House passes Hong Kong human rights bill with input from UCD students
By Caleb Hampton for the Davis Enterprise on October 15
"At a town hall meeting Monday in Davis, a group of about 20 UC Davis students urged Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, to support the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. Less than 24 hours later, the House of Representatives approved the bill, sending a rebuke to Beijing, which has cracked down hard on protesters in Hong Kong.
Immediately following the town hall, UC Davis students clad in black shirts and masks in the style of the Hong Kong protesters presented Garamendi with over 1,000 signed letters urging him to back the legislation.
'This is an opportunity for me to do exactly what I should do and what every member of Congress should do and that is support democracy wherever it may be, in this case in Hong Kong,' Garamendi told FOX40 while speaking with the students. He said it was the first time he had publicly backed the bill.
The congressman praised the students for their activism and eagerness to participate in the democratic process. 'What I really like here is that these students have decided that they want to be active, they want to be engaged, and they want to practice democracy,' he told FOX40."