UPDATE, 7:45 p.m.: After a mostly quiet day on Cal Poly Humboldt campus, a few hundred people have gathered on LK Wood Boulevard — the largest showing since the first night of the occupation a week ago — to wave signs and chant pro-Palestinian slogans as a few members of the California Highway Patrol look on.

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It was fairly quiet up at Cal Poly Humboldt today, one week after pro-Palestinian protesters first stormed Siemens Hall and set up camp. National media have come to town, memes have been promulgated, some property has been torn up and graffiti’d, and the university has gone back to COVID-era learning for the remainder of the semester. Various parties on campus, including the University Senate, have called upon President Tom Jackson to resign.

At least for the time being, though, things have settled into stalemate. Activists did their laundry, and supporters held a march and another teach-in near Siemens Hall. A man bearing an Israeli flag marched with them and was not abused.

Will the administration attempt to end the occupation with force before commencement, on May 11? It seems as though there would be no surer way of casting a pall over ceremonies, but it does seem just possible.

Large numbers of Highway Patrol — state government’s principal police agency — have been seen making their way into town. Earlier this afternoon, about 50 CHP officers were seen gathering at the agency’s headquarters on Arcata’s Samoa Boulevard before pairing up and leaving the scene in patrol vehicles. A CHP helicopter had lighted nearby.

Additional out-of-town officers have been spotted throughout the week, including patrol cars from other CSU campuses, including Chico and Channel Islands.

Would such a force assemble were it not intended to clear the campus? It’s possible, maybe. Maybe the hope is to intimidate the protesters into leaving voluntarily. (If they haven’t already, that is. Siemens Hall has been closed to visitors since the weekend, and it’s difficult to know what’s going on inside.) Maybe the officers are here as a contingency, in case things get more out of hand on campus. 

But certainly the fear on campus, among supporters, is that a crackdown could be imminent. The Outpost briefly spoke with one professor who was delivering masks and respirators to students. “Surreal,” the professor called it.

The Outpost’s Ryan Burns caught up with Abdi Soltani, the executive director of the ACLU’s Northern California chapter, who is on-hand to observe. 

“It’s really important for this university, working with its faculty and with its students, to resolve this issue through a response that does not involve a law enforcement escalation,” Soltani said. “It’s not for me to say, like, ‘What will that process produce?’ But to escalate to a law enforcement response, again, will not be good for the university or its community in the long run.”

Full Abdi Soltani interview, April 29.

Social media rumors have it that many of the out-of-town officers have put up at the Blue Lake Casino and Hotel. (The Outpost spotted a CSU Channel Islands police vehicle there earlier today, but that was the only one.) According to the Rancheria, which put out a statement today, its employees have been subject to harassment because of this, and it asks people to cut it out. Full statement below.

[DISCLOSURE: The Blue Lake Rancheria is a minority owner of the Outpost’s parent company, Lost Coast Communications, Inc.]

Press release from the Blue Lake Rancheria:

While Pro-Palestine protesters continue to occupy Cal Poly Humboldt’s campus, they have also turned their attention to the economic enterprises that are operated by the Blue Lake Rancheria, a Federally Recognized Tribe located in Humboldt County, situated in far northwestern California. Protesters claim that some law enforcement officers are staying at the Blue Lake Hotel and have begun to utilize intimidation and harassment tactics against Blue Lake Rancheria (BLR) and their businesses. BLR wants to remind the protesters that it is important to express their concerns peacefully and within the bounds of the law.

There have been unsuccessful attempts to disrupt BLR’s websites, threatening calls made to front desk staff, threats to harm the physical buildings in and around BLR, derogatory comments made to staff and patrons, social media posts naming employees and more. Understandably, these intimidating tactics have been unsettling to many of BLR’s hospitality staff who are members of Union Local 49 out of Sacramento.

Blue Lake Rancheria assures its patrons that these attempts have not been successful and that BLR has many safeguards in place to protect information and staff and ensure that the customer experience while at the Casino, Hotel, or other commercial operations across the property, will remain safe and enjoyable.

Blue Lake Rancheria recognizes and empathizes with the volatile circumstances between Palestine and Israel and desires a cease fire. They emphasize the importance of civil discourse (the practice of deliberating about matters of public concern in a way that seeks to expand knowledge and promote understanding) and localized peace. Ancestors of BLR Tribal Members ancestors experienced the genocide associated with Colonialism such as death, disease, loss of cultural practices, displacement and more, on a deeply personal and cultural level, BLR understands the significance of “Land Back” efforts, but they strongly discourage attempts to disrupt their business operations in the spirit of this movement. It is a direct contradiction to the movement.

Blue Lake Rancheria is committed to securing a better future for its people, protecting its sovereignty and heritage, and building a resilient, healthy economy and environment. They value community and education and work in service to support both. They have a history of progressive initiatives and actions. BLR is a Climate Action Champion that has been recognized by the White House for their innovative efforts to reduce the causes of climate change and has garnered attention and accolades for deploying the first-of-its-kind microgrid to build resilience in response to the climate crisis.

Further, BLR has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in student scholarships, provides over 40,000 meals annually to Tribal Elders across Humboldt and Trinity Counties, leads restoration and monitoring efforts for the Batuwa’t (Mad River), deploys air quality monitors across the region, supports firefighting efforts across the Western United States, serves as a resilience hub in times of regional disasters, sponsors programs such as Toys for Tots, Pathmakers Program, Humboldt Aquaculture Symposium, SAFE (Smoke, Air, Fire and Energy) Symposium, and more. Over the years, Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal representatives have been instrumental in assisting Cal Poly Humboldt’s Foundation to significantly move their portfolio into green investing and real estate holdings and away from many concerning sectors including direct investment in defense-based companies. This has been a source of pride for both the University as well as BLR.

It is the Tribe’s belief that an orderly resolution is possible between the protesters and Cal Poly Humboldt in a manner that can afford the students of Cal Poly Humboldt the opportunity to complete this year with access to the ceremonies and experiences they deserve while recognizing the complex challenges experienced by so many across the globe. This graduating class has endured more than its share of hardships during their university tenure, including the many impacts associated with COVID-19, death of fellow students, 6.4 Magnitude earthquake of 2022, regional climate crisis effects such as wildfire, air quality, sea level rise and more.

It is for these reasons the Blue Lake Rancheria calls for a swift and peaceful resolution to the protests, an end of the occupation of buildings on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus as well as an immediate end to the harassment and threats of unlawful activity currently being experienced by Blue Lake Rancheria’s Tribal Government and their commercial enterprises.