Supporters of the Che Café met with UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla and top administrators over the past two days, resulting in a 45-day suspension of the eviction notice posted at the legendary music venue and vegan cafe.
For months, students and supporters of the Che Café have been fighting to save the building on the edge of UCSD's campus. The university shut it down last year, citing building maintenance issues. An eviction notice was issued in March.
Student protesters have occupied the building ever since.
Che Café supporter Susan Wingfield-Ritter attended the recent meetings. "I think the general feeling today was there was a lot of hope," Wingfield-Ritter, whose husband is a UCSD alumnus, said Thursday. "It’s been pretty tough on these students, some of whom have been going to summer school, working and occupying the building, even spending the night at the building."
Che supporters and the collective that runs the venue plan to work with the university to fix maintenance issues. Wingfield-Ritter said they plan to meet with university officials again next week. They’re also trying to get the building approved as a historical landmark.
On a campus known for cutting edge research and modern architecture, the Che Café stands out. Its small wooden building is covered in murals, some of them by well-known muralists, featuring activists such as Che Guevara and Angela Davis.
Music fans, especially of punk and hardcore, have flocked to the Che over the years to see bands they couldn’t see elsewhere. Green Day played there before becoming famous. So did Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins.
