when dozens Counter-protesters stormed UCLA late Tuesday nightAttacking the Palestinian solidarity camp in the center of campus, university officials immediately panicked.
Law enforcement sources told The Times that only a few UCLA police officers were present. Sources said he tried to stop the violence but could not fight the mob and had to retreat as he himself came under attack.
There was also a group of unarmed private security guards. But guards were assigned primarily to protect campus buildings, not to break up fights or make arrests. So he observed the scene as it descended into chaos.
It would take approximately three hours for California Highway Patrol officers and police from Los Angeles and other agencies to bring the situation completely under control.
The response to violence is now under increasing scrutiny, with many on and off campus criticizing UCLA for not handling violent counterprotests better.
“The limited and delayed campus law enforcement response at UCLA last night was unacceptable — and it demands answers,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Wednesday.
In a letter to the University of California Board of Regents obtained by The Times, UC President Michael V. Drake said the way the incident was handled requires an outside investigation.
“There is sufficient confusion that I am ordering an independent external review of UCLA’s planning and its actions and mutual aid response by law enforcement,” he wrote in the letter. “I believe such a review can address many of my immediate questions, but also help guide us to potential future developments.”
Since the formation of the camp UCLA on ThursdayThe university had adopted a mostly indifferent attitude towards the protests.
While on the other side of the city, Students arrested en masse at USC encampment By LAPD; At UCLA, students and others inside a metal-barricaded encampment were left to protest day and night with no trouble from law enforcement.
Even on Sunday, when Pro-Israel protesters start duel rally A few further clashes broke out next to the camp, with uniformed police response being minimal. After the rally ended, about two dozen uniformed officers from the University of California Police and Beverly Hills Police stood by in riot gear near Portola Plaza.
Then came Tuesday night, when the university’s strategy was tested and tensions between pro-Palestinian students and counter-protesters erupted into violence.
“There need to be consequences, and there needs to be change,” said David Myers, a professor of Jewish history at UCLA. “This is a complete failure of the system, and we need to look ourselves in the eye and say how did this happen?”
Myers said that although he appreciated the generosity toward students at the camp earlier in the week, he was surprised and disappointed by the university and law enforcement’s slow response to the “violent attack” on the camp.
Myers, who was not present Tuesday night, said he and other professors stood between pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-protesters on Sunday to avoid confrontation between the two sides. He was concerned by the lack of police response at the time.
“Sunday in some ways seemed to be a dress rehearsal for what happened on Tuesday,” he said.
violence started Around 10:30 p.m., when counter-protesters arrived at UCLA. People inside the camp immediately started calling for help, saying that they were under attack. Counter-protesters, some of whom were wearing all black and white masks, surrounded the camp and tried to break down the barricades, firing fireworks at them and kicking wooden boards around the camp.
A source told The Times that the only people guarding the encampment and securing the area at the time were a few on-duty UCLA police officers.
UCLA Police Department Chief John Thomas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But he told the Daily Bruin that his officers were attacked while helping an injured woman and had to leave. He kept the number of officers at five to six. Sources told The Times the number was four.
Part of the complexity in handling the situation is the fact that UCLA is on state land and also operates as an independent municipal entity, meaning that outside police forces generally do not enter the campus without university approval. Are.
“This is basically a personal matter. This is the campus of UCLA. The decision to call the LAPD is up to the school,” said Ed Obayashi, Modoc County deputy sheriff and law enforcement advisor to agencies throughout California.
Obayashi said bringing in LAPD and CHP officers could backfire in some scenarios and escalate situations.
Key questions center on when officials decided to bring in help from other agencies and whether help could have arrived earlier.
Three sources familiar with the discussions, but not authorized to speak publicly, said Bass called UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and told him the university must agree to deploy the LAPD. Block could not be reached for comment.
UCLA Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications Mary Osako issued a statement around 12:45 a.m., saying the university “immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support.” At 12:51 p.m., LA Mayor Karen Bass said on Twitter that the LAPD was “responding immediately to Chancellor Block’s request for support on campus.”
A source familiar with the discussions, but not authorized to speak publicly, said Bass strongly encouraged UCLA to deploy the LAPD.
Law enforcement sources said it took time for the LAPD, CHP and other agencies to mobilize the large number of officers needed.
Dozens of law enforcement personnel began moving into the area after 1:30 a.m., with many counter-protesters having left by then. But some clashes continued after 3 am till the operation was completely completed.
In the wake of the violence, the LAPD is preparing mobile field forces, squads of anti-riot officers that are ready to be rapidly deployed if needed, the source told The Times.
