About 50 protesters occupy Siemens Hall as Cal Poly Humboldt offers negotiations

Around 50 protesters, described as “roughly 50” by El Leñador’s Ellenadornews and as “about 30 to 40” by Redheaded Blackbelt participant Pat Kanzler, entered and occupied the second floor of Siemens Hall on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus in Arcata on Friday, Feb. 20. The action led university staff to lock Siemens Hall entrances and move classes that were scheduled there to the Van Duzer Theater.

Protesters gathered at the Josiah Lawson memorial mural at noon before marching across campus. Ellenadornews reported that at 12:38 p.m. demonstrators made their way onto campus and by 12:50 p.m. speakers in the upper quad had demanded that the university divest “from all investments tied to militarism, weapons manufacturing, occupation, and war‑profiting corporations,” implement a campus‑wide sanctuary policy and “stand in solidarity with Teamsters.” A megaphone participant told the crowd, “Today marks another day in our campus and system being complacent on genocide,” Ellenadornews reported.

At approximately 1:00 p.m. protesters entered Siemens Hall and announced plans to occupy the building until their demands were met, Ellenadornews reported. Redheaded Blackbelt said demonstrators moved down the hallway outside the president’s office and chanted for about 10 minutes while waiting for communication from administrators. Pat Kanzler, quoted by Redheaded Blackbelt, said, “There were about 30 to 40 of us marching,” and described the group: “We walked down the hallway, and we were chanting for quite for about 10 minutes … and saying, we want to see the President, okay? And because we were right in front of his office.” Redheaded Blackbelt noted that Siemens Hall houses university administration offices, including the office of University President Richard Carvajal.

Ellenadornews reported that university administration locked entrance doors to prevent further entry while classes were relocated to the Van Duzer Theater. Mike Fisher, interim vice president for administration and finance, entered Siemens Hall to attempt de‑escalation and “asked students to be mindful of people who were not actively protesting,” Ellenadornews reported. That account also states administration “permitted protestors to leave.” Redheaded Blackbelt said protesters later exited but added that it was unclear how long the occupation lasted or whether any formal agreement was reached beyond a reported plan to meet.

Photographs carried by Redheaded Blackbelt, credited to Ryan Hutson and captioned “Some of the pro Palestinian protestors today,” documented the march and the presence inside Siemens Hall, the community site reported. An anonymous Cal Poly Humboldt student quoted in Ellenadornews said of campus leadership, “We have a new president. I think he wants to make a good name for Humboldt. I don’t think he wants to have the same reputation as the previous president did.”

The Feb. 20 sit‑in comes against a backdrop of larger confrontations at Humboldt in spring 2024. The Intercept reported students first staged a sit‑in at Siemens Hall on April 22, 2024, an action that precipitated an eight‑day occupation and prompted then‑university president Tom Jackson to ask the Humboldt sheriff to tap the “law enforcement mutual aid system.” The Los Angeles Times reported that a police operation on April 30, 2024, resulted in at least 25 arrests to end a weeklong siege, and Mondoweiss published a faculty letter alleging police violence during those events.

Key details remain to be confirmed for the Feb. 20 action: exact participant counts, the length of the Siemens Hall occupation, whether a negotiated meeting between organizers and administrators was scheduled or took place, and whether any disciplinary or legal actions will follow. Redheaded Blackbelt reported it had reached out to Cal Poly Humboldt for comment; Ellenadornews provided the on‑campus timeline and named administrators present. Organizers said they intended to press for divestment, a sanctuary campus policy and solidarity with the Teamsters; whether those demands will trigger concrete policy review at the university awaits any follow‑up negotiations.