About 40 protesters gathered early Tuesday morning in a last ditch effort to save the Ché Café Collective, a progressive music venue on the edge of the UC San Diego campus.
Chanting “The Ché, the Ché, the Ché will stay,” students and community members carried signs and marched around the historic wooden building.
University administrators evicted the co-op that runs the venue last week, after a long battle that ended up in court. The judge ruled in favor of the university's right to evict. Administrators insist the building needs expensive safety upgrades.
No administrators or police showed up Tuesday to officially take possession of the building, which is covered in murals of political activists like Argentinian revolutionary Ché Guevara. The name of the café is a nod to Guevara, but actually stands for Cheap Healthy Eats, a holdover from when the venue was also a vegan café.
Protestors called the Tuesday morning no-show by police or university officials a victory.
A spokesman for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said they have 180 days to carry out the eviction.
Cameron Hughes, 20, has been going to the Ché Café since he was 16. He said it’s an important space for the university’s diverse culture.
“It’s a place for marginalized people to meet and talk and enjoy art and music,” Hughes said.
Alumnus Mark Miner is still involved at the Ché despite having graduated with a mathematics degree in 1991.
“The ties of affection between me and the Ché go back a long ways,” said Miner, who was a member of a gay and lesbian group on campus. “We had our non-sex dances here at the Ché and after attending a military-oriented high school, it was my chance to dance and meet my first boyfriend."
Miner is also passionate about the land around the café. He said it’s the last undeveloped parcel of land on campus. Miner helps maintain a garden behind the cafe and is trying to create a butterfly sanctuary.
The university declined to comment on the next steps. UC San Diego is currently on spring break.
