Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article At the time dismissed by local officials as a radical and troublemaker After his involvement in the FSM and the dispersal of its members The response seemed to undermine the unity of the FSM Several days before his death he publicly opposed a proposed Sonoma State fee hike in a debate honoured Savio and the FSM by creating a library endowment in his name and establishing an archive of the movement in the university’s Bancroft Library No one moment has come to be more associated with Berkeley's Free Speech Movement than when then-student activist Mario Savio delivered an impassioned 1964 public appeal called "Bodies Upon the Gears." gathered to honor him on the 60th anniversary of his iconic speech "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part," Savio said Mario Savio was a civil rights activist and student at the University of California when he delivered those now famous words to nearly 4,000 students gathered on the steps of Sproul Hall on December 2 "And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels And you've got to indicate to the people who run it the machine will be prevented from working at all." and many contemporary members of the Sonoma State community gathered on the Rohnert Park campus's Stevenson Quad Savio was a professor at SSU from 1990 to 1996; and Mary Gomes a long time professor of psychology at Sonoma State organized the memorial on the anniversary of his famous speech "Most students are completely not aware of him at all," Gomes said "As a free speech movement activist or as a faculty member here; and most of the faculty who have heard of him Savio's time at SSU was marked by continued activism supporting students protesting against an unpopular fee hike put forward by the university administration It was a struggle which made the already well-regarded Savio "Mario received many interview requests due to his status," Adams said and then he'd come to me or one of the students and say You show up at the interview.' And at first of course we were terrified 'cause we'd never done that before and they listened to us and articles got published by the students Looking not just backwards at Savio's legacy Professor Mary Gomes pointed forward to Savio's activism as a guide for campus struggles to come That includes California State University's new so-called "time and manner" rules put in place following the flood of pro-Palestine student activism last spring "The chilling of speech can happen not only through active punishment but through an intimidating atmosphere where people end up self-censoring," Gomes said the importance of having an event like this was the reminder to all of us of the reasons died at Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol in 1996 following complications from a heart attack Here are links to what's happening RIGHT NOW in Sonoma County Start your weekday mornings with the Sonoma County First News podcast bringing you the top local headlines and a detailed weather forecast to kick off your day Stay informed with the latest breaking news and stories from communities across Sonoma County—from Petaluma to Cloverdale Subscribe to the Sonoma County First News podcast through the NorCal Mobile App Get the latest updates on programs and events $320.00 donatedin the past month If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay He began his impromptu speech with a quote from Book One of Aristotle’s Politics: “He who is unable to live in society or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself must be either a beast or a god.” He was speaking to the crowd in his stocking feet having dutifully removed his shoes before climbing atop a police car parked on the university campus The car was surrounded by close to a thousand students Weinberg had been arrested by the police for failing to identify himself while he sat at a table distributing literature in support of the local civil rights efforts of Campus CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) This was the beginning of the Free Speech Movement (FSM) on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley The police car blockade lasted for 32 hours a brilliant undergraduate philosophy student Born of a Catholic working-class Sicilian immigrant family in New York City His devout mother wanted him to be a priest a vocation he seriously considered in his youth He graduated valedictorian from Martin Van Buren High School in 1960 and then attended Manhattan College he spent most of his first year studying classical Greek authors putting distance between himself and the dogma of the Catholic church a dogma that raised more questions for him than the Christian Brothers at Manhattan College were able The next year he transferred to Queens College he joined a group on a mission trip organized by the Cardinal Newman House to Taxco to build a laundry facility in the city’s slum There he witnessed first-hand the wide and socially corrosive gap between the rich and the poor He worried that the Church and the privileged in turning a blind eye to the plight of the poor were preparing the ground for a communist revolution he applied and was accepted at UC Berkeley for his junior year he soon connected with the University Friends of SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) and got involved in a tutoring program in a predominantly Black neighborhood on the west side of Berkeley he participated in a protest at the San Francisco Sheraton Palace Hotel over its discriminatory hiring practices Fully qualified Black people were routinely consigned to low-wage menial jobs largely hidden from public view The protesters staged a sit-in in the hotel lobby Savio was arrested for trespassing and spent the night in jail There he learned of the Mississippi Freedom Project being planned for the upcoming summer The Mississippi Freedom Project was a grass-roots effort in voter education and registration among Black citizens carried out by an alliance of civil rights organizations—SNCC the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) less than 7% of eligible Black citizens in Mississippi were registered to vote an African American who grew up in Harlem and received a master’s degree in philosophy from Harvard University coordinated the drive to register Black voters and set up Freedom Schools for voter education who taught in the Freedom Schools and assisted in the voter registration efforts at Black churches and businesses the Mississippi Freedom Project met with much resistance three civil rights workers that summer—James Chaney The three had gone to investigate the burning of Mt where they had intended to set up a Freedom School On their return trip to the town of Meridian they were arrested for an alleged traffic violation by deputy sheriff Cecil Ray Price handed over to the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (Price himself was a member of the Klan.) Schwerner and Goodman a man of color from Meridian and a lifelong member of the Catholic church After the victims were buried at the edge of a rural pond Price congratulated the assembled group of Klansmen led by Edgar Ray Killen You’ve struck a blow for the white man You’ve let those agitating outsiders know where this state stands.” Savio himself was attacked on the streets of Jackson Savio returned to Berkeley in September to find that the university had invoked a ban on political speech and advocacy across campus were upsetting members of the business community and raising concerns among California legislators who held the purse strings of the University of California budget The “Bancroft Strip,” located on the southern edge of campus was thought to be public property and functioned as a political free speech zone for both the right and the left University administration moved to close that platform down in September of 1964 students moved their information and recruitment tables for civil-rights activities further into campus The university called in the police to arrest students in violation of its policy This set the scene for the 32-hour police car blockade The blockade ended when Savio and the President of the University of California system the students were asking for nothing more than the free exercise of their First Amendment rights Kerr maintained that extra-curricular political discussion and advocacy on campus were somehow at odds with the aims of university education The FSM then called for a rally on the steps of Sproul Hall It was there that Savio gave his famous and oft-quoted “Bodies Upon the Gears” speech which was largely a critique of what had become of university education Kerr characterized the university as a “knowledge industry” in service of the national economy Savio found the industrial metaphor all too appropriate had been converted into a massive knowledge factory the structure of its organization resembling that of a business corporation The Board of Regents acted like a Board of Directors the President like a CEO; administrators were the managers and students the raw materials run through a production process that would put out compliant functionaries for a Cold War economy and the administrative state Savio’s reaction was clear and impassioned But we’re a bunch of raw materials that don’t mean to have any process upon us Don’t mean to be made into any product Don’t mean to end up being bought by some clients of the University There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels The rally was immediately followed by a sit-in in Sproul Hall bringing university administration to a grinding halt and the campus police—some 440 in all—were called in to clear the building hauled down to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department They spent the rest of the night in the Santa Rita jail Kerr recognized that UC Berkeley was in a state of serious crisis in order to hold a meeting open to all faculty and students at the outdoor Greek Theater on the east side of campus Savio asked for permission to speak but was denied he was seized by the police and unceremoniously dragged off the stage in front of the assembled university community of some fifteen thousand the Faculty Senate came out in support of the FSM demands for free speech on campus For his efforts in lifting university restrictions on the political content of speech Savio was quickly labeled a left-wing radical He was saddled with the moniker “Fidel Savio”—this on the heels of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 A San Francisco newspaper claimed that the Free Speech Movement was really about drawing “young blood for the vampire which is international Communism.” A pastor from Canoga Park wrote that “such brazen anarchy” on the university campus “could only be fostered by Communism.”  The fact-challenged fearmongering fueled Ronald Reagan’s run for the Governor’s office of California in 1966 promising “to clean up the mess at Berkeley.” He won he sent the National Guard in to occupy the city As Savio’s name hit the headlines in the mid-sixties a newspaper reporter made a call on his family’s home in southern California for a background story where his son had picked up his radical ideas Joseph said it was from a book Mario read at home The reporter perked up in keen anticipation Joseph went back in the house and retrieved the family Bible He understood—Mario’s alienation from the institution of the Catholic church notwithstanding—that his son’s motivations had been indelibly formed by the moral teachings of the church In a Life magazine interview of 1965 he explained My involvement in the Free Speech Movement is religious and moral.” The same held for his involvement in the civil rights movement he saw his first civil rights protest outside a Woolworth’s store After reading the leaflet handed out on the sidewalk he “felt an immediate rapport based on the justice of it.” Raised on “the basic Catholic ethical doctrine: do good and resist evil,” joining the picket line straightforward thing.” Later he reported that having witnessed the work of the Freedom Project in Mississippi as a university student the Black struggle for equality “had a quality of for me—and it’s hard for me to say this—sort of like God acting in history.” Despite his disaffection from official Catholic dogma he continued to follow the social thought of contemporary Thomists like Jacques Maritain and leading contributors to Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker was a regular contributor the Catholic Worker as well the figure of Christ standing in a breadline it conveyed the idea of “an absolute duty to embrace the rejected person.” “It’s difficult for me,” he admitted Savio’s experience with Catholic theology and social teaching also inoculated him against the lure of Marxism It struck him as a totalizing ideology that oversimplified reality and at the same time provided a predicate for the abuse of power In a 30-year anniversary reflection on the Free Speech Movement he faulted Marxism for its materialism and underestimation of “the importance of spiritual values.” In addition as he indicated from the steps of Sproul Hall in a speech on that same occasion it seemed just wrong to him to fan the flames of class conflict—the interests of one group over against the interests of another—rather than working to build up a “community of compassion” around the common good where “we want to relieve suffering because we feel that suffering.” On that point he defended the track record of the Catholic laity: “There is probably no other institution in the United States in which there is a heavier representation of righteously working-class people than in those churches The day following the Faculty Senate endorsement of the FSM demands Savio spoke at a victory rally in front of Sproul Hall There he brought up a question: in this conflict over the nature of university education: who are the revolutionaries and who are the conservatives “It’s been said that we’ve been revolutionaries and all this sort of thing We’ve gone back to a traditional view of the university The traditional view of the university is a community of scholars who bring the hard light of free inquiry to bear upon important matters in the sciences but also in the social sciences—the question of what ought to be Now that traditional view of the university that’s the one that has been attacked by the revolutionaries by those who would make it into a kind of adjunct to industry the people—us—who fought this fight are maybe the most conservative people on campus.” in a written piece entitled “The Berkeley Knowledge Factory,” Savio said that “our conception of the university suggested by a classical Christian formulation is that it be in the world but not of the world.” That is: not completely accommodated to the way things are The university was to be a place of serious cultural self-reflection and social criticism a place where the gap between the way things are and the way they ought to be is laid bare a place where ways to move the former in the direction of the latter are explored a place where students are prepared to “think deeply and act justly,” one might say Savio’s vision for what university education ought to be It found substance and detail in the “Tussman Plan.” Amid the tumultuous academic year of 1964-65 chair of the philosophy department at UC Berkeley proposed a small-scale experimental program for lower division undergraduate liberal arts instruction What was this plan endorsed by the wild-eyed campus radical and writing assignments devoted to the rigorous study of Great Books drawn from the long history of the European and American canon It consisted of a two-year sequence: classics from Ancient Greece in the fall of the first year followed by readings from 17th century England in the spring; American writings surrounding the establishment of a constitutional order in the fall of the second year followed in the spring by a sequence devoted to contemporary American and European authors students would work through selections from Homer The periods of history selected—5th century Athens 18th century America—were times of deep crisis civil war and revolution that called forth the brightest and most penetrating minds to reflect on perennial human problems of communal life and the achievement of political order The aim of the program was not to produce well-rounded people or interesting conversationalists but to prepare students for democratic citizenship—the original aim of liberal arts education is “to fit us for the life of active membership in the democratic community; to fit us to serve our common political vocation.” Its curriculum is designed “to prepare successive generations to carry on and develop the life of the culture for transmission and creation.” That was to be the signal contribution of the university to the society that sponsored it No doubt the reading list of the Tussman Plan would be criticized today for being entirely male Many would recommend the inclusion of other “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?,” Franz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth But to alter the list is not to reject the aim of the plan One can retain the end while adjusting the means After its four-year trial period between 1965 and 1969 Some twenty years later Tussman reflected on his failed effort in educational reform The purpose of the program was “to provide for our present crises the cultural context with which they are to be understood.” But now “you can see that the attempt to impose the Tablets of the Law upon the worshippers of the Golden Calf is the same struggle as is involved in our attempts to make the Constitutional Covenant and the Law prevail over our hedonic impulses and narrow partialities The failure to provide this great context is to send our students The events related here occurred almost sixty years ago politically motivated censorship in the schools and gratuitous red-baiting remain depressingly familiar features of our present-day situation—but arguably worse now aggravated by segmented cable TV and social media and fortified by the proliferation of self-styled paramilitary groups itching for civil war; and getting worse in part because the current trend of eliminating the arts and reducing the liberal arts requirements in our colleges and universities systematically deprives students of the opportunity to understand the present crises at a crucial point in their civic formation The crises intensify as the means for comprehending them are removed from our schools The disease enters a new phase when it covers up its own symptoms We now face the prospect of a democratic electorate that is historically ignorant and incapable of meaningful political debate robbed of their proper minds—to use Tussman’s words—naked into this jabbering world Material for this essay is based on the work of Robert Cohen Freedom’s Orator (Oxford: Oxford University Press The Free Speech Movement (Berkeley: University of California Press Murder in Mississippi (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas Experiment at Berkeley (Oxford: Oxford University Press “A Venture in Educational Reform” (1988); and film recordings of Mario Savio’s speeches now available on YouTube Text of the speeches lightly edited for clarity Tussman’s “Venture” essay is available on the internet Eichenberg’s woodcuts can be viewed in Fritz Eichenberg live wholeheartedly” is the current tag line of Calvin University Please follow our commenting standards Please make checks out to Reformed Journal and mailed to: BC Business When COVID hit Vancouver, Paul Grunberg, co-owner of the Banda Volpi hospitality group, had three restaurants to his name: Caffè la Tana Osteria Savio Volpe and Pepino’s Spaghetti House the restaurateur made the strategic decision to lay off 95 percent of his staff and close his businesses Grunberg spills the tea on what led to that decision how it panned out and what the experience taught him as a leader and business owner It was about two or three days before the first lockdown occurred—March 2020—and we caught wind of COVID in the restaurants It was starting to be talked about in the media and there were whispers of a lockdown on the horizon I personally thought there was no way this could ever happen the days crept closer and we got word that the lockdown was impending People were starting to get a little freaked out and we had to—or at least we felt we had to—make the proactive decision to shut down the businesses before the actual lockdown occurred By no means do we ever want to put our staff We laid off over 100 associates in one fell swoop. And that’s tough—I mean, letting go of one associate is difficult; it’s a failure in some regard. But laying off your entire staff having to zoom out and wonder what you’re doing I went from restaurant to restaurant—Pepino’s I think they valued that at the time—the personal communication We got hustling on records of employment for people so they could apply for employment insurance and whatnot We shut down the restaurants for a very brief period of time And then we opened up Pepino’s only a couple of days later with takeout and we turned La Tana into a grocery store which is what a lot of people did with their spaces And we saw a lot of success in the areas we committed to: online grocery Then we did Savio takeout and the whole rigamarole I know there are a lot of negative connotations with COVID but it was an opportunity to reset and grow as a company and as a leader And I think the government also was struggling to figure out what was next We saw that all throughout COVID: government pivoting and being resilient If the government didn’t come through with the aid packages that they came through with They had their own challenges… but we were all forced to become a lot more resilient Between working our tails off to create revenue and commerce combined with the aid packages from the government we paid our staff and we were able to hire people and bring back staff It taught me a lot about myself as an individual and I was really proud of the people that I was surrounded with As much as it was the hardest day of my career it was also one of the more opportunistic days of my career It gave me a new threshold of what I was able to deal with; I think that’s called resiliency It had very positive effects on me as a leader Challenges and difficult moments in life often lead to higher results where you get knocked down and you think:  damn it You don’t have a choice—you have to get back up This interview has been edited and condensed BCBusiness is your go-to playbook for what’s going on in the province right now Our magazine aims to inform and entertain you about the companies big and small making waves in your backyard the issues affecting the province and the people you really should get a coffee with Copyright © Canada Wide Media Limited. All Rights Reserved — Terms of Use & Privacy Policy This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page thousands of UC Berkeley students spontaneously sat down around a police car on Sproul Plaza and held it captive for 33 hours in protest of a University rule against political activity on campus led a series of demonstrations that convulsed the campus and defeated the ban A direct outgrowth of the Civil Rights movement the FSM was the first major campus revolt of the ’60s by white middle-class students the nonviolent beginning to a decade of generational rebellion It contributed to a reshaping of national politics And it planted the University at the center of sometimes pitched battles over fundamental public policy The current Berkeley administration has joined in the celebration of the Free Speech Movement’s golden anniversary with a series of officially sponsored events A dedicated University website proudly declares “Activism is in our DNA.” The site features a quote by Chancellor Nicholas Dirks another campus with a long history of student activism True free speech rejects homogeneity and uniformity and embraces engagement across differences of background and perspective with respect for others and disdain for cynicism But as evidenced by the University’s handling of more recent protests—notably the police’s use of force against nonviolent Occupy protesters on Sproul Plaza in November 2011 and the pepper spraying of passive student demonstrators at UC Davis the same month—these matters are more difficult in the event The FSM itself was a vigorous exercise of First Amendment rights: Students captured a police car and held it hostage on campus They disrupted a campuswide meeting called by the University president There were great public outrage and substantial negative publicity for the institution Politicians made the University their constant whipping boy Such are the potential results of campus protest The FSM’s legacies are personified by three men central to the conflict: student leader Mario Savio and politician Ronald Reagan—each a radical bent on changing the world the undergraduate in philosophy who was the first to mount the police car that warm fall morning of October 1 embodies perhaps better than anyone the early 1960s student movement’s fight for a voice the year after the United States entered World War II he was a vessel into which poured the conflicting currents of postwar America Both parents were of Italian descent and he was the first Savio child born in the United States The family were devoutly Catholic; Mario was an altar boy sure that he would grow up to enter the priesthood He was also exceptionally bright and excelled in science at a public high school in Queens which he entered the year the Soviets launched Sputnik Sa­vio felt he would be a “Ju­das” if he did not chal­lenge the ban on speech but in high school he was increasingly roiled by internal doubts The valedictorian silently wondered whether classroom duck-and-cover exercises would save anyone in the event of nuclear attack He began to doubt that the Bible stories he’d been taught were historical fact Applying scientific skepticism more broadly he asked how so many people could have stood by during the Holocaust—he deduced that they must have known what was happening He also struggled to relate to his domineering father his eyes rolling and saliva spraying as he struggled to speak but he’d internalized its essential mission of doing good in the world He found his cause in the Civil Rights movement then confronting the manifest injustice of racial inequality in America He read about student activists at Berkeley and decided they were doing something “real” and that this was the “place to be.” Savio became involved with the small Civil Rights community His first arrest came the following March during the mass sit-in at San Francisco’s Sheraton Palace Hotel which pressured the city’s hotels to hire more blacks Savio went south for the Mississippi Freedom Summer along with hundreds of northern white students to challenge discrimination with voter registration drives and Freedom Schools he urged people to register in the face of a violent establishment The Freedom Houses he stayed at received bomb threats Savio returned to Berkeley that fall to find campus officials enforcing a University ban on students using the campus to advocate for off-campus political action It was hoped that by keeping the University out of politics politicians would not meddle in campus affairs By order of Vice Chancellor Alex Sherriffs—who was a secret informer in the FBI’s massive surveillance of the campus community—the prohibition was now being applied to students who set up card tables and leafleted for various causes along the “Bancroft Strip,” the brick area at the Telegraph Avenue entrance to campus students had been allowed to advocate there on the assumption that the strip was city property and therefore not subject to the ban Savio and other students saw the crackdown as a violation of their constitutional right of free speech and an attack on the Civil Rights movement Recalling the people he had urged to register to vote in Mississippi Savio felt he would be a “Judas” if he did not challenge the ban “The Uni­versity is not en­gaged in mak­ing ideas safe for stu­dents,” Kerr fam­ously said “It is en­gaged in mak­ing stu­dents safe for ideas.” The man the students saw as their chief enemy was UC President Clark Kerr Named the first chancellor of Berkeley in 1952 and president of the statewide University system in 1958 A man who believed that universal access to higher education was crucial to individual growth Kerr oversaw adoption of the state’s 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education He had first come to Berkeley in the 1930s as a graduate student transferring from Stanford believing that Cal was more involved in the real world Kerr was nationally known as a champion of academic freedom he had eased the 1930s ban on political speech so that candidates for public office could speak on campus instead of from podiums set up across the street In 1960 he had declined to punish students for participating in off-campus protests In 1963 he convinced the regents to lift the ban on Communist speakers on campus “The University is not engaged in making ideas safe for students,” Kerr famously said “It is engaged in making students safe for ideas.” Kerr in fact saw Sherriffs’s enforcement of the ban on political speech in the fall of 1964 as a “huge mistake,” and advised Berkeley Chancellor Ed Strong to rescind the order Savio and other students negotiated with campus officials to no avail Jack Weinberg of the Congress of Racial Equality defiantly set up a table in front of Sproul Hall When campus police drove onto the middle of the plaza to arrest him—a serious tactical error—students surrounded the cruiser Photos of the captive car made newspapers everywhere Kerr and the protesters agreed to a truce and the students released the car the demonstrators named themselves the Free Speech Movement The FSM set up an executive committee of more than 50 with representatives of campus groups ranging from the Young Socialists to the Young Republicans A steering committee of 11 handled day-to-day decisions But the FSM was based on mass meetings and consensus It was also “nonexclusionary”—anyone could join in good part because the movement was seen as a protest against an indifferent University bureaucracy “People who had felt stifled for a long time and who were tired of standing in long lines and being handed green and orange forms … every time [they] wanted to get something done When negotiations with the administration failed FSM members marched to a regents’ meeting at University Hall but were denied permission to speak the regents agreed to allow limited political advocacy on campus With that concession and the upcoming Thanksgiving break Strong issued new disciplinary charges against Savio and other FSM leaders for the police car protest Word of their being singled out (and a story alleging that the FSM was a Communist plot which the FBI planted in the San Francisco Examiner) reignited the movement Savio had emerged as the FSM’s most prominent spokesperson and though he still stammered in conversation his words flowed as he delivered his most famous speech:  There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it that unless you’re free the machine will be prevented from working at all more than a thousand people filed slowly into Sproul Hall and occupied all four floors Savio assailed the “greatest problem of our nation—depersonalized unresponsive bureaucracy” as the root cause of both the oppression of students at Berkeley and blacks in Mississippi and they agreed to take no action overnight giving protesters a chance to leave with impunity and the largest mass arrest in decades was witnessed by students arriving on campus the next morning Nearly half of all students reportedly boycotted classes in protest Kerr called a campuswide meeting at the Greek Theatre where he proposed a settlement that further eased the ban but stopped short of rescinding it He already had been denied permission to speak and police officers grabbed him by the throat and dragged him to the ground as the packed theater let out a collective gasp “Let him speak!” Savio eventually was allowed to return to the stage and say a few words But the officers’ excessive force angered many and the next day the Academic Senate voted to back the FSM’s demand to repeal the ban the regents conceded that students had full constitutional rights on campus “Will we al­low a great Uni­versity to be brought to its knees by a noisy dis­sid­ent minor­ity?” Re­agan asked “Will we meet their neur­ot­ic vul­gar­it­ies with va­cil­la­tion and weak­ness?” The FSM’s victory opened the door to all kinds of campus advocacy The New Yorker writer Calvin Trillin visited Berkeley that winter and reported that “the leaders of the Free Speech Movement find themselves in a perhaps unexpected position—that of revolutionaries whose revolution has succeeded.” The following spring the campus held one of the nation’s first and largest teach-ins against the Vietnam War Out of this came the Berkeley-based Vietnam Day Committee which led massive antiwar marches and tried to block troop trains passing through the city Reagan was considering a run for governor the following year but in Hollywood he became president of the Screen Actors Guild and an FBI informer sometimes naming fellow actors on the scantiest of evidence Reagan was a spokesman for General Electric a “corporate ambassador” speaking to employees and the public Reagan’s talks gradually became more political evolving into “The Speech,” his famous 1964 pitch for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater Like Savio’s orations that fall at Berkeley Reagan’s address was an impassioned dissent against what he saw as a complacent But while Savio’s dissent stemmed from civil rights Reagan’s was based on what he saw as government intrusion on the free market As Reagan tested the political waters with appearances around the state It quickly became his hottest campaign issue more accustomed to the campus complacency of the ’50s and Reagan deftly tapped into their anger and resentment to attack the incumbent Brown When Reagan formally entered the governor’s race in January 1966 Will we allow a great University to be brought to its knees by a noisy Will we meet their neurotic vulgarities with vacillation and weakness Or will we tell those entrusted with administering the University we expect them to enforce a code based on decency and dedication to the high and noble purpose of the University Reagan belittled Brown’s call for advances in higher education—the governor had called it a “space-age education for a space-age generation”—cracking “If he means some of the goings-on at Berkeley are ‘way out,’ no argument.” Reagan later claimed that applications to Berkeley had decreased When University officials said they were actually on the rise Reagan countered that it was only because the school had lowered standards a regent who later became President Nixon’s chief of staff and was convicted for his role in the Watergate scandal Haldeman suggested to one of Reagan’s advisors that he tone it down “I didn’t want to see it demagogued with a phony issue and I knew in a general sense that Reagan didn’t know much about the University and that nobody around him knew much about the University,” he recalled in an oral history.  Reagan defeated Brown by nearly 1 million votes leading a Republican sweep that left the California Democratic Party a wreck and instantly made Reagan a national political figure he requested a private FBI briefing on Kerr and the protests at Berkeley Kerr was fired several weeks later at the first regents’ meeting attended by Reagan whose election had shifted the balance of power on the board Brown had refrained from attending most regents’ meetings; Reagan made a point of attending and often held press conferences that turned the meetings into media spectacles He cut the University’s budget and pushed the regents to impose fees that were Although some cuts and tuition were surely inevitable Reagan continued to make broad charges of campus misconduct and undermining support for the institution He complained about “subsidizing intellectual curiosity,” and his auditors suggested the University sell its rare book collection to generate state revenue But none of this would quell the unrest at Berkeley Reagan’s attacks needlessly tarnished the University’s reputation as an institution and undermined public support for higher education in general The FSM established that students have the fundamental right to free speech necessary for participation as full-fledged individuals the FSM stands as a model for nonviolent mass organizations built on transparency and consensus Mario Savio may have seemed destined for a career in politics But though he was periodically involved in political affairs he apparently lacked the desire or the capacity for compromise that is necessary for elected office; he instead remains a symbol of idealistic student activism Clark Kerr’s experience illustrates that even the most enlightened administrators are bound to find themselves caught in the middle It is easy to embrace the idea of free speech and celebrate its expression from the safe remove of 50 years but it will always be difficult for bureaucrats to deal with its noisome appearance in the here and now Berkeley was late in honoring Savio—only after his fatal heart attack in 1996 at age 53 did officials agree to do so Chancellor Ira Michael Heyman allowed a monument dedicated to free speech the administration permitted a small bronze plaque officially recognizing the Sproul steps as the Mario Savio steps using part of a $3.5 million gift from Steve Silberstein the University finally named something on campus for the FSM—the Free Speech Movement Café at Moffitt Library Activism may indeed be part of the institution’s DNA; as long as the University is engaged with the real world and as long as its students and professors pursue truth it will generate dissent and offend the status quo That role is in accord with Cal’s namesake In distant Lands now waits a better Time … Where Men shall not impose for Truth and Sense Seth Rosenfeld is a Bay Area journalist and frequent contributor to California Subversives: The FBI’s War on Student Radicals There appears to be a consensus among UC Berkeley law professors that despite his offensive views alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulous had a legal right to speak on campus last September And the UC administration has taken a hard and fast stance when it comes to speech saying that any suppression of it would go against […] Mario Savio’s design for a Free Speech Movement monument Berkeley students today take for granted that the Free Speech Movement (FSM) was a major event whose memory the University commemorates They can get a snack at the Free Speech Movement Café (opened in 2000) while viewing photos and other artifacts of the Berkeley rebellion famous as an articulate firebrand on the UC Berkeley campus during the heady 1960s He is now 71 and is a civil rights attorney in Oakland This interview has been edited for length and clarity.  In the spring of 1969 CAA is a self-funded nonprofit organization that relies on donations to provide programs and services that support students United States – November 2023 – St Dominic Savio Parish in Bellflower in California was the host site on 18 November for celebrations for the 25 years of the Damas Salesianas Association in the United States West Province with the unwavering support of Fr Gael Sullivan SDB,the association has grown over time to include a total of 24 members The main mission of the Damas Salesianas is to serve youth and their initiatives range from granting scholarships to distributing meals on occasions such as Thanksgiving to supporting families with the help of psychologists They also provide compassionate service to those most in need through programmes such as “Woman to Woman” ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements two UC Berkeley deans and a university police lieutenant approached Jack Weinberg who was soliciting funds at a table outside Sather Gate for a national civil rights group Weinberg refused to leave or identify himself police called for a squad car to remove him turning it into an impromptu rallying point which soon became a podium for 21-year-old philosophy student Mario Savio who led the students into a massive sit-in at Sproul Hall the staff of this magazine—then called California Monthly—documented the events in exhaustive detail they would publish an issue entirely dedicated to the Free Speech Movement (FSM) titled “A Season of Discontent.” Both a historical document—sections of which were added to Bancroft Library’s FSM Digital Archives—and an impressive piece of journalism the February 1965 issue explores the political context of the times as well as the complex dynamics between students and university administrators It traces the evolution of student activism at Berkeley from anti-war protests in the 1930s through the relative quiescence of the war years and the so-called silent generation of the 1940s and early 1950s to the resurgence of political activity in the late 1950s and early 1960s “The student revolt of the fall of 1964 seems less like a sudden explosion,” Max Heirich ’63 “and more like the natural outgrowth of eight years of expanding student political involvement.” the FSM movement is widely celebrated as a pivotal moment in the fight for civil rights but some California Monthly editors viewed it differently “The tragic events of the past few months here at Berkeley seriously jeopardize the effectiveness of this University as an educational institution,” wrote Editor Dick Erickson ’49 who himself was part of the Silent Generation known for its traditionalist views and conformist attitudes too many of these idealistic students and sympathizers have felt that their opinions were the only correct ones and if necessary to achieve an immediate acceptance of their opinions intimidation and the use of force were fully justified.” the editors recognized the historical importance of what was unfolding Not only did they devote an entire issue to the Free Speech Movement but they also appended a remarkably detailed chronology of the “three months of crisis.” The day-by-day blow-by-blow timeline covered the period from Sept It was a departure from standard journalism but a valuable one crafted by writers who seemed to understand that the information they gathered would be relevant for generations to come it is as immersive as it is time-consuming California is sharing this much abbreviated sampling A letter authored by “a former student” [Brad Cleaveland ’59 fierce and thoroughgoing rebellion” on the Berkeley campus Although the letter did not relate specifically to the “free speech issue,” it sounded the rallying cry for subsequent events: “The University does not deserve a response of loyalty and allegiance from you There is only one proper response to Berkeley from undergraduates: that you ORGANIZE AND SPLIT THIS CAMPUS WIDE OPEN!” The Ad Hoc Committee to End Discrimination—led by former Berkeley student and SLATE [a political party formed by UC Berkeley students in 1958] founder Michael Myerson and by Tracy Sims leader of the Palace Hotel demonstrations—announced plans to picket the Oakland Tribune for the third Friday in a row and held a noon rally at the Bancroft and Telegraph entrance to the Berkeley campus “We don’t want to be armchair intellectuals people have talked and talked and done nothing.” Presidents or chairmen and advisers of all student organizations received a letter from Dean of Students Katherine A announcing that tables would no longer be permitted in the 26-foot strip of University property at the Bancroft and Telegraph entrance and that advocative literature and activities on off-campus political issues also would be prohibited in a report to the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate dated October 26 “The situation was brought to a head by the multiplied activity incidental to the primary election The situation would worsen during the political campaign and steps should be taken at the beginning of the semester to assure use of the area in accordance with University rules.” Representatives of 18 student organizations met with Dean Towle to point out what they considered to be the unfairness and purposelessness of the new enforcement policy and “duty to society” to remain at their south entrance posts The 18 student organizations affected by the Bancroft-Telegraph controversy petitioned the Dean of Students for the use of the Bancroft-Telegraph area Dean Towle accepted most of the proposals submitted by the students on Sept but refused permission to advocate specific action and to recruit individuals for specific causes Also prohibited was solicitation of funds and donations “to aid projects not directly connected with some authorized activity of the University.” The students refused to accept Dean Towle’s concessions demonstrations and vigils would be conducted until satisfaction was obtained from the University people have talked and talked and done nothing We want to help the students decide where they fit into the political spectrum and what they can do about their beliefs We want to help build a better society.” Dean Towle replied: “We have tried to be as fair as possible—but University policy is clearly stated in this area.” The non-advocative restriction is not directed specifically at students Even non-students invited to speak on campus are informed that on-campus advocacy of direct political or social action is prohibited Approximately 75 students held an all-night vigil on Sproul Hall steps “If you won’t take this as the official statement of the group I think they’re (the administration) all a bunch of bastards.” The Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) Senate requested the Regents “to allow free political and social action to be effected by students at the Bancroft entrance to the University of California up to the posts accepted as the traditional entrance.” The Senate motion also requested the privilege of soliciting funds for off-campus activity The ASUC Senate also began circulation of a petition to gather student grass-roots support and discussed the possibility of the ASUC purchasing the disputed land and establishing it as a free speech area University President Clark Kerr condemned the student demonstrations: “The Dean of Students has met many requests of the students The line the University draws will be an acceptable one… I don’t think you have to have action to have intellectual opportunity.” Several tables were set up on campus at both Bancroft-Telegraph and in front of Sather Gate Only one or two of the tables had the required permits from the University Dean Williams said: “Every effort will be made to remove those tables.” Representatives of protest groups met at 10:30 p.m University Friends of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Campus Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) set up tables at Sather Gate Neither had permits from the Dean of Students Office the student groups were denied permits because it was suspected that they would attempt to collect funds for off-campus political or social action University administration representatives approached each table and took the names of those manning the tables and David Goines—were requested to appear before Dean of Men Arleigh Williams at 3:00 p.m That action triggered what was to become the first of the Sproul Hall sit-ins At 3:00 p.m.—under the direction of Mario Savio Arthur Goldberg and Sandor Fuchs—more than 500 students and protestors appeared outside Dean Williams’ office Goldberg and others stood on a narrow balcony outside the second floor lobby of Sproul Hall shouting to passing students and those gathered on Sproul Hall steps urging them to join the growing mass seated and standing outside the Dean of Students Office Dean Williams asked the original five students to enter his office to discuss disciplinary action None of the eight people summoned entered the Dean’s office since it appeared none of their demands had been met that they would remain in Sproul Hall throughout the night the University must then take disciplinary steps Eight students were informed individually by a representative of the Office of the Dean of Students that they were in violation of University regulations and were asked to desist Each of the eight students refused to do so I regret that these eight students by their willful misconduct in deliberately violating rules of the University have made it necessary for me to suspend them indefinitely from the University.” “I really don’t know what to say,” Mario Savio told the group of students sitting-in in Sproul Hall when he heard Chancellor Strong’s statement and representatives of the various political organizations supporting the “Free Speech Movement” (FSM)—the name born that evening—met to plan future moves The first Sproul Hall sit-in broke up at approximately 2:40 a.m. when demonstrators voted to leave the premises Several mimeographed fliers appeared on campus calling for student and faculty support for the suspended students and announcing a “Free Speech Rally” at noon on Sproul Hall steps two tables were set up outside Sather Gate with University Police Lieutenant Merrill F Chandler approached and spoke to a man who was soliciting funds at the Campus CORE table at the foot of Sproul Hall steps refused to identify himself or to leave the table Lieutenant Chandler arrested the man for trespassing Instead of carrying Weinberg into police headquarters in Sproul Hall University police moved a police car into the area where students were gathering for the noon rally Release him!” About 100 students promptly lay down in front of the police car Mario Savio removed his shoes and climbed on top of it about 300 demonstrators surrounded the immobile police car; by 12:30 p.m. several thousand students were crowded around the car—which became the focal point and rostrum for the next 32 hours of student demonstrations Weinberg remained inside the captured police car throughout the two-day demonstration He was fed sandwiches and milk through an open window took Savio’s place atop the stranded car: “I can see now that your cause is just,” Powell said only he and Savio enter the building to meet with Dean Williams Dean Arleigh Williams referred them to Chancellor Strong Chancellor Strong refused Savio’s demands He said the University would not give in to pressure and that a meeting was possible only if the demonstrations ceased Savio suggested the demonstrators force their way into Sproul Hall in order to hinder operations of the Administration there: “I recommend that 500 of you stay here around this auto and others join me in taking our request back to the deans.” Savio then led about 150 students into Sproul Hall where they sat outside the Dean of Students Office the demonstrators inside now numbered about 400 voted to pack solidly in front of the door to the Deans’ office Deans Peter Van Houten and Arleigh Williams were trapped within the office by this maneuver campus and Berkeley police officers began closing the front doors of Sproul Hall about 100 of the approximately 2000 students outside Sproul Hall charged the doors Two police officers were pulled to the floor; one lost his hat and shoes (which were returned to him as he escaped into the building) and was bitten on the leg small groups of anti-demonstration demonstrators began converging on the mall from all directions the demonstration degenerated into a shouting The demonstrators sang “We Shall Overcome!” The anti-demonstration forces shouted “Mickey Mouse!” “Let us agree by acclamation to accept this document I ask you to rise quietly and with dignity as conflicts between demonstrators and anti-demonstrators threatened to erupt into a full-blown riot Father James Fisher of Newman Hall mounted the police car The crowd fell silent as he pleaded for peace — and got it.  Demonstrations around the stranded police car except for one police-guarded door at the South end through which those with legitimate business inside could pass A pup tent was pitched on one of the lawns The entire mall area was littered with sleeping bags Speakers continued to harangue the crowd from the top of the sagging police car lunch-time onlookers enlarged the crowd to close to 4,000 persons police officers began marching onto the campus the crowd was informed that an agreement had been reached and that the protest spokesmen were en route from University House to present it to the demonstrators with President Kerr and Chancellor Strong watching from the steps of Sproul Hall (the crowd was unaware of their presence) Mario Savio mounted the flattened roof of the police car to read the agreement a committee will be set up to discuss campus political rules no charges will be pressed against the arrested protesters and student activities can continue under university regulations.] President Kerr said: “Law and order have been restored without the use of force.”  Brown pledged to maintain law and order on University campuses and asked President Kerr to prepare “as soon as possible,” a full and complete report on the student demonstration President Kerr described the situation as “highly complicated… Students with left-wing and right-wing political orientation are more active than ever before.” claimed victory and voiced their approval of Friday evening’s agreement Approximately 1000 students gathered in the mall between Sproul Hall and the Student Union to listen to the protest speakers stated that “although the whole war is far from over we have won the biggest battle.” That battle was to gain “jurisdictional recognition” from President Kerr of a faculty-student-administration committee to negotiate the “free speech” issue Strong turned the cases of the suspended students over to the Faculty Committee on Student Conduct in accord with the agreement between the demonstrators and President Kerr as the Chancellor found out—and everyone soon knew—there was no “Student Conduct Committee of the Academic Senate,” as specified in the agreement Chancellor Strong also announced appointments to the faculty-student-administration Study Committee on Campus Political Activity The FSM Steering Committee protest Chancellor Strong’s “unilateral” appointment of the Committee on Campus Political Activity without consulting the demonstrators President Kerr had agreed to accept recommendations from the demonstrators The protestors also claimed Chancellor Strong’s action put them in a position of inequality ten of the Chancellor’s appointments were opposed to the students’ position Commuter-Independent Representative Ed Wilson charged that the Administration had failed to live up to the spirit of Friday’s agreement The Committee on Campus Political Activity held its first meeting presented a statement condemning the Committee as illegally constituted and asked it to disband “As the duly elected representatives of the Free Speech Movement (FSM) we cannot in good conscience recognize the legitimacy of the present meeting.” and were announced to a meeting of the Academic Senate by a communication from President Kerr and Chancellor Strong both of whom were attending the Board of Regents meeting at Davis during a news conference following the Regents meeting reiterated his belief that some of the demonstrators “had Communist sympathies.” The FSM Steering Committee issued a statement at 12:30 a.m.: “The FSM has every hope that the negotiations which we are entering into with the administration can be productive we hope that President Kerr’s attack upon us is not an indication of an unhealthy attitude with which the administration is entering these negotiations.” The FSM Executive Committee nominated its representatives to the Committee on Campus Political Activity: Mario Savio The Ad Hoc Academic Senate Committee on Student Suspensions (known as the Heyman Committee) requested that the eight suspended students be reinstated during the course of the Committee’s hearings Strong refused the Heyman Committee’s request for reinstatement of the eight suspended students “If the administration refuses to acknowledge the right to advocate off-campus political and social action we shall have to consider action as well as talk.” The Committee on Campus Political Activity considered a recommendation that the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution be the only policy regarding political expression on campus The recommendation was introduced by FSM representative Sid Stapleton Although the Committee did not adopt Stapleton’s motion Mario Savio expressed pleasure with the proceedings if the Committee did not adopt the First Amendment as the only policy regarding speech on campus “we will have to consider more direct action.” The FSM Newsletter strongly criticized Chancellor Strong and President Kerr made several references to possible “direct action.” ASUC President Charles Powell deplored the tone of ultimatum which permeated the Newsletter: “The leaders of FSM must realize that if they wish the recommendations of the committee to be seriously considered by Chancellor Strong the recommendations will necessarily need strong support of the entire committee and threatening the committee with subtle hints that future demonstrations will ensue is definitely not the wise course to take.” A letter bearing the typewritten name of Clark Kerr was introduced by FSM as “documentary proof” that the Administration “had been drafting legislation without waiting for the report of the Committee on Campus Political Activity.” The letter dealt with University rules and were dated October 13 President Kerr said the letter bearing his name had been prepared by a staff member; he disagreed with it and never signed it Between 50-60 picketers took part in a demonstration on Sproul Hall steps is that the Administration cease to be an administration University Young Republicans (UYR) President The Committee on Campus Political Activity continued to debate a faculty proposal introduced by Earl Cheit The debate centered around phrases which the Administration claims are necessary to protect the University but which the students contend would give the University the right of “prior restraint.” The committee adjourned for an hour while Kadish Kidner and Attorney Malcolm Burnstein attempted to find suitable phraseology acceptable to all three factions as a direct result of the advocacy on the campus the University should be entitled to take appropriate disciplinary action against the speakers and their sponsoring organizations to the extent that the person or organization can fairly be found to be responsible for the unlawful acts.” give the University the right of prior restraint as it leaves interpretation of unlawful acts up to the University The students were not in favor of the amendment University dean of educational relations and an Administration representative offered an amendment to the faculty motion which read: “If acts unlawful under California or Federal law directly result from advocacy the students and organizations involved may be subject to such disciplinary action as is appropriate and conditioned upon as fair hearing as to the appropriateness of the action taken.” The Administration representatives voted affirmatively The student representatives then offered this amendment: “In the area of first amendment rights and civil liberties the University may impose no disciplinary action against members of the University community and organizations members of the University community and organizations are subject only to the civil authorities.” with the Administration and faculty voting negatively When it was obvious the committee could not reach agreement Professor Cheit proposed the committee report agreement on points two through seven of the faculty recommendations and that the students and the faculty prepare a statement of the nature of their differences and present it to Chancellor Strong and the University community Mario Savio agreed to make the disagreement public but he indicated he did not agree that point one was the only point of disagreement It was decided that no action would be taken until everyone agreed The Free Speech Movement issued the following statement: “We feel that we must lift our self-imposed moratorium on political activity because the committee is already deadlocked over the issue of political advocacy and appears headed for a long series of radical disagreements… The FSM believes that the University is not a competent body to decide questions concerning civil liberties especially since it is subject to strong political pressure Because students’ rights have great political impact as well as legal significance the courts should be the only body to decide upon them.” The following statement by Chancellor Edward W Strong appeared in the Daily Californian: If the FSM returns to direct action tactics this will constitute a clear breach of the agreement of October 2 Students and organizations participating will be held responsible for their actions The FSM held a rally on Sproul Hall steps at noon the first such activity since the October 2 agreement Graduate Co-ordinating Committee representative to FSM said that if the police attempt to arrest the students He added that such an action might be cause for a strike by the teaching assistants and the faculty The following statement was issued jointly by President Clark Kerr and Chancellor Edward W “FSM has abrogated the agreement of October 2 the Committee on Campus Political Activity is dissolved.” We shall now seek advice on rules governing political action on campus from students through the ASUC and from the faculty through the Academic Senate Graduate student protestors continued defiance of University regulations on the steps of Sproul Hall Savio said: “The administration is on the horns of a real dilemma They must either take all of us or none of us.” The Dean’s office took no official notice of the violations nor was any effort made to obtain names of those manning tables The demonstrators obligingly sent a list of their names to the Dean’s office Tables again appeared on the steps of Sproul Hall for solicitation of funds and recruitment of members FSM spokesmen said the tables would remain on the steps all week Tables again appeared on Sproul Hall steps The FSM Newsletter stated “the illegitimate tables will remain until they have become legal through repeal of the restrictive rulings.” The Free Speech Movement announced plans for a mass vigil during Friday’s Regents meeting in Berkeley The FSM Steering Committee also issued an open letter to the Regents requesting permission for FSM leaders to appear before the Board President Kerr indicated the Regents would rather not have anyone speak called a meeting of all University teaching assistants the meeting was “to clear up the various aspects of the free speech issue.” Faculty members of the defunct study committee and FSM representatives addressed the meeting but it was “not intended to be a debate,” Elberg said About 450 students attended the meeting in Pauley Ballroom explained the controversial faculty position in regard to student discipline the proposals drastically limit the power of the University to discipline students students cannot be punished until they have received “a fair hearing” from a faculty committee Many attending the meeting were critical of Chiet’s statement Students questioned the ability of the University to grant students “a fair hearing.” “The only institution which guarantees citizens a fair hearing is a civil court of law,” one of the students said preceded a “peaceful mass pilgrimage-demonstration” by more than 3,000 persons Following a noon rally on Sproul Hall steps the majority of the gathering quietly marched across campus led by a banner declaring “Free Speech,” to sit on the lawn across Oxford Street from University Hall while the Regents met this afternoon The Regents approved recommendations submitted by President Kerr and Chancellor Strong Six of the suspended students received suspensions from Sept were placed on probation for the rest of the semester FSM leaders immediately denounced both the Regents and President Kerr for having “ignored” the Heyman Committee recommendations and FSM’s own recommendations in presenting the matter for Regents’ consideration Strong rejected FSM demands that the new charges against Mario Savio and Arthur Goldberg be dropped “Free Speech” enthusiasts held a rally on the UCLA campus An FSM spokesman claimed “strong FSM movements” now exist and are planning action on Univeristy campuses at Santa Barbara and on other Southern California college campuses The spokesman predicted “some statewide action will be taken this week.” The FSM demanded the University fulfill three major requests: If the Administration did not meet their demands within 24 hours The FSM and its leaders from the start declared the police would have to haul them out to escape the gentle discipline of the University they have thrown themselves into the arms of the less understanding discipline of the community at large some faculty members and non-University persons—packed four floors of Sproul Hall following a huge rally in the plaza between Sproul Hall and the Student Union “There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious that you can’t take part; you can’t even tacitly take part and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels upon all the apparatus and you’ve got to make it stop And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it the machines will be prevented from working at all.” Folk singer Joan Baez told the demonstrators: “When you go in as Joan Baez sang “We Shall Overcome,” the demonstrators filed through the right-hand main entrance to Sproul Hall up the main stairway and—as the first and second floors filled—on up the inside stairways to the third and fourth floors the University closed all offices in the building except Public Information and the Business and Finance departments Most of the demonstrators contented themselves with singing folk songs and possibility of arrest or other administration action appeared to lessen protestors watched movies (“Laurel and Hardy,” “Operation Abolition”) attended “Freedom School” classes in stairwells and open areas Hallway lights were turned off and by 1:00 a.m. most of the demonstrators had settled down for the long night ahead The University Young Republicans student group formally withdrew from the FSM tonight is that the Administration cease to be an administration.” “Because the FSM has refused to use the right channels and have the patience to use the right channels the majority of this campus community doesn’t support the actions of this body of individuals.” assisted by a portable “bull horn,” delivered a terse message to students assembled on each of Sproul Hall’s four floors: This assemblage has developed to such a point that the purpose and work of the University have been materially impaired It is clear that there have been acts of disobedience and illegality which cannot be tolerated in a responsible educational center and would not be tolerated anywhere in our society… Failure to disperse will result in disciplinary action by the University approximately 635 uniformed police officers had been assembling for nearly an hour “I have tonight called upon law enforcement officials in Alameda County to arrest and take into custody all students and others who may be in violation of the law at Sproul Hall.” Any demonstrator was free to leave the building at any time Those who insisted on remaining in the building were arrested Each arrested demonstrator was given the choice of walking or being dragged Some walked; most “went limp” and were dragged including leader Steve Weissman—who “escaped” out of a window—claimed the demonstrators were being clubbed President Clark Kerr issued a statement condemning the demonstration and the FSM: “The FSM and its leaders from the start declared the police would have to haul them out they have thrown themselves into the arms of the less understanding discipline of the community at large….” Demonstration leaders and others arrested yesterday and released on bail appeared on campus wearing large white “V’s” on black backgrounds and attended a huge noon rally on Sproul Hall steps More than 5,000 persons jammed the plaza and many lined the balconies and Dining Commons roof to hear protest leaders and faculty members condemn Governor Brown The student strike continued through the day with picket lines at campus entrances and construction sites ASUC President Charles Powell issued the following statement during a news conference this afternoon: “Because of the fact that the issues have become muddled and because the FSM has refused to use the right channels and have the patience to use the right channels the majority of this campus community doesn’t support the actions of this body of individuals The campus community would support proper channels—the only two remaining channels which are available—but sit-ins and arbitrating bodies are not going to bridge the gap which divides this campus Education and the normal processes of learning are of utmost importance here and the FSM regards itself as being able to decide for everyone else on this campus that their demands are more important than the basic purpose of this University I maintain that such disregard of others’ rights to an education on this campus if it continues will have serious consequences Our world-renowned faculty members will leave large numbers of students will change campuses having done poorly in courses here for lack of the proper atmosphere and legislative influence from Sacramento is threatening more and more the autonomy of the University of California Destroying the political autonomy of the University would be a disastrous consequence and along with the other reasons which I have stated make the FSM continual demonstrations and tactics completely invalid and unwanted.” “Anything that is illegal in the community at large is still illegal on the campus The question is: Should the University impose more restrictions on its students in the area of political activity than exists in the community-at-large faculty members and staff gathered in the Greek Theatre for the unusual convocation ceremonies Mario Savio conducted a heated argument backstage with Professor Scalapino Savio demanded an opportunity to address the Greek Theatre meeting told Savio that the meeting was “structured” and was not an “open forum.” He refused Savio’s request to speak Savio sat approximately 15 feet from the edge of the stage he shook his head and muttered “Hypocrite!” A reporter asked Savio if he was going to speak As President Kerr neared the end of his remarks Savio rose and walked to the far left (south) end of the Greek Theatre stage and stood there for two or three minutes while President Kerr completed his remarks At the conclusion of the President’s address Chairman Scalapino moved to the rostrum and announced the meeting’s adjournment Savio moved rapidly across the front of the stage to the rostrum two University police officers grabbed him and pulled him away from the rostrum Savio was dragged through the center rear stage entrance and into a small room at the south end of the backstage area used by performers As Savio was being held at the south end of the Greek Theatre Arthur Goldberg pleaded with President Kerr to release him at the north end it was announced Savio was not under arrest Savio told the crowd he merely wanted to announce an FSM rally at noon in front of Sproul Hall (President Kerr had personally given permission for this rally so that the protestors could discuss the terms of the new agreement) Nearly 10,000 persons jammed the plaza between Sproul Hall and the Student Union at noon the proposals announced by President Kerr less than an hour earlier professor of philosophy and chairman of the philosophy department the Senate action was a perfect birthday present issued soon after the Senate had adjourned and entitled “Happiness is an Academic Senate Meeting,” FSM said: We regret having been forced to undertake controversial actions to begin a dialogue The actions have weighed more heavily upon us than upon any others in the academic community We hope that the dialogue which has at last begun will continue and increase and that the success of this dialogue will mean that such actions will never again be necessary.” evaluated the ASUC Senate’s role in the “free speech” controversy: We have in many ways been inadequate in dealing with the free speech problem.” The University Board of Regents considered the Academic Senate’s resolution at its next meeting did not accept the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate’s proposed solution to the “free speech” controversy Free Speech Movement leaders were unhappy with the Regents’ action Mario Savio declared the Regents’ “horrendous action” marked a “tragic day in the history of the University.” An emergency meeting of the Board of Regents named Martin Meyerson dean of the College of Environmental Design as “Acting Chancellor” for the Berkeley campus Strong was granted a leave of absence “to recuperate from his recent illness.” Meyerson’s appointment was effective “immediately” and was for an “indefinite” period Acting Chancellor Martin Meyerson issued two statements set down provisional rules for political activity on the Berkeley campus: “For political activity during this interim period the following rules will cover those matters of greatest concern during the next few days: OPEN DISCUSSION AREA: Until final plans can be developed for a suitable alternate discussion area the Sproul Hall steps are available for temporary use for this purpose at the noon hour and between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m Suitable voice amplification will be provided by the University TABLES: Student organizations may set up tables in the following areas between 7:00 a.m The Free Speech Movement held its first legal rally on the steps of Sproul Hall at noon Between ballads sung by folk singer Joan Baez FSM spokesmen expressed dissatisfaction with the proposals of the Committee of Academic Freedom denounced the new rules for campus political activity and announced a pending “investigation of the Board of Regents” under the auspices of the American Federation of Teachers Discussing the appointment of Acting Chancellor Meyerson “The important comment is that the person is nowhere near as important as the pressures on the person from higher up whereas the previous Chancellor (Strong) did not.” POSTSCRIPT: The events of 1964 were just the beginning of a tumultuous period of youth rebellion that would reshape the campus and the nation a villain to most FSM participants despite being a liberal reformer was unceremoniously fired by then-newly-elected Governor Ronald Reagan who won the election in part on a campaign promise to “clean up the mess at Berkeley.” Shortly after People’s Park became a flashpoint between students locals and the university in a real estate battle that has stretched almost to the present opposition to the war in Vietnam was to become a galvanizing issue for young Americans culminating in the massacre at Kent State University on May 4 when National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed student protesters killing four and injuring nine. Of course student protest is still very much a part of university life and each new generation finds cause to rally when the operation of the machine becomes too odious to bear the FSM is considered an essential part of Berkeley’s identity and culture Visitors to campus can visit the “Mario Savio Steps” at Sproul Hall or meet at at the Free Speech Movement Café in Moffitt Undergraduate Library and sip coffee under walls adorned with photographs and quotes from the movement or wander outside to read newspapers from around the world the front pages of which are blown up and displayed there daily.  October 1 marked the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Free Speech Movement in 1964 Following Jack Weinberg’s arrest for political and free speech tabling on campus–Jack’s the famous Guy in the Police Car–some 3,000 students surrounded the police car that had driven onto Sproul Plaza Mario Savio and other student activists mounted and […] This fall will be the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement and FSM veterans will return to campus for a reunion that will feature the usual events plus some others you might not have anticipated Produced by Stagebridge in association […] Produced by Stagebridge in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre the full-length musical production will have its first performance September 27 on Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage with two additional performances the following day The musical was composed by none other than Mario Savio’s son Daniel in collaboration with two veterans of The San Francisco Mime Troupe Bruce sat in at Sproul Hall when he was a 16-year-old freshman “I feel a great responsibility to get it right for my father’s sake and also for Michael Rossman and Reggie Zelnik and my mom,” says Daniel I know it as well as anybody who was there.” is the show’s creative advisor and a member of the 50th reunion committee The FSM began on September 14, 1964, when the University of California at Berkeley, under pressure from Senate Majority Leader William F. Knowland ’29, who was angered by Civil Rights sit-ins announced that existing University regulations banning political activity on campus would be “strictly enforced.” and antiwar demonstrations that convulsed college campuses throughout the country for the next decade They also triggered a voter backlash that many believe led to the election of Ronald Reagan who campaigned on a promise to “clean up the mess at Berkeley,” as governor of California in 1966 In the five decades since that memorable autumn FSM has become part of the popular culture an episode of Battlestar Gallactica featured a character closely paraphrasing Mario Savio’s “bodies upon the gears” speech “I got an email from the producer wanting to know if he could use it,” says Lynne He gave the Mario Savio Memorial Lecture Fund a nice contribution in exchange.” This year’s annual Savio lecture—to be given by Saru Jayaraman director of the Food Labor Research Center at Cal—will be the last one sponsored by Savio’s friends and admirers who created the lecture series after his death in 1996 it will be sponsored by the Social Sciences Division in the College of Letters & Science “The timing seemed right to both its organizers and campus leaders to ensure it would continue in perpetuity as a part of our academic landscape and as a commemoration of a very important part of campus history,” says Carla Hesse Dean of Social Sciences and a member of the campus coordinating committee for the 50th anniversary was one of the lawyers for the Sproul Hall arrestees UC Berkeley is finally embracing this important part of its history “Though I cannot presume to speak for our current administration I think it is fair to say that the attitude of campus leaders to the Free Speech Movement has evolved over the past 50 years from fear to pride in what the students at that time stood up for and what they accomplished,” says Dean Hesse The official celebrations will start even before the fall quarter begins with freshman and new students in the On The Same Page program being asked to read Freedom’s Orator a biography of Mario Savio written by NYU professor Robert Cohen The celebrations will continue throughout the fall exhibits at the Bancroft Library and the Berkeley Historical Society freedom-of-speech symposia at the law school and the Academic Senate’s commemoration of their historic vote on Dec climaxing with a rally at Sproul Plaza on Oct anniversary of the arrest of former grad student Jack Weinberg—the man who said “Never trust anyone over 30.” Robert Reich and FSM veterans will deliver speeches from the Sproul steps which were officially renamed the Mario Savio Steps in 1997 those who were there remember the events as if they happened yesterday: the thousands of students on Sproul Plaza surrounding the police car holding Weinberg; the mass sit-in at Sproul Hall and the mass arrests that followed; the cops jumping on Mario Savio as he attempted to speak at the Greek Theater; and the climactic Academic Senate resolution “Jack and I set up the card table at 11:30 on that fateful day when he was arrested,” recalls John Sutake ’68 was that he was not a currently registered student and I was Many of the FSM leaders were veterans of the Mississippi Freedom Summer where they were deeply influenced by the nonviolent militancy of Bob Moses and Martin Luther King But FSM drew support from across the political spectrum Most had never before taken part in a demonstration shivering for our careers,” the late Michael Rossman ’63 one of the first people to sit down around the police car “We had just come out of the McCarthy period when people’s lives were destroyed for walking a picket line let alone sitting around a police car in the middle of a plaza of a great university.” “I had to make a choice,” says Lee Felsenstein ’72 “Was I a scared kid who wanted to be safe at all costs Or was I a person who had principles and was willing to take a risk to follow them It was like that moment in Huckleberry Finn when Huck says “I was coming out of class and saw them take him into the car,” says Jeremy Bruenn ’65 I remember wondering whether they would drive over us I thought they showed fairly good judgment in not creating more of a situation than was necessary.” “When people climbed up on the po­lice car “I was sitting by the front bumper,” remembers Damon Tempey ’66 “Weinberg was in the back of the car for more than a day so he peed into a Coke bottle and ate sandwiches He had a ringside seat for the speeches as people mounted the police car and spoke.” But not everyone on the plaza that day was a supporter “The vast majority of us were simply walking across campus and stopped to find out what all the commotion was about,” says Phil Litts ’66 who was elected Head Yell Leader later that year on a platform that mocked FSM “I was on my way back to Unit Three for lunch.” Litts was still impressed by the way they went about it “Mario Savio was very respectful of people with opposing views And when people climbed up on the police car and that’s something you don’t hear a lot about.” some fraternity boys started heckling the seated protestors and flipping lighted cigarettes at them “A bunch of us formed a cordon line with our backs to the frat boys and let them beat on us to protect the people sitting on the ground,” Sutake told me when we realized we had to reach out to these people we went to the frats and sororities giving little talks explaining what we were all about but we were trying to build a mass movement and that included people who disagreed with us.” The confrontation escalated in fits and starts over the next two months and picket lines urging students to boycott the few classes that were still going on arrived at his lecture hall and found only two people there: him and the professor “I was watch­ing my­self be­ing mis­used by the me­dia to state something that was totally un­true about what was go­ing on at Berke­ley and I have nev­er trus­ted the me­dia ever since.” was an FSM sympathizer who wouldn’t have dreamed of crossing a picket line But some classes remained open by pre-arrangement between the professor and the FSM leadership including her anthropology course in Wheeler Auditorium and for some reason I could tell one of the cameras was doing a close-up of me ‘Can they do this without my permission?’ But I didn’t think any more about it until a few weeks later having Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and one of the stories was a report from Berkeley ‘Students are crossing picket lines in droves and the coed the camera was zeroing in on was me I was watching myself being misused by the media to state something that was totally untrue about what was going on at Berkeley and I have never trusted the media ever since.” the best-known FSM leader was Bettina Aptheker ’66 whom the media portrayed as an intransigent hardliner because she was a Communist “The irony is that Bettina was one of the moderates,” says Sutake ‘Go slow’ and ‘Be reasonable.’ But she was a convenient target.” The nightly FSM executive committee meetings often lasted into the next morning because everyone had to be heard and some of the speechifying was great,” declares Kate Coleman ’65 “Like the time we were trying to decide if Mario should lead us into a sit-in—I forget which one—and Barbara Garson in her Brooklynese said ‘I don’t believe in the cult of the personality … (pause) … but if you have one—use him!’ We all laughed because of course it was fitting that Mario lead us that day.” The crisis finally came to a head on December 2 when Joan Baez led about a thousand students singing “We Shall Overcome” into Sproul Hall for a mass sit-in and a sizable group of Jewish students celebrated Hanukkah by dancing the hora who was just a wonderful guy,” recalls Bob Kroll ’68 Chancellor Edward Strong ordered the building locked and gave the students an ultimatum: Get out now or be arrested A few avoided arrest by climbing down a rope from the second floor balcony “I was only 18 and already on probation from an arrest from a previous Civil Rights demonstration so the sit-in leaders told me I could do more good on the outside by raising bail money and organizing transportation to Santa Rita,” he says others on the ground outside started climbing up “I heard on the radio that the arrests had started so I got on my bike and rode to campus as fast as I could,” says Paula Shatkin ’67 (then Kogan) but somehow I got hold of that rope and was pulled up to the balcony That was the most physically daring act of my life I was not going to miss getting arrested after all that work and sitting in and demonstrating!” It took more than 12 hours to arrest them all Or do you want to leave like a gentleman?’” says Malcolm Zaretzky “They were dragging people down those marble steps bump as they were dragged,” Linda Rosen ’66 remembers The arrestees were cheered by onlookers as they were put on busses and driven to Santa Rita “As we got to the corner of Telegraph and Channing I looked out the window and saw this little old lady who was probably younger than I am now,” says Glenn Lyons ’65 That was my first inkling that not everyone in the world thought we were doing a great thing.” I went to Sproul steps and screamed at the top of my lungs ‘You screwed our Uni­versity!’ I was so angry “I belonged to a politically conservative group called Students For Law And Order We had funding from one of the UC regents,” explains Bruce Roberts ’68 “Our job was to go onto campus with flyers and talk about why [FSM] was an inappropriate thing for the University.” “My parents down in Orange County were so mad at me they took away the Mustang they had bought me for graduation and gave it to my sister,” “My parents’ reactions were classic,” remembers Susan Peterson a grad student in literature back in the day ‘They’re just a bunch of Commies!’ My mother said Jentri Anders ’67 (then Barbara Samuels) returned home from Santa Rita the next morning to be greeted by her husband “We split up and were officially divorced two years later,” Anders says President Clark Kerr attempted to defuse the crisis with a kiss-and-make-up convocation at the Greek Theater He was jumped by campus cops who wrestled him to the ground ripping his suit to shreds and turning the convocation into an uproar But after another month of moves and countermoves the first legal political rally finally was held at Sproul Plaza on Jan Some of the arrestees suffered repercussions for years afterwards; others didn’t Jentri Anders was puzzled why she kept getting turned down for federal jobs until somebody referred her to an FBI agent who told her “You have an arrest record and a file with us because of your participation in the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley I am going to fix it so that you will never work for the federal government.” “Every time I apply for a new teaching job and have to go through a criminal background check I delight in giving them more information than they want about FSM.” I don’t think I really ap­pre­ci­ated that un­til later as the left got ugly and star­ted to eat its own.” and once for coming through LAX with a joint in my pocket And famed poster artist David Lance Goines I was studying classics and headed for an academic career I was expelled from school and became an apprentice printer which would never have come to pass had I not been forcibly removed from the arms of my alma mater.” ‘You screwed our University!’” says Bruce Roberts about the protests And not just from me—from the entire student body.” “For all that happened at Berkeley in the ’60s and early ’70s subsequent to the FSM lets-make-the-world-a-better-place idealism of that movement looking back from this distance of half a century strikes me as the most selfless leader this country has produced in a very long time there may have been a Free Speech Movement But it would not have been the FSM we came to know and so fervently believe in.” and so much of what came after was,” says Kate Coleman “And a lot of it has to be credited to Mario A lot of guys in the movement were arrogant jerks I don’t think I really appreciated that until later as the left got ugly and started to eat its own.” a junior faculty member in 1964 who became chairman of the Department of History and co-editor (with Robert Cohen) of a great history of FSM called The Free Speech Movement: Reflections on Berkeley in the 1960s summed it up best when we talked about FSM shortly before his untimely death in 2004 I always like to remind people that nothing is as beautiful as it appears on the surface,” he said For more information and updates on the FSM reunion, check the FSM Archives web site (Twitter hashtag #FSM50), the campus FSM web site, and the On The Same Page web site. Photo Credit: Courtesy of UC Berkeley, The Bancroft Library. Group carrying “Free Speech” banner through Sather Gate [ca. 1965]. From the Summer 2014 Apocalypse issue of California. October 1 marked the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Free Speech Movement in 1964. Following Jack Weinberg’s arrest for political and free speech tabling on campus–Jack’s the famous Guy in the Police Car–some 3,000 students surrounded the police car that had driven onto Sproul Plaza. Mario Savio and other student activists mounted and […] Mario Savio’s design for a Free Speech Movement monument Berkeley students today take for granted that the Free Speech Movement (FSM) was a major event whose memory the University commemorates. They can get a snack at the Free Speech Movement Café (opened in 2000) while viewing photos, leaflets, and other artifacts of the Berkeley rebellion. They […] Decades after the Free Speech Movement, we look back at the three figures central to the conflict. © 2025 Cal Alumni Association. All Rights Reserved. CAA is a self-funded nonprofit organization that relies on donations to provide programs and services that support students, alumni, and the university. Embed on your websiteClose×Copy the code below to embed the WBUR audio player on your site<iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/05/06/campus-protests-history"></iframe> EmailMario Savio leader of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement is restrained by police as he walks on to the platform at the University of California's Greek Theater in Berkeley Klein/AP)The Free Speech Movement on the campus of the University of California Berkeley in the mid-1960s opened the door to the era of campus activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s Then came the call for divestment from South Africa in the mid-1980s How does the call for divestment from Israel echo the earlier anti-apartheid demonstrations Here & Now's Scott Tong talks with University of Texas history professor Steven Mintz who has written about the history of student protest and restaurateurs who are setting up shop.  a 75-seat osteria and labour of love between three partners (L’Abattoir’s Paul Grunberg Chef Mark Perrier and Ste Marie studio principal Craig Stanghetta) that fuses simplicity drama and cheekiness—both in its design and farm-fresh menu diners can watch Perrier in the open kitchen as he works his magic at the wood fire grill Dishes like grilled squid on a bed of chickpeas with tomato and chilli and rib of beef drizzled with aged balsamico and Grana are unpretentious but hearty and fresh made pasta that would make any Nonna proud Website escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox VIEW GOOGLE MAPS Celeste Moure has lived in 10 cities across seven countries and five continents design and architecture for Condé Nast Traveler The New York Times and various other publications She currently splits her time between Vancouver and Los Angeles speaks to assembled students on the campus at the University of California The Movement celebrates its 50th anniversary this week This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement at the University of California That movement launched the massive sit-ins and protests that would help define a generation of student activism across the country thousands of students casually stroll past scores of information tables in Berkeley's Sproul Plaza on everything from the fossil fuel debate to voter registration UC students were barred from distributing flyers about the major issues of the day "It was the passion that fueled the Free Speech Movement," says Lynn Hollander Savio who was a senior at Berkeley in October of 1964 Hollander Savio says that many students had spent the summer on voter registration drives in the South they set up information tables to tell other students about civil rights When the school administration tried to shut them down "The tables were used to give out literature to recruit members and nobody was interested in fighting with the administration," she says Hollander Savio — short, spry, grey hair — is 75 now. Gazing across Sproul Plaza, she recalls that day when a former math grad student, Jack Weinberg, was arrested for distributing civil rights literature He was thrown into a patrol car while thousands of curious students watched "There's a time when the operation of the machine become so odious makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears upon all the apparatus and you've got to make it stop," protest leader Mario Savio told students in 1964 "Somebody shouted 'sit down' and students who were there to watch this happening sat down and that police car didn't go anywhere for 32 hours," Hollander Savio says As the students spontaneously chanted "let him go," the Free Speech Movement was ignited Its leader was a mild-mannered but fiery orator named Mario Savio Savio spoke just before a massive sit-in that led to the arrest of 800 students A reporter described what followed as a "gauntlet," as students were pushed down the stairs The confrontation proved too much for the university and the university faculty voted to end all restrictions on political activity The student movement — ranging from Young Socialists to Young Republicans — was victorious But if the students won their battle on campus says a wave of conservative reaction against the Berkeley protest lifted a rising politician named Ronald Reagan is restrained by police as he walks to the platform at the University of California's Greek Theater in Berkeley on Dec "As he was testing the waters for entering the governor's race in 1965 everywhere he went people would ask him what he would do about those protestors in Berkeley," Rosenfeld says And as Reagan announced his candidacy for governor in 1966 he blasted both the Berkeley protestors and the administrators who "Will we allow a great university to be brought to its knees by a noisy dissident minority Will we meet their neurotic vulgarities with vacillation and weakness?" Reagan said the university's administration refused to commemorate the pivotal events of 1964 the steps of Sproul Hall were named for the charismatic orator the university is hosting a series of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary with concerts There's no doubt that many students today appreciate the activism that came before them Freshman Marisa McConnell says it is still part of Berkeley's brand "Berkeley has such a huge history behind it and being able to come here is such an honor because you're walking in the footsteps of some really amazing Hollander Savio reflects on what was accomplished 50 years ago "We gave youth in America a sense that political and social action is something that you can and should be involved in and you have power," she says Students burdened by debt may have less time to be politically active today Become an NPR sponsor A community is stitched together by churches and barber shops and places like Savio's Bicycle Supply which is closing after selling bicycles since 1934 He's closing the shop he's owned on Wilson Way at Waterloo Road since he moved out of downtown in 1973 "I started working with my dad in 1960 on Main Street," Savio said He means generations this way: "A lot of kids have grown up come back and bought bikes for their kids." He rented space inside a ladder store at Market and Aurora streets for $15 a month He soon moved onto Main Street - when Main Street was Main Street He sold big-tire retro bikes that weren't retro yet Kids in leggings and dusty black shoes and kids in overalls with no shoes and Stockton Record paperboys "He'd sell 'em a new bike for $1 a week," Savio said of the paperboys who draped their bags over the handlebars and lobbed papers to porches while riding "We've had doctors and lawyers buy bikes here," Savio boasted The man for whom downtown's Dean De Carli Waterfront Square is named De Carli was the mayor who demolished the West End I mention that because some folks believe bulldozing six square blocks of downtown and dithering instead of rebuilding started the downtown exodus The Wilson and Waterloo neighborhood was healthy then a robust remnant of the days Wilson Way was Highway 99 Families filtered in from neighborhood Victorians a gargantuan man upside of 400 pounds - named Tiny - made donuts in the window of Rollin' Donut He was the biggest package by your Christmas tree Kids' bikes had top bars resembling a motorcycle's gas tank with a battery-powered horn button on the side and a big headlight on the fender He loaned his 1932 Pierce Arrow to the motion picture crew that filmed the George C straight handlebars turned down on Schwinn Varsity racers Stingrays with banana seats yielded to BMXs handlebars straightened out and frames became as sturdy as they were when FDR was president Savio's Wilson Way shop has a panoramic glass window on a manic intersection He watched the endgame of one of Stockton's craziest capers a man stoned on PCP stole a black Cadillac hearse - with the casket and corpse inside - from a mortuary as the family grieved at a service inside blew all four tires and rammed into a power pole "And they had to beat the hell out of him to get him out of the car," he recalled The detoured corpse was routed back to his heavenly reward "We used to sell 100 bikes here at Christmastime Savio passes time alone in his dusty store And business is hurt by the worst depression since his dad opened and streetcars rumbled by on Main Street There's no young Savio to teach adjusting brakes Savio sold the building to a jeweler across the street Contact columnist Michael Fitzgerald at (209) 546-8270 or michaelf@recordnet.com Visit his blog at recordnet.com/fitzgeraldblog A wrestling legend from Puerto Rico will be the featured guest as Canadian Wrestling’s Elite (CWE) returns to Plaza 88 on Monday Former WWF (now WWE) wrestler Savio Vega will be in Prince Albert for his first tour of the city He also completed the Point of No Return Tour I’ve been doing some research on the company too.” is currently running International Wrestling Association (IWA)-Puerto Rico He said he was excited to be back wrestling in Canada He was also excited to see old friends including the widow of Hercules Ayala in Calgary He also plans to visit the resting place of Owen Hart “I cannot miss this opportunity to go there and pay my respect once again for him,” Vega said Vega also hopes to see a few familiar faces from the Puerto Rican wrestling world while in Canada Vega got started in the wrestling business because of a television show from Argentina called Titan in The Ring which he watched a black and white television “I fell in love with the ring not with the wrestling or wrestlers,” he explained “I just fell in love with that ring when I saw the ring.” and then his friends at school told him about other wrestling shows This led to him attending shows in his hometown “I start watching the wrestling closer without knowing the life was preparing me to do this in the future because I fell in love right away with wrestling,” he said I was getting closer and closer to the ring.” Vega began creating wrestling cards with his friends based on what he saw on television New Japan Pro Wrestling and the top two companies in his home country IWA and the World Wrestling Council (WWC) “It’s been a great journey in my career,” he said A lot of doors are closed and lot of doors open “(I had the chance to) Wrestle with marvellous people like Terry Funk I’ve wrestled with so many superstars in this business that I’m happy be in that crew I look myself and I can’t even believe that I’m in part of that crew but that’s life that’s the way I see myself.” Vega has been performing for 45 years and has no plans to stop He said owning IWA-Puerto Rico makes him happy and he has a lot of young talent I say I am going to retire when I die because I’m happy with what I’m doing,” he said “In Puerto Rico I have two hours of television locally in Puerto Rico channel 11 in Puerto Rico and also on YouTube IWA Puerto Rico on YouTube every Saturday at noon It’s a new show and people see what we do and it’s good wrestling He said that all of his time working in Puerto Rico helped his reputation in running IWA Puerto Rico “They know what I’m capable to do in and out of the ring I’m happy with what happened in Puerto Rico right now.” His former partner in IWA Puerto Rico was Victor Quinones until he passed away in 2006 and the company was closed a few years later Vega said that after Quinones passed and the company closed he was depressed but he eventually talked to former Los Boricuas member Miguel Perez Jr “They took everything out of the local television,” Vega remembered “They took everybody out of the television We lost the television and they want $2,500 a week for television It was not a success but Vega came back in and relaunched it I reopened the company and since then it’s running and growing every day (We) have new talents and new young boys in the company and we are very happy with what we’re doing in Puerto Rico right now with IWA.” One of the most infamous incidents in Puerto Rican wrestling was the stabbing murder of Bruiser Brody Vega explained that the incident still hangs over the Puerto Rican wrestling community “Nobody is trying to erase that because it’s something that you’re not going to erase,” Vega said “We are not proud of what happened there either.” Vega said that he knew and loved Brody and worked with him when he was a security guard Vega got to know Brody even better when they both travelled together He said Brody was a good mentor who gave him pointers on what to do and not do in the ring Brody is one of several wrestlers Vega credits for helping him improve Vega is still happy working in the wrestling business He is doing what older wrestlers did for him both with IWA and on this tour “When I see matches of the guys in here at CWE I have to say something to improve them in where they could look better and better.” Vega encouraged everyone to come down and see him Vega also teased an appearance by his former alias “You don’t know if the character could appear on CWE’s tour so you need to be wise because everything could be possible and Kwang could come down any night,” Vega said The card will feature a special eight man tag team match main event Vega is facing Canadian legend Vance Nevada AEW’s “Zombie Princess” Jimmy Jacobs is facing “Hotshot” Danny Duggan CAM!!ikaze is facing “Lion Warrior” Bobby Sharp “Leon Lokombo and Chad Daniels face The Cannon Corporation ( Shaun Martens and Kevin O’Doyle) and Travis Cole faces Rusty Blackwell The show will also feature a set by Prince Albert’s Burning Pallets before the show The Meet and Greet is at 6 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. and bell time is 7 p.m. at Plaza 88. Advance Tickets Available at: Colette Portamedic Services or purchase tickets online at cwetickets.com. Prince Albert's only locally-owned daily newspaper a group of lay people called the "Sodality of St in July the Sodality was consecrated with a solemn Mass celebrated in the parish the Sodality's main purpose is growing in holiness through devotion to St and to do so its members organize moments of prayer and sharing putting themselves at the service of their family elevated mXWkl Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery elevated mXWkl Peacefully passed away on Thursday She is now reunited with her husband of almost 60 years her brother Pasquale and many other loved ones and relatives who have predeceased her Caring and devoted mother of Eva (Edward Swiderski) Dear sister of Concetta Saullo and Mario Biscardi (Luisa) Lina will be lovingly remembered in the hearts of her family and many friends donations may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or to the Canadian Lung Association Both Giulio and Lina became very good friends with us when we met them in Ajijic especially was very devoted to the children at the orphanage there and volunteered often One day a little boy was choking on a piece of food and Lina noticed that he was in trouble.She immediately applied the heimlich manuever and saved his life The event was important enough to make it in the local paper with Lina’s photo I am deeply saddened by Lina’s death She was an important role model in my life at a crucial time I extend my deepest sympathy to all her family I have been thinking of her and times together; particularly when she and Guilio visited the condo in Puerto Vallarta I was deeply sadden to learn of the passing of your sister and I extend my deepest sympathies to you and your entire family We will pray for the eternal repose of the soul of Lina Savio… Peace of Mind has never been so Affordable We are offering 0% interest for up to 48 months on the purchase of a grave Copyright Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services – Archdiocese of Toronto | Privacy Policy | Accessibility 1950s Americana isn’t something you associate with Venice but a new Airstream park across the lagoon is an ideal base Most travellers planning a trip to Venice picture staying in a romantic hotel on the Grand Canal or a cosy B&B in an ancient palazzo thousands of holidaymakers come in by boat from campsites on a narrow 15km stretch of coast that separates Venice’s lagoon from the Adriatic with the opening of Italy’s first Airstream park here just half an hour by ferry from central Venice the appeal of camping has just shot up a notch or two decided to offer a completely different kind of accommodation by ordering five gleaming metal Airstreams last summer The Airstreams at Ca’Savio are modern models based on the original design.I would never describe myself as a happy camper but have always been enthralled by this ultimate icon of 1930s Americana the aluminium tube nicknamed the “silver bullet” So I went to check it out for a couple of nights Camping Ca’Savio can host up to 5,000 visitors but because the site is vast and most people were out sightseeing in Venice We passed tents and bungalows under shady pine trees as Nicoletta led me to a secluded corner reserved for the Airstreams lined up along a dune across which waves were crashing down on the beach Many such trailer parks specialise in vintage Airstreams but Nicoletta was seduced by a sleek new model an exact replica of the emblematic original design I once spent a pleasant couple of nights in a 1950s Airstream but nothing prepared me for all the luxury mod cons here: air conditioning An Airstream interior at Ca’SavioThe sofa in the salon can pull out as a second bed big enough for two kids to have their own adventure and there are butchers and an excellent fish shop just down the road in Ca’Savio village But I took the easy option of staying put in the camp walking across to the pizzeria for a takeaway quattro stagioni picking up a litre of chilled white wine for €2.95 at the campsite shop and dining under the stars at the Airstream’s wooden deck After joining the culinary crew at Vancouver’s Savio Volpe over the holiday season, Top Chef Canada competitor and former CinCin chef Andrea Alridge was officially named the restaurant’s head chef today.  With an affinity for marrying local West Coast ingredients with innovative Italian cuisine and a wealth of experience cooking over an open flame Alridge and Savio Volpe seem like the perfect match.   “Cooking Italian food with open fire is an absolute joy of mine,” says Alridge I believe that working with fire truly brings people closer together and the presence that fills the room from the hearth of the fire." In addition to being an ideal candidate for the restaurant’s head chef position, Alridge will also be joining forces with another celebrated Top Chef Canada alum in culinary director Phil Scarfone and friendly demeanor makes her the total package of a leader.” Savio Volpe is open daily from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Reservations can be made online Dominic Savio Parish in different roles as lector She joined the northeast Edmonton parish 40 years ago when it was twinned with St She arrived just after the parish rectory was built in 1972 and the church building was erected in 1974 Ripley witnessed the church hall renovations and new kitchen facility in the basement in 1998 and the five year church interior and sanctuary update starting in 2010 “The area served has had population growth and individuals and families from many cultures have embraced and brought rich cultural diversity to our celebrations and parish life,” said Ripley Dominic Savio is a nice little family: humble and simple,” said pastor Rev Today it’s an active Salesian parish with more than 2,500 registered parishioners Francis of Assisi Parish covered such a large pastoral territory that several families saw a need to begin a new parish they approached the Salesians to pastor their fledgling community and since the religious order was already serving at the nearby St The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), is a religious order founded in the late 1800s by Italian priest St. John Bosco to help poor children Dominic Savio was an Italian student of St John Bosco who led a holy life before his death at age 14 The jubilee anniversary falls on the weekend closest to St “Our parishioners love to identify themselves as ‘Dominics’ and they are proud of it.” Is this not something wonderful,” said Father Devadoss Dominic Savio Parish shares the Salesian mandate to focus on serving the needs of young people The Salesians have primarily served the parish the Congregation of Holy Cross and diocesan priests have also pastored the parish When Father Devadoss took over from diocesan priest Rev his main goal was to revive youth and family outreach For the last couple of years he’s worked with the Archdiocese of Edmonton and local parish to come up with a plan to hire a new youth and family minister this summer Currently there are 15 or so youth who faithfully participate in parish life and Father  Devadoss believes the parish can reach even more young people “We will try to help young people to grow as good Catholics We will have activities all geared toward this,” Father Devadoss said James and Maureen Merkosky are grateful for the support they received from the St Dominic Savio community in raising their family Over the course of 27 years all five of their children have received their sacraments there and they have all been actively involved in many parish ministries cello) and sing with some degree of proficiency so the music ministry is close to my heart,” said Maureen Merkosky “Our love of music has brought us many hours of making a joyful noise to the Lord and I am a strong believer in sharing our talents with our parish.” Their active participation has allowed them to make lasting friendships and feel a sense of belonging Dominic comes from it’s smaller size where you actually get to know the parishioners and priest,” said Maureen Merkosky “We have been blessed to make friendships and relationships in our parish and we truly feel part of the community here.” Lucky and Henrietta Eremionkhale couldn’t agree more The last Sunday of every month they attend an African Mass with their two children at St Dominic Savio (either in person or online due to COVID-19 restrictions) interesting and very lively,” said Lucky Eremionkhale president of Nigerian African Catholic Community Edmonton and Glorious Voices Choir leader at St “Praise and worship songs are sung in English The clothing at Mass can be flashy and very colourful with the rich culture of African attires.” Since the Edmonton African Catholic community began gathering in 2016 it’s grown from 50 members to 250 people from across the city and as far as Fort Saskatchewan Dominic Savio Parish has been a wonderful host parish for the African Catholic Community Edmonton,” said Lucky Eremionkhale Dominic Savio parish council and the youth advisory committee “The parish is a family friendly community church with open doors for everyone and a lovely place to serve God and develop your faith.” Father Devadoss is proud of the diversity that has always existed in his parish His love and enthusiasm for his parish is evident in these words of prayer stewarding his flock into the next 50 years Sign In Register