Sweatshop Protest: The battle with boredom

A very bored man posted this useful information on a flyer just inside the front entrance of the building. His name is Melvin Johnson, a security guard for Contemporary Services Corp., and he sits in on the Students Against Sweatshops sit-in.

Johnson guards the ground floor of the building, letting people in and out after the building closes for the night, and he's getting tired of the assignment.

"I think they need to go home, so I can get some sleep tonight," Johnson said from his post, just as his fourth night on the job began.

Since Monday, he has sat fidgeting in the hall from 5 p.m. until midnight, when his unfortunate co-worker relieves him for the graveyard shift. His partner told their boss that he can't take it much longer, Johnson said.

"My wife said she can't wait 'till it's over," Johnson said. "She says I'm a workaholic."

Melvin sees his wife only about an hour each day, after he gets home from his first job with Pima County Wastewater Management. He only sleeps a few hours each night, but he likes a full day of work.

The University of Arizona hired the company to take some of the work away from university police, who have guarded the protesters since it began.

Johnson is working his second job at the protest because he is planning on moving into a house with his wife. Contemporary Services pays him $5.60 an hour.

The company usually works at concerts and athletic events, and Johnson said he's never covered anything like this.

"It's wild," he said.

It's not quite wild enough for Johnson, though. He hasn't seen one disturbance since he began at the sit-in. He spends his late nights with a small radio, and sings along to occupy his time.

UAPD Sgt. Vince Roberts has the advantage of being upstairs, where he can interact with protesters. That doesn't change his opinion about UAPD's occupation of the president's office.

"It's just foolish that we're up here," he said. "I'm just sitting here being bored."

Roberts sits behind the lobby secretary's desk, and catches up with work on his laptop computer. Occasionally, he plays a game of hearts to break the monotony.

He supports the protesters' cause, and from what he's seen, the people pose no threat.

"They seem docile and calm," he said. "They're great people."

Roberts' shift is only five hours, unlike his downstairs liaison, and he gets paid overtime. Last night was his third night in the office.

The sun began to set outside the building, but a burly Melvin Johnson remained lit up by fluorescent lights in the hallway.

He continued his personal, almost week-long sit-in of his own, missing his wife and eating pretzels.

"I'll be sitting here singing," he said, in anticipation of another long night guarding the protesters.