The C.H.E. Cafe Collective held a press conference today at the Cafe. Statements were presented by the collective, by C.H.E. Cafe Support Network, and by Friends of the C.H.E. Cafe. These are printed here, below the introductory info. "Until the University is willing to facilitate good faith negotiations with the che collective, the collective will be unwilling to vacate its space." -- C.H.E. Cafe Collective statement at press conference, 3/14/15 It may seem a contradiction in terms. Why would we be willing to vacate our space IF and WHEN the University DOES start negotiating in good faith (for a new lease)? But if the University is NOT going to start doing it, it should be clear to the world that we are NOT going go to "evict ourselves." The University said they would go ahead with posting the legal 5-day notice to vacate (the actual eviction notice) if we didn't state in writing that we would evict ourselves, by March 14. So, the lines are drawn clearly now. Are you ready for what comes next? We Will Win! C.H.E. CAFE COLLECTIVE STATEMENT Press Brief 3/14/15 Over the course of the past year, the University of California San Diego has been working to remove The Che Cafe Collective from its home of 35 years. The Che Cafe Collective is a student and community operated facility whose mission has always been to provide a drug and alcohol free environment for all individuals who wish to participate in the arts, peer to peer education and community organizing efforts. On March 4th, the Che Collective received a letter from the office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, demanding that the collective voluntarily evict itself from its historical space by March 14th. This letter went on to state that if the collective does not comply with this demand, the Vice Chancellor’s office has threatened a forcible eviction action. The Che Cafe collective contends that the statements found within the Vice Chancellor’s letter regarding the safety of the Che facility are not supported by evidence. On the contrary, the Che Cafe Collective has in its possession written proof that validates the space as being structurally sound and safe for occupants. In pursuing eviction of the Che under the pretense of “safety concerns” UCSD administration has attempted to impose standards that are not consistent with California Fire Code, which The Che facility is subject to. Additionally, attempts to reach an amicable resolution to disputes over these facts, the University Administration has not acted in good faith. Most recently, the University has manipulated recommendations made by Associated Students and the Graduate Student Association, so that they appear in the University’s favor. The Che Cafe Collective believes that the actions of the University of California San Diego are not consistent with the values that the UC system is aligned with. Despite the fact that the University has demonstrated very little willingness to negotiate in good faith and work directly with the collective, the collective believes that an amicable solution can be reached between itself and the University Administration. In order to reach this solution and avoid a further escalation in the ongoing struggle over the ability of the collective to retain use of its current space, we propose the following: We demand that good faith negotiations regarding a Memorandum of Understanding and new lease terms begin by the 30th of March We demand that UCSD administration refrain from referring to the Che facility as structurally unsound. If the University is willing to negotiate under these conditions, only then will we be provided assurance that is necessary to move forward in reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. Until the University is willing to facilitate good faith negotiations with the che collective, the collective will be unwilling to vacate its space. Immediately after this press conference, the C.H.E. Cafe will hold ‘C.H.E. Fest 2015’ - an all day music and art festival held with the intention of celebrating the C.H.E. Cafe’s 35 year history as an all ages arts space that has consistently acted to bridge the gap between the University and the community at large. [statement presented to 3/14/15 press conference by Ariana Padilla, for the C.H.E. Cafe Collective] FRIENDS OF THE CHE STATEMENT We, the Undersigned, are workers, volunteers and community organizers representing a wide variety of youth arts organizations, arts spaces, 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and other organizational bodies from across the United States. Though our groups serve different interests in disparate locations, we have come together in order to craft this document so as to call for the immediate preservation and retention of both the Ché Café Collective Organization as well as the Ché Café’s historical home on the University of California San Diego campus. We call for the immediate retraction of a letter issued to the Ché Café Collective on March 4th, 2015 by UCSD Vice Chancellor Juan Gonzalez, wherein the Chancellor’s office threatened to act upon a forthcoming eviction notice. We call for an immediate and unequivocal halt to all actions by the University Administration which act to further the process of evicting the Ché Café Collective from their historical home. Similarly, we call upon Vice Chancellor Juan Gonzalez, UCEN Director Sharon Van Bruggen and Assistant Vice Chancellor Gary Ratcliff to publicly rescind and apologize for misinformed statements made in regards to the structural integrity of the Ché Café facility and the safety of occupants therein. We call for the University Administration to return to the negotiating table in good faith, so that a resolution which will allow the Ché Collective Organization to retain control and use of their facility may be reached. We, as workers, volunteers, organizers and patrons of the arts in the United States, recognize the invaluable cultural contributions that the Ché Café has made throughout its 35 year history, as well as the contributions that it continues to make. We also recognize that an eviction of the Ché Café Collective would constitute a devastating blow, not only to the arts and culture of San Diego, but to the whole of United States. As such, we are adding our voices to the growing din of individuals and organizations calling for the preservation of the Ché Collective and the retention of their facility on the UCSD campus. Cameron Hughes – Co-Founding Collective Member, Bridgetown DIY. La Puente,California. Erik Adams - Collective Member, Bridgetown DIY. La Puente, California. Christopher Luke Trevilla - Executive Board Director, Nuvein Foundation for Literature and the Arts, a 501(c)3 arts organization, El Monte, CA. Cameron Rath - (Former) Founding Member of The L.A. Fort (project of Pasadena Arts Council), Los Angeles, CA. (Current) Artist Manager at Vibe Coach Industries, Los Angeles, CA. Brian Cunningham - Volunteer/Member at Northwest Film Forum, non-profit film arts center, Seattle, WA. Lucas Weisman - Volunteer/Intern at Ground Zero, a teen center and music venue in Bellevue, WA Arda Alev- Zine editor/ volunteer at Ground Zero in Bellevue, Washington Erik Wallace - Audio director at Ground Zero in Bellevue, WA, owner of Shibusa Sound in Seattle, WA, producer/curator of Bellingham SoundCheck in Bellingham, WA Luisa Tassan - Member of Riverside Art Museum and Art Alliance. Elise Granata - Founder at GRASSTRONAUT, a blog about DIY arts spaces & Engagement Coordinator at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, a non-profit community arts center Elliot Fong - Collective Member, Blood Orange Infoshop, Riverside, CA Angela Asbell - Collective Member, Blood Orange Infoshop and Zineworks, Riverside, Ca, Lecturer, CSU San Bernardino Nicole Solis-Sison - Chair of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Student Committee, Berkeley, CA Paige Hancock - collective member of the Che Cafe and Food Cooperative, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of UCSD’s The Collective Voice Alexander Poska - Co-founder of Orange County DIY and diy4lyfe records & zine Max D'Ambra - Collective member of Orange County DIY, author of FRANKENZINE art and music magazine, creative director of diy music club at Orange County School of the Arts. Roya Banan- volunteer at Ground Zero in Bellevue, Washington. Wes Gonzalez - Booking Assistant & Sound Volunteer at The Vera Project, all-ages music & arts venue, Seattle, WA CCSN STATEMENT My name is Susan Wingfield-Ritter and I am a member of the C.H.E Cafe Support Network (CCSN). We are working to ensure that the C.H.E. Cafe Collective stays in this space. One of our main tasks right now is raising money to support the process of the State Historical Site designation, which will focus on the social, political, and cultural aspects of the space. Much of the land that UCSD sits on was formerly Camp Matthews and later on the marines turned over the land to the university. Music and art have always been a part of the C.H.E - on March 1966, the University's first newspaper, the Sandscript, printed an article in which they quoted the Assistant Dean of Students Bob Topolovac who stated that this new facility is supposed to have a "'Heidelberg or rustic-type atmosphere, where students can write on the walls and carve their names on tables.' There will be a jukebox and a place for dancing." UCSD architects helped with the planning, and three Camp Matthews buildings were moved onto the site where they now surround the C.H.E. Cafe's courtyard. In 1967, local musician Sam Hinton played at the opening of "The Coffee House Express", which occupied the building C.H.E Cafe. In 1974, the UC Advisory Board began exploring cooperative approaches to student management of spaces, with an emphasis on non-hierarchical consensus decision-making. The C.H.E. Collective is one of the co-ops born in this process. In the 1980s, when LGBT liberation had yet to go mainstream, the C.H.E held a series of non-sexist dances - the C.H.E. Cafe has been a safe space since its inception. Artists of local, national, and international renown contributed to the murals that adorn the building, including Mario Torero, who painted the wall of human rights heroes, and Victor Ochoa, who painted the portrait of Che Guevara. Torero and Ochoa are both internationally recognized muralists whose work can also be found in Chicano Park. We are continuing to raise funds to pursue the Historical Site Designation and welcome donations to support this effort. All those wishing to donate can send us money through Paypal at the address checafe@gmail.com. Make sure donations are titled Historical Site Designation. Thank you, Susan