Students of the N.C. Student Power Union walk through Moore Square in downtown Raleigh on May Day, May 1, 2013, to protest the propsoed cuts to public education and services. Photo by Ryan Parry.
About 200 people gathered at the N.C. State Bell Tower on May 1 to march through downtown Raleigh in protest of various conservative policies, including the Governor’s proposed $139 million in cuts to the UNC System.
Organized by the N.C. Student Power Union, most protesters at the May Day protest were N.C. State students and professors. Students from other universities across North Carolina also joined, but all had the same mission–make their voices heard.
“This [turnout] is great,” N.C. State alumnus Andrew Payne said. “It’s how students effect change, by turning out and showing up.”
In 2001, Payne, a former N.C. State student body president, organized a similar protest in which approximately 5,000 people marched against a proposed $125 million in cuts to the UNC System. Payne traveled from New York City, where he currently attends Columbia University, to attend the May Day protest in Raleigh.
“Sometimes the only way to effect change is to show up on [our politicians’] doorstep and bang on the door,” Payne said.
Molly McDonough, a freshman studying women’s and gender studies, said she was frustrated with the governor, who she said thinks her major is “useless.” She also disagrees with a proposed combination of the African American studies department with the women’s and gender studies department at N.C. State.
“I think it’s a reflection of the fact that our administration sees everyone who’s not a straight, white male as the same,” McDonough said. “But they’re not.”
On April 29, McDonough was arrested along with 17 other people in protest of voter ID bills in front of the N.C. General Assembly along with the NAACP. Back again two days later, McDonough said that given the weather, she was very happy with Wednesday’s turnout.
“I like that we’ve got students from all over the state,” McDonough said. “That’s what I’m most happy about.”
One such student was Dhruv Patak, a freshman at UNC-Greensboro, majoring in African American studies. Patak also spoke to the group at the Bell Tower. He said the protest represented students fighting for their rights.
“We are the ones who make up the universities,” Patak said. “But we are the ones who have no say.”
The audience cheered.
Patak said he wanted to see more N.C. State students at the march.
“They’re missing out on a lot,” Patak said. “This is their education that’s being cut.”
After the speeches, the march began. The group carried cardboard signs, drums, megaphones and a few Guy Fawkes masks and migrated down Raleigh sidewalks, chanting against Art Pope, voter ID laws, tuition hikes and immigration policies.
Chants included “Hey, hey, ho, ho. Budget cuts have got to go,” and “Pope says cutback. We say fight back.”
Hundreds of onlookers stood on sidewalks, some cheering, and others just staring. Occasionally, a car drove by and honked, prompting cheers from the crowd.
After approximately 45 minutes of marching and chanting, the protesters—along with police who escorted them through Raleigh — arrived at the Civitas Institute, a think tank that renowned as “North Carolina’s conservative voice.”
The institute is owned by Art Pope, and regularly publishes statements opposing big government and liberal ideology.
Students chanted in front of the building, before Bryan Perlmutter, a senior in business administration and member of the N.C. Student Power Union, rallied the group together.
“We will continue to raise these issues and continue to raise Art Pope until he gets out of education,” Perlmutter, who was also arrested Monday with McDonough, shouted into his megaphone.
After Perlmutter’s speech, the group marched to Moore Square.
Several men in suits and ties stared disapprovingly at the shouting students as they made their way through the banking section of downtown.
In addition to the strong student presence, several professors came out to voice their opposition to the proposed conservative legislation. Among them was David Zonderman, the chairman-elect for N.C. State’s faculty senate.
Zonderman said he was happy with the turnout and reiterated that it was very important for students to speak up.
Dick Reavis, an associate English professor at N.C. State, had only one comment about the protest.
“It’s about time.”