"seamos realistas, pidamos lo imposible"

On Friday the negotiation commission reconvened, this time the authorities willing to dialogue, presumably as they too feared the recriminations of it going into the hands of national government. By 3pm an agreement had been reached. The students would disoccupy on the following conditions:

• That a commission of truth justice and reparation headed by the municipal authorities including social and human rights organisations be set up to bring to light the causes of the deah of Johny Silva.
  
• That the authorities respect university autonomy – in the sense of not entering the campus by force.
• That a series of forums are run in the city regarding:

1. Local Governance
2. Public security policies and local community
3. The right to mobilization and social protest.

• That the relevant authorities guarantee the security of thestudents exiting the occupation of the Ermita Church and their transference to the University of Valle and that the Mayors Office and the Catholic Church commit to not initiate judicial actions against those that took part in the occupation or those that accompanied the process.

The disoccupation was scheduled for four o´clock but no one really knew until the last minute when it was going to happen. Outside the crowd had grown to some 300 people. I sat accross the street getting some shade and making a start on my belated bowl of soup from the comunal cauldren that is permanently bubbling over a fire on the pavement. As i started to tuck in I was signaled to come over to the door of the church where people were amassing. It was announced that we needed everyone round the door for the safety of those inside so they could not be identified. I bolted some soup and gave the rest away secretly relieved to have to graciously tackle the grusome looking bone half floatin gin the middle. As I moved towards the door to find out what was going on I was told that they needed as many of us that knew those inside to come in as well. The human wall protecting the was parted for an instant and i slipped inside.

Expecting an empty church with 15 or so masked students waiting to bundle out I was shocked to see the pews almost full as if some huge leftwing mass were about to take place. It was not far from the truth. We sat down somewhat confused. With the place full and no one masked even the media were allowed in, though unders the strict condition that they only film and take photos from the back so as not to capture faces.

At the front men in strange robes were assembling. As the echoed buzz of the packed church dulled the priest stepped up to the microphone. What followed was without comparision one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. A mass. The priest proceeded to give readings from the bible which due to the acoustics of the room and poorly set up mic were completly unintelligible. I wasn’t the only one looking somewhat bewildered though not for the lack of comprehension of the text but the whole situation. After the reading the main priest stepped up to the mic at the central alter and gave a speech that probably would have had him excommunicated from the Vatican – Supporting the occupation in the sense of the need to create spaces of dialogue and supporting its aims going beyond that of the seeking justice for tragic death of Jhony to the need to have public education as a means to liberation and social justice. Unlike the priest at Jhony´s funeral he clearly regarded heaven to be an eathly concept that we must construct with our own hands rather than something to wait for. I was thoroughly shocked. A number of other speeches followed, from those representing the mayor and national government and also from the students attempting to put a dignified twist on their exit form the church.

So neither Miguel Justi, Secretary of the Municipal Government, Colonel Gomez Mendez, Cali´s Metropolitan Police Chief nor the Chief of the ESMAD riot squad resigned in accordance with the demands of the students.

Was then, the occupation a failure? This is a tricky one.

I think the students knew well that they never would get what they demanded. The point of demanding resignations was more to make public the partial responsibility of those figures in the death of Jhony Silva. This certainly was achieved.

When you demand the impossible the concessions those in power are willing to make are usually much greater that if you demand the realistic – this is simple bargaining – demand the realistic and you get half of it – demand the impossible and you get something realistic. Another thing this achieved was to bring the issue of education, university autonomy and human rights to the fore in cali and moreover on national level. To get all these people to the negotiation table is not easy, to get them to listen is even harder.

There is possible a pessimistic position here in the sesnse that the death of person could be viewed here as being used for political ends that that person never fought for. ie. public education, uiniversity autonomy and human rights. This requires a moment. Jhony was a student, maybe not a political one, but one that benefited from the public education system others fight with their lives for. The demands being made, the occupation, marches, negotiations go much beond justice for the death of one student, but this is not political opportunism. The entrance of police into the university grounds is not an isolated case but represents a continued attack by the state against the right to public education and social protest that often emerges in spaces where people have the access to the knowledge resources to criticise the system. It is unfortunate that it takes the death of human being to both mobilize and unify and simultaneously, to be llistend to. But such is the case. And it is in the interests of all those students both that simply access and those that fight for public education that this case is followed up, justice is served, and that the broader issues addressed.

What remains now is that the authorities comply with the promises made – this will require ongoing pressure across different levels. To add your voice to those demanding jusrtice on this issue email universities(at)colombiasolidarity.org.uk and or assemble outside the the colobian embassy in london on the 22nd of October to comemorate one month since Jhony´s death.