Supporters rallied outside University of California, San Diego, historic Che Cafe early Tuesday in the hopes of changing university officials’ minds as a formal eviction went into effect for the site.
After a year of legal wrangling between the co-op, the UCSD administration and student advisory boards, the school officially served the collective a 5-day eviction notice on March 17. Read the full back-story here.
The order mandated that the 73-year-old building, located at 1000 Scholars Drive, be vacated by March 24. Anyone not vacating voluntarily can and may be removed forcibly by law enforcement agents.
Activists trying to prevent the eviction began rallying at 5 a.m. Tuesday at the site. An official with the sheriff's department said later on Tuesday morning that deputies had 180 days to enforce the notice and had no plans to do so on Tuesday. They added that they won't be announcing when the eviction notice will be enforced. For their part, supporters stated that they will have someone at the Che around the clock until the eviction notice is served by the deputies.
The University Advisory Board voted to cut Che Cafe’s funding last year after saying there were fire safety hazards, that extensive repairs were needed and that there was a lack of interest by students in the club.
In turn, the cooperative argued that they have proof from a university fire marshall that they do meet fire safety standards.
The Che Cafe has hosted such artists over the years at Nirvana, Jimmy Eat World, Billy Corgan, Bon Iver and Green Day.
