Four Occidental students arrested at UCLA pro-Palestinian encampment

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Signs and tents at the Occidental Students for Justice in Palestine encampment on the Academic Quad at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. April 29, 2024. James Miller

Four Occidental students were arrested at UCLA early May 2 when the Los Angeles Police Departmet cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment, according to Occidental Students for Justice in Palestine (Oxy SJP) spokesperson Matthew Vickers (junior). Vickers, who was not present at the UCLA protest May 1 or May 2, said via text that the four students were charged with unlawful assembly. 

Three students were taken to Twin Towers Correctional Facility to be processed, Vickers said, while the other student was transported to the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center. Vickers said that the four students arrested represent “a minority” of the Occidental students present at the UCLA encampment overnight.

According to California Penal Code, unlawful assembly is a misdemeanor and occurs when “whenever two or more persons assemble together to do an unlawful act, or do a lawful act in a violent, boisterous, or tumultuous manner.” After fights broke out at UCLA between pro-Palestinian protestors and counterprotestors the night of April 29, UCLA administration released a statement that the encampment was “unlawful and violates university policy.” 

L.A. County instituted a zero-bail policy Oct. 1, 2023, freeing most defendants accused of misdemeanors or non-violent felonies within 24 hours of arrest. Vickers said that the three students held at Twin Towers Correctional Facility were released by 11:30 a.m. May 2. According to Vickers, the fourth student was released from the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center around 11:30 p.m. May 2.* Vickers said that court dates for the three released students are set for July.

Vickers said that he could not speak on students’ motivations for going to the encampment, but that they had conversations before leaving for UCLA.

“The students were inspired by the UCLA encampment, and responded to the call to defend it against the police,” Vickers said.

According to Vickers, the police sweep of the UCLA encampment was expected to occur around 6 p.m. May 1. According to the Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper, the first protester was detained at 1:55 a.m. May 2. Vickers said that protesters told him that some resisted until around 5:30 a.m. 

According to LA Times coverage of the clash, police shot rubber bullets into the crowd of demonstrators as they dismantled the barricade around the encampment, with protesters spraying fire extinguishers at the police. The LA Times quoted LAPD officials, saying 209 people were arrested. The New York Times reported roughly 300 demonstrators left voluntarily.

*This article has been updated at 11:14 a.m. May 3 to reflect the fact that According to Vickers, the fourth student was released from custody around 11:30 p.m. May 2. A previous version of this article quoted vickers at 3 p.m. May 2, saying that the fourth student had not yet been released.

Ava LaLonde, Noah Kim and Avinash Iyer contributed to The Occidental’s reporting.

Contact James Miller at jmiller4@oxy.edu

 

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