PSLM Protestors Use New Tactics in Occupation

The decision by the Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) to occupy Byerly Hall on Friday marked a significant escalation in the group's campaign for a living wage.

In its 18 months of activism, PSLM members had never defied direct orders of the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD), communicating openly and often with officers and HUPD Chief Francis D. "Bud" Riley.

At all past protests, even unannounced "teach-ins" in Mass. Hall and the Holyoke Center, PSLM ended its demonstrations as soon as HUPD officers asked members to leave.

But on Friday, the group refused.

"It's an escalation that is unfortunate," Riley said. "It's the first time they refused to leave when we requested them to."

PSLM members said they undertook Friday's action knowing they faced the risk of arrest.

"We didn't expect to be arrested, but we were prepared to be," said Benjamin L. McKean '02, a member of PSLM.

But he said the group did not anticipate forceful action by HUPD because of the presence of prospective first-year students.

"It would look pretty terrible for them to arrest us in front of the pre-frosh," he said.

The group met 30 minutes before the demonstration to discuss contingency plans in the event that HUPD officers did attempt to arrest them.

Members did not bring toothbrushes, a common preparation for civil disobedience, but they did arrange possible sources for bail.

The majority vowed to stay in the building at all costs.

"We do not comply in any way," Jane H. Martin '01, a member of PSLM, told the group before entering Byerly Hall. "We do not negotiate."

After conferring with Riley, administrators decided to allow the protesters to remain in the building until 6 p.m., eliminating the need for arrests or forceful evictions.

Riley said administrators' decision to allow the protesters to stay removed HUPD's responsibility to discipline them, but he said demonstrators still face the threat of punitive action from the Administrative Board.

"It's up to the dean's office to deal with it, not us," Riley said. "It's up to the College to decide."

As part of standard HUPD procedure, police detectives videotaped every protester. Riley said he would offer the tape, which could be used to identify students, to Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth '71, the administrator responsible for student groups.

"If he wants the videotape, we'll give it to him," Riley said.

But Illingworth said he was not considering disciplinary action against the protesters.

"While they didn't leave when Chief Riley asked them to, they haven't been disruptive," he said.

McKean said the College has no grounds for disciplining members of PSLM because of Harvard's free speech guarantees and the peacefulness of the protest.

"We were extremely orderly and not disruptive at all," said McKean, who is also a Crimson editor. "We knew what we were doing and why we were there and what we wanted to accomplish."

While not designed to be disruptive, McKean said the action represented a deliberate increase of pressure. He said the University's continuing resistance to implementing a living wage prompted the group to employ more forceful tactics.

"[Friday] was definitely an escalation, and I think a necessary one," he said. "We haven't seen any movement at all. [Administrators] continue to claim they don't want any more than dialogue, but we've had all the dialogue there can be."

Illingworth, who has met with the group on a consistent basis for the past several weeks, said he did not consider PSLM's action more forceful than past demonstrations.

He said Friday's protest fit into "the overall pattern" of the group's campaign.

"They want to go to venues where they can get attention, and they know everybody is paying attention to pre-frosh weekend," he said.