Column: Occupy Pierce? (Pro)

With the occupy movement taking East Los Angeles College, the same thing would work here at Pierce

Shannon Ma / Roundup

To generate change, writing a letter or signing a petition isn’t always impactful enough these days.

Student protesters at East Los Angeles Community College (ELAC) have camped out in front of the school’s Administration Building since Oct. 31 to protest budget cuts and the rising cost of tuition.

If Pierce College students were to follow suit, it would send an even stronger message that the request for affordable education cannot be filed away or ignored.

Although the recent pepperspraying incident that happened at the University of California Davis could make some people apprehensive to join the cause, ELAC demonstrators were able to obtain permits that allows them to occupy safely.

As American citizens we should not be chastised or labeled as hippies, or rebellious for wanting to exercise our first amendment rights to peacefully assemble and petition the government for redress or grievances.

On Oct. 26, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Students Organizing for Success (SOS) held a “Where’s the Funding rally on campus to protest the fee hikes. The problem with a rally is that they only last a few hours, and a week later, can be considered old news.

If students at Pierce were to get permits to occupy an area on campus and create a list of grievances it could send an even stronger, resounding message to congress that our voices should not be taken lightly.

In order to be heard, we can’t just sit back and let congress make decisions that affect our future when we have the ability to try and create change.