One instance of graffiti on found on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus. [Photo provided]
An incident of theft, and a spattering of graffiti at Cal Poly have both been reported during the first day of the student activism celebration planned for this week on campus. As the first annual Global Awareness and Student Activism celebration of student activism at Cal Poly begins, with a full week of events planned on the anniversary of last year’s protests which shut down campus, an art show set up for the duration of the GASA Week has already been marred by the theft of several pieces of photography and art.
The week-long calendar of interactive events was inspired by the student protests which dominated local headlines this week last year, resulting in viral footage of the interactions between SWAT police and students within Siemens Hall, involving an empty 5 gallon water jug used in opposition to law enforcement officers in riot gear. The incident spawned multiple memes and even a viral grassroots TikTok hip hop song which has since gained a cult following on X and YouTube, echoing support for the pro-Palestine student activism campus movement.
Cal Poly Humboldt’s inaugural GASA Week (Global Awareness and Student Activism Week) was put together with coordination between students and some faculty members to facilitate a range of presentations and displays, including the activists’ art display within the Student Activities Center, at the Lumberjack Lounge containing images and written contributions from those involved in the 2024 protests on campus.
Within the Lumberjack Lounge turned GASA Week activism art gallery, a message was posted near a missing photo, which asserts that theft is indicative of the very type of oppression that student activists have decried.
A statement posted near an image showing the campus’ trash containers during the student protests last spring. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
The statement posted near an image showing the campus’ trash containers which had been adorned with posters outlining demands of the April 2024 encampment. Noting that the stolen image did not even last the first day, the statement reads, “THIS ACT CONTINUES THE SILENCING OF PRO-PALESTINIAN ACTIVISM + ORGANIZING THAT HAS OCCURRED SINCE FAR BEFORE THEFT, ETHNIC CLEANSING, AND SILENCING WILL NOT END PALESTINIAN LIBERATION. STAY LOUD UNTIL PALESTINE IS FREE.”
One stolen piece of artwork from the display was long string of crafted remembrances which was made last year, was the “Birds of Palestine” community work of art that showcased different paper cut-out birds, each individually decorated and reflecting the name of a child in Gaza who has been killed during the ongoing genocide. At this time, UNICEF estimated that within the Gaza Strip the number of children killed – which holds a population with the majority under the age of 18 – in the first twelve months of the war had already exceeded 14,000 with 17,000 missing or buried under immense rubble.
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Video by Ryan Hutson
A message received for a staff member indicated that there were 5 separate pieces taken from the display, and that the security camera footage was being reviewed to attempt to identify the person/s responsible for the theft.
A handprinted message on this image notes, “THIS IMAGE WAS STOLEN ON APRIL 22, THE DAY THIS GALLERY OPENED. THIS IS A REPLACEMENT PRINT. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
Not only were items reported stolen, there were several incidents of graffiti that popped up following the first day of GASA Week. The markings were promptly cleaned up by University maintenance.
Spray paint stencil-art graffiti was seen at the main quad, and read “FREE GAZA” while handwritten spray painted tags read “FREE GAZA” and “HAPPY 1 YR” at the entrance to a campus building. We reached out to Cal Poly for comment on both incidents – the theft and the graffiti – but did not receive a response before our deadline the same day.
Graffiti on the Cal Poly campus. [Photo provided]
For the program, each day of GASA Week is dedicated to a topic, with the day’s events planned to highlight those topics. (This reporter is participating in journalism panel slated for Friday at noon, at LIB 302)
Sprayed over graffiti on the Cal Poly campus. [Photo provided]
The GASA Week website provides a list of events including locations and times, of what is happening each day.
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