S.F. State: An Inside View (1960s)
In 1969, John Sugiyama was elected chair of the JACL Northern California Western Nevada District Youth Council. He was also a junior at San Francisco State during one of the longest, most costly and militant student strikes in California history.
Below are his firsthand observations originally published in the Feb. 7, 1969, Pacific Citizen issue.
As many of you may know, San Francisco State College has for the past couple months been racked with varying degrees of violence, turmoil, and confusion. As a junior at San Francisco State College, I have been a witness to many of the happenings and thus feel qualified to give my opinion of the situation.
The basic issues in the turmoil at SFSC are still the 10 demands of the Black Students Union and the five demands of the Third World Liberation Front (composed of the Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and Afro-Americans).
Basically these demands center around more freedom for ethnic minorities in determining the course of their own education.
For example, one demand is for the establishment of a School of Ethnic Studies under which various departments world be created dealing with specific ethnic groups as, Black Studies, Asian Studies, etc. As of now, this demand had been granted by the College Administration.
However money is needed to implement this demand and the State College Board of Trustees who control the allocation of money, do not seem to be willing to move rapidly in financing this program.
Student Power Play
As the demands were stated, a strike was called by the two groups in an effort to close the campus until all the demands were met.
Classes were interrupted by dissident students in an effort to close the campus. There was however quite a bit of confusion regarding the meaning of many of the demands.
Therefore just before the Thanksgiving holiday, a three day Convocation was proposed in which the main purpose was to educate students and the public to the demands of the BSU and TWLF.
These two groups at that time, it seemed, were beginning to realize that the administration had no power in implementing these demands but that only the Trustees had such power. The Convocation for the two days that it was held proved I'm sure educational for all who attended.
Then it happened. All hell broke loose. President Smith resigned and S. I. Hayakawa, noted semanticist, became acting president. He vowed to keep the campus open using police if necessary. This he did, using upwards of 600 police on campus.
The college was definitely moving in a direction of discussing the demands, which is a necessary first step in resolving the crisis.
When Dr. Hayakawa brought police on campus, the policy of the administration turned from one of discussing the issues to one of ignoring them. This enraged students and rallies were held daily.
A state of emergency was declared on campus and rallies were deemed illegal. Police were used to disperse the crowds of students numbering at times into the two thousands.
Police Brutality
Now, you may have read about police brutality but never witnessed it. Believe me, it is a fact. For the first time in my life, I saw innocent people clubbed and beaten by police. It is not a very pleasant sight to say the least.
Therefore I could not understand the logic behind keeping the campus open under a police state.
During the time the police were on campus, the college was more "closed" than before.
Not 'Open' Campus
Innocent students were not protected by police. It was dangerous enough to walk from class to class, building to building without the fear of being caught between police and striking students.
In the classes, students were too nervous to be able to concentrate on their studies. Professors had difficulty in lecturing over the noise of a police helicopter flying over campus surveying the situation. The campus atmosphere was not conducive to learning.
It was not truly an open campus.
There is no promise that everything will be in order when school resumes in January. Striking students want all the demands met and the college administration is determined to keep the campus open.
No Understanding
Of course, the situation is much more complex than space will permit it to be explained here.
However perhaps the important question now is "What can be learned from the SFSC crisis?"
In talking with many adults in the community, I am saddened by the lack of understanding expressed by many adults exhibited toward the feelings and needs of young adults.
Students expressing a need for understanding and a desire to shape the world into which they must live and raise a family are met by cries by many adults that these "radicals" are bent on the destruction of society or that these elements are communist inspired.
It is a sad commentary upon our society that many people express a lack of understanding by not attempting to understand the reasons for such concern.
Much is said about the "Generation Gap" but little is done about it.
A friend commented that rather than a "Generation Gap" there exists a "Value Gap." If this is true, let us attempt to understand the formation of values on the part of adults and young adults. If we tried to perceive the needs of others rather than our own, perhaps problems like those at SFSC would never have occurred.
Unfortunately, such a lesson is often learned the hard way.
To order the 2007 Holiday Issue, email circulation@pacificcitizen.org.
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