A dispatch from the Rudolph Hall Old Folks Home

There is a lot of tragedy in the world right now. What has happened at Yale is not the worst of it, but I write this to share with you what I have seen in the past couple weeks. To be upfront, I support the full decolonization of Palestine and the complete liberation of the Palestinian people. Stopping the genocide and halting the flow of weapons are the most urgent necessities, but this is not the end goal. An end to the occupation and a free Palestine is the goal.

On Monday, April 22nd, around 7 o’clock in the morning, the Yale police department began arresting peaceful protestors the exact same way it arrested those who protested Yale’s connections to apartheid in South Africa and the Vietnam War.

I’ve been involved in many protests and movements, from opposing the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, to Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter. All those times, I have been with comrades who knew the lengths that institutions of wealth and empire would go to protect their interests. I’ve been arrested multiple times and many of my friends have as well. We all know it’s part of the fight.

I had forgotten that here at Yale, there are many people who are getting involved for the first time, acting out for the first time, and speaking up for the first time. On Monday, many people were arrested for the first time and many more saw their friends arrested for the first time, all in Yale’s attempts to silence them. I can talk about the heartbreak of seeing them so hurt by this institution that they came to for education, but that wouldn’t really be right.

Instead I will tell you about the pride and inspiration I feel, when those who had been arrested, upon release, returned straight away to a rally and led us all in chants of “Free Palestine!” While Peter Salovey and the Yale administration have tried to spin a twisted narrative, make no mistake that these demonstrations are being organized by students just like us. Their conviction and resolve to fight in the face of criminal charges and threats of academic expulsion is a beautiful light in these dark times.

Finally, just let me say that this is not over. It won’t be over until Yale divests, until the genocide is halted, and until Palestine is free. Such things don’t happen quickly, and powers like the Yale Corp are waiting for us to tire and burn out. What I ask of all of you, is that when you see your fellow students begin to tire, begin to fall, we must help them back up and not walk away. Join your fellow students who are giving their all. If you oppose war and genocide, join your fellow students, provide your presence and strength so that they can recover some of theirs. If you haven’t given your time and support, here is the place, now is the time.

No one is free until everyone is free.