Mayday, Mayday: Student Protesters Take Stage at Cornell President’s Farewell Party, Jazz Band Plays On

Update: Video now available here.

Approximately 50 student protesters marched into Barton Hall Friday afternoon to disrupt Cornell President David Skorton’s farewell party.

The protesters marched across the gymnasium floor–filled with over 500 students, employees, and locals–waving signs and chanting various slogans, until ultimately settling upon the stage where a four-piece jazz band was playing to deliver their grievances against Cornell, Skorton, administrators, the Board of Trustees, Cornell Police and the NYPD, the KKK, Israel, and the jazz band.

The event the protesters attempted to disrupt (the jazz band continued to play and most present paid little attention to the spectacle after a few minutes) was a commemoration of President Skorton’s 9-year tenure at Cornell called “Bow Ties & Goodbyes — Celebrating President David J. Skorton and Professor Robin L. Davisson.”

The protesters had earlier marched across campus and sat in the intersection of East Avenue and Campus Road outside Duffield Hall for over an hour, despite the “system-wide delays” reported by the local bus system and the dismay expressed delivery truck drivers. The undergrad, graduate, and faculty members sitting on the road took turns standing in the middle of their circle to deliver speeches regarding a variety of topics including, but not limited to, the following: systematic racism, sexism, rape culture, the riots in Baltimore, microaggressions, Cornell’s occupation of indigenous lands, capitalism, oil companies, patriarchy, masculinity, and straightness.

One student, whose jumbled speech was to the effect of “we’re all fucking racists,” blurted the N-word out at one point and was later reprimanded by another speaker. Later, the offender returned to the middle of the circle to apologize for his choice of words, saying something to the effect of “I’m sorry, I’m a fucking racist, fuck me, fuck America.” 

Another student who identified as a graduate student and teaching assistant began his speech quite sensibly, offering a valid critique of some University “revenue enhancement” policies, but quickly left this topic to talk about how those present had been reduced to using their bodies to “disrupt capital flows” on campus. Another accosted Cornell and the country’s education system in whole for bonding students into “slavery” due to their massive student debt. (The student did not divulge whether he had been forced to accept his acceptance offer from Cornell.)

A student who others identified as Nathan spoke twice at length about the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community on campus. He accosted straightness, saying that “it is not okay to be straight”, and became particularly fraught when discussing his experience at a Boeing recruiting event aimed at LGBTQ+ people. His voice shaking and hoarse, Nathan lamented Boeing’s attempt to recruit LGBTQ+ individuals into the “machinery of murder… of brown people.” Between the speeches of others and throughout his own Nathan would occasionally scream “Fuck the police.” The Cornell police officers present were helping to redirect traffic away from the occupied intersection.

Various speakers, including Daniel Marshall ’15 whose interrogation and reported intimidation by Cornell police recently made national news, attempted to address common criticisms levied against Cornell’s protest community. They defended their amalgamation of many causes by citing “intersectionality” and said they had already tried using traditional channels of attempting to have their grievances heard and demands accepted.

Despite the ubiquitous anti-capitalist rhetoric, many students were observed using smart phones and laptops during the intersection occupation phase of the protest.

The protests were organized as part of May Day celebrations. May Day is also known as International Workers’ Day, a celebration of anarchist, socialist, and communist workers movements around the world the murder of tens of millions at the hands of communism.