UCSD’s record on protecting tribal resources isn’t good
The La Jolla Light’s most recent article about UC San Diego’s illegal closure of Scripps Coastal Reserve states that UCSD says it believes that “protecting tribal resources is a priority” (“Coastal Commission wants more information before deciding on Scripps Coastal Reserve closure,” May 16). Give me a break!
The official UCSD chancellor’s residence is on a Kumeyaay gravesite. An archaeology class excavated human remains from the site in 1976 and the university did not return them to the Kumeyaay for four decades. Does this sound like protection of tribal resources is really a priority for UCSD?
And what damage to Kumeyaay tribal resources has the public done at Scripps Coastal Reserve? UCSD has not answered that question, instead asserting that the public needs to be restricted to protect against theoretical future damage.
It’s time for UCSD to stop the deception. I believe their true motivation for this closure isn’t about protecting nature and public safety, and sure isn’t to honor the Kumeyaay, but is preventing public access to the coast and the beach in order to serve their own interests and those of the neighboring Scripps Estates Associates and La Jolla Farms subdivisions.
Rob Klein
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