The Los Angeles City Council is asking the Los Angeles Police Department for a report following its response leading up to and during the recent UCLA and USC campus protests over the war in Gaza.
Both UCLA and USC leaders had called on law enforcement agencies, including the LAPD, LA County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol, to respond to the protests in April and May.
Council members directed the LAPD and the Office of the Inspector General to report on how decisions were made and make recommendations to improve the department’s policies.
Councilor Nithya Raman previously introduced the motion, noting that there were hundreds of arrests for what she called non-violent crimes, while no intervention took place on another campus where actual violence unfolded for hours.
“I worry that these varied responses will leave our communities with questions, and especially that our communities will wonder whether the response protesters may receive from law enforcement depends on their politics and not their actions,” Raman said.
She noted that the council called for a similar report after the 2020 George Floyd protests.
Students from USC and UCLA attended Tuesday’s meeting and urged leaders to move forward with the after-action report and asked the council for amnesty for all students facing misdemeanor charges. Council President Paul Krekorian said the council does not have the power to drop the charges.
Demonstrations at UCLA drew national attention on May 1 when more than 200 people were arrested as police officers in full riot gear dismantled an encampment set up on campus by pro-Palestinian protesters. A day earlier, violent clashes broke out in the encampment, with some being gassed with tear gas.
The The head of the UCLA police force resigned temporarily May 22, after criticism of the university’s response to campus protests.
At USC, Los Angeles police officers ordered protesters to disperse on April 24, saying those who do not disperse will be arrested. The encampments were cleared and 93 people were arrested for violation during the protests, according to the LAPD.
