In the days and weeks after University of California police struck student protesters with batons on the Berkeley campus, hundreds of people emailed complaints to the administration regarding how it managed the situation.
That's according to emails released this week by the UC Berkeley Public Records Office to the Daily Californian, the student newspaper. The emails strongly condemned UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau for the actions taken by campus police during a Nov. 9, 2011 demonstration against tuition hikes. Birgeneau was on a business trip in Asia then but remained connected to campus officials. Emails released by the school earlier show that Birgeneau knew of the baton use by the UCPD and showed no objection.
The emails came from concerned parents, students, community members and university professors overseas. While a handful showed support for Birgeneau, the response was overwhelmingly critical.
Many of the emails referenced a statement made by UC officials that demonstrators linking arms was "not non-violent protest," usually voicing strong disagreement.
Here Is A Sampling Of Some Of The Letters Sent To The Chancellor's Office:
All 1,176 emails available on Document Cloud.