Spring Break
Calling out UPD, SJSU
Alleged victim's supporters chant for compensation
Andrew Herndon
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: News
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The April 24 gathering drew more than 20 students and family members, who picketed and chanted, "Faculty should be protected, never hurt or neglected."
Renae Klein, a junior public relations major and protest organizer, said the purpose of the gathering was to persuade the university to negotiate with dance instructor Heather Cooper in regards to her medical costs.
"They're sacrificing a lot of time to come out," Cooper said at the protest, "so it just means they support me as their professor but also the situation. They feel strongly enough about it in all aspects to come over and at least attempt to make some sort of difference."
The group protested because of injuries allegedly sustained by Cooper from UPD Sgt. John Laws during a Feb. 19 incident in the Seventh Street garage.
Cooper said Laws grabbed her neck and threw her to the ground as she tried to remove her child safety seats from her vehicle before being towed for expired registration.
Laws, however, said he was preventing Cooper from approaching the tow truck driver and detained her for "resisting and delaying a police officer" - a charge that was later dropped.
UPD Chief Andre Barnes said he was unaware of Thursday's protest and was disappointed in the actions of the pickets.
Amid chanting and marching, the pickets passed out fliers to others who walked near the group.
According to the fliers, SJSU administration has refused to compensate the medical expenses that Cooper had allegedly endured by a UPD officer.
Pat Lopes Harris, a media relations specialist for SJSU, said the university has not come to a final decision regarding a monetary settlement.
The group gathered at 3 p.m. and marched for about an hour - starting at the Administration Building then around the campus toward Campus Village and circling back to its starting point.
Some of the faculty working inside the targeted building said they did not know why the crowd was chanting outside.
Jessica Tran, an outreach project coordinator and personnel specialist for the Office of the Provost, said she did not know the entire story of Cooper's situation.
Other faculty in the building did not converse with the crowd during the protest, said Lilly Nguyen, a junior dance major.
"They just closed the blinds on us," said Nguyen, 20.
Some of Cooper's students said they have been very supportive of their professor and plan to skip certain classes in order to attend the protests scheduled for the week.
"I'm going to miss class for it," said Julia Quinlan, a senior dance major.
Klein, 23, organized the April 24 protest and the group is scheduled to protest every day this week at various times, Klein wrote in an e-mail.
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