just what it wanted, a bright display of our way or the highway left wing campus activism that is sure to backfire, not that the protesters will notice.
Anyone who thinks that trump can’t be reelected or that the average American is not sick of both racist groups AND campus left wing PC demands is mistaken.
I am wasting my time saying these things, I know. The culture of the campus left has long ago formed and is based on tactics that make most people react against them. Including me.
I fully encourage Mejia to emulate Mr Sands. I love history.
“John Mejia, the University of Vermont staffer who vowed to refrain from eating until the university and the city of Burlington addressed a list of demands, ended their hunger strike Thursday after nearly a week of a water-only diet.”
“Their” hunger strike?
Mejia may use plural pronouns incorrectly, as the story later points out.
But that is no excuse for a Seven Days writer to be illiterate.
.
“John Mejia, the University of Vermont staffer who vowed to refrain from eating until the university and the city of Burlington addressed a list of demands, ended their hunger strike Thursday after nearly a week of a water-only diet.”
“Their” hunger strike?
Mejia may incorrectly use plural pronouns, as the story later points out.
But that is no excuse for a Seven Days writer to practice illiteracy.
He was worried that his comrades weren’t eating. By the looks of the group shown, I’d be more worried about how much and what they’re eating. They all look like future cardiac/diabetes patients