Police close pro-Palestinian encampment at USC; UCLA creates new campus safety office: Updates

Los Angeles Police Department officers dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment on Alumni Park at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California, on May 5, 2024.

University of Southern California officials closed their main campus and brought in Los Angeles police to tear down an encampment Sunday as pro-Palestinian protests continued to sweep across the nation’s universities − and law enforcement is increasingly called in to disband the demonstrations.

The encampment on the school’s University Park Campus was cleared early Sunday after scores of protesters pitched tents and erected banners at Alumni Park. An hour before police arrived, a warning was issued to protesters.

“UPC has been closed as a result of significant activity at the center of campus,” the school said on social media. “If you are in the center of campus, please leave. People who don’t leave will be arrested. We will issue another alert when it is clear to return.”

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

USC’s Senior Vice President of Communications Joel Curran issued a statement saying the police action was peaceful. USC President Carol Folt echoed that the “operation was peaceful with no arrests.”

“With no resolution in sight, I requested the LAPD to assist (USC’s Department of Public Safety) in removing the encampment as peacefully and safely as possible,” Folt said in a statement Sunday.

It was the second police crackdown on campus in less than two weeks. On April 24, police cleared an encampment and arrested 93 people on suspicion of trespassing.

The protests target Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched after a Hamas-led attack Oct. 7 on Israeli border communities that killed almost 1,200 people and over 200 more taken hostage. More than 34,600 Palestinais have died in the Israeli assault, authorities in Gaza say.

Pro-Palestinian protests stretch on after arrests, police crackdowns: Latest updates

Developments:

∎ At Chicago’s DePaul University, Chicago police formed a line Sunday to keep separate a pro-Palestinian protest and counter-demonstrators who arrived on the scene.

∎ Police in Charlottesville took apart an encampment at the University of Virginia on Saturday, making about two dozen arrests.

∎ Dozens of demonstrators were arrested outside the Art Institute of Chicago on Saturday after they “barricaded and locked the gates to fortify their position,” Chicago police said.

USC encampment, protestors ignored university policies, president says

Protestors rebuilt the encampment at USC “repeatedly chose to ignore university policies designed to benefit everyone, and to break the law,” Folt said. An order to disperse was issued at 4:10 a.m. Sunday, according to Folt, and the encampment was cleared within 64 minutes.

“Despite our efforts to de-escalate, the occupation was spiraling in a dangerous direction over the last several days,” Folt added. “This had to stop.”

In addition to areas of the campus being blocked, Folt says that people were harassed; university property was stolen and defaced; and outside agitators had “jumped the perimeter fencing” and assaulted officers.

Folt said the university is determined to ensure that students can finish their exams “without further disruption” and that the school will be able to host commencement celebrations.

UCLA announces changes to campus security operations

The University of California, Los Angeles, announced Sunday that several changes will be made to the campus’ safety structure and security operations.

“In the past week, our campus has been shaken by events that have disturbed this sense of safety and strained trust within our community. In light of this, both UCLA and the UC Office of the President have committed to a thorough investigation of our security processes,” Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement. “But one thing is already clear: To best protect our community moving forward, urgent changes are needed in how we administer safety operations.”

Block said oversight and management of the UCLA Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management will be moved to a newly created Office of Campus Safety, which will directly report to Block.

The new office will be led by Rick Braziel, who was the former chief of the Sacramento Police Department, according to Block.

Congressman calls for campus protesters to show ‘discipline’ 

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that while he is proud young people on college campuses have called for the Israel-Hamas conflict to end, he says they need to show discipline in their approach. He referenced peaceful protests led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as protests that were “above reproach.”

“I mean, you can’t be shouting “guillotine, guillotine,” said Khanna, referencing a recent incident by protesters on George Washington University’s campus. “You can’t be shouting ‘globalize the Intifada’ or ‘Zionists don’t deserve to live.’ What’s being lost is that those few protesters who are inciting violence or engaging in that kind of antisemitism are diminishing the thousands of young people who simply want the war to end.”

He highlighted Cornell University, University of Minnesota and Northwestern University as examples of colleges that have taken a more peaceful approach to the protests.

“There have been efforts not to have the police in, to have dialogue with the student protesters, to have much more peace and calm, and there are models for what can work in this country,” Khanna added.

− Sudiksha Kochi

Jordan’s queen supports US student protesters

Jordan’s Queen Rania, in an interview for CBS’s “Face the Nation,” expressed support for U.S. students protesting the Gaza war. She acknowleded that “emotions are running high” at some campus protests but said many people are losing sight of what prompted the protests.

“Gaza in the last seven months has become unrecognizable,” she said. “Cities have turned into a wasteland.”

Rania, who is of Palestinian descent, said Hamas “absolutely” does not represent the majority of Palestinians. She acknowledged the rise in antisemitism and said it was wrong for any student to feel unsafe on their campus. But for protesters, the issue is social justice, she said.

“They are standing up for human rights, for international law, for the principles that underpin international law,” she said. “They’re standing up for the future that they’re going to inherit.”

What are college protests across the US about?

The student protesters opposed to Israel’s military attacks in Gaza say they want their schools to stop funneling endowment money to Israeli companies and other businesses, like weapons manufacturers, that profit from the war in Gaza. In addition to divestment, protesters are calling for a cease-fire, and student governments at some colleges have also passed resolutions in recent weeks calling for an end to academic partnerships with Israel. The protesters also want the U.S. to stop supplying funding and weapons to the war effort.

More recently, amnesty for students and professors involved in the protests has become an issue. Protesters want protections amid threats of disciplinary action and termination for those participating in demonstrations that violate campus policy or local laws.

− Claire Thornton

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police close pro-Palestinian encampment at USC; UCLA creates new campus safety office: Updates