By Doug Porter
A ruling by Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal on Tuesday, Oct. 21 may well mean the end of the road for the C.H.E. Cafe, a student run cooperative at UCSD.
The co-op will have five calendar days to vacate once a written order is signed by the judge and the university files a writ of possession, meaning the group could be evicted by the middle of next week.
Supporters of the C.H.E.were vague about their future plans when speaking with the news media following the court decision, saying they were considering further legal actions and promising to continue protest activity and lobbying.
The fight is not done. Don’t say RIP. The Che Cafe is not dead
— Che Cafe (@thechecafe) October 21, 2014
Founded in 1980, the C.H.E. Café (originally “Cheap Healthy Eats”)has operated as a student-run cooperative, vegan café, venue, and creative space, hosting hundreds of independent artists and musicians over its 34-year history.
Things came to a head with the University late last spring. From the CHE website:
On May 1, 2014, University Centers Director Sharon van Bruggencalled the Ché Café into a meeting. She had a “proposal”: the Ché building would be closed at the end of the school year and the Ché Café Collective would become a “booking agent,” hosting shows at the on-campus bar Porter’s Pub. Sharon claimed that the Ché Café building was dangerous and unoccupiable without renovations and that UCSD could not afford to pay for these renovations.
In early June, UCSD administrators asked the members of the Ché Café to attend a meeting with them. They said the meeting had “no agenda,” and was an “open-ended conversation about the Ché Cafe’s future.” In reality, it was an ambush. At this meeting, the Ché Café received a formal notice of eviction. There would be no negotiation or compromise, we have thirty days to vacate and that was that.
This notice, given on the Friday of finals week, was clearly timed so that students would be away for summer and unable to organize to support the Ché Café. The UCSD slumlord administrators want to evict the Ché, but we can fight back. This is the website of the Ché Café Support Network; it contains the true facts about the eviction of the Ché & how you can help support this invaluable community space.
The school seems to be on a course to get this messy business over quickly. UCSD spokesman Jeff Gattas issued a statement later in the day:
“The university appreciates the court’s decision today. We are hopeful that we will have a smooth transition as we move forward. The university is committed to supporting UC San Diego’s student organizations and providing a broad range of cultural and artistic events and activities on our campus.”
Given the history (a great read from the archives of the OBRag) of the University’s attempts to rid themselves of the C.H.E Cafe and the group’s stubborn resistance I don’t think this will be resolved easily.
To read comments from supporters, show your support, and/or donate to the C.H.E., please visit:
http://checafe.ucsd.edu/?page_
http://thechecafe.blogspot.
The above is an excerpt from Doug Porter’s column at San Diego Free Press, our online media partner.
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