A pro-Palestinian encampment in the middle of USC’s main campus was cleared Sunday morning by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department and USC’s Department of Public Safety, ending a high-profile demonstration that began in April.
No arrests or major confrontations were reported.
The encampment clean-up began round 4:30 a.m. although USC Annenberg Media reported at 3:51 a.m. that university police officers told student reporters they planned to come in around 4 a.m. and had set up a staging area for the media, which they alleged was too far away to witness any arrests.
Protesters shouted “Free Palestine” at 4:17 a.m., as officers began surrounding the encampment, Annenberg Media said. At 4:25 a.m., DPS officers gave protesters in the encampment 15 minutes to leave the area before facing arrest.
The officers started at 4:35 a.m. to remove the banners hung by protesters, moving them to the side of the park, Annenberg said. An officer reportedly told Annenberg Media reporters it is “a DPS operation.”
During this time USC officials alerted students that the campus was temporarily closed.
As the clean-up operation proceed, reporters at the Daily Trojan, USC’s student newspaper, reported seeing “at least 50 Los Angeles Police officers … moving down Trousdale Parkway near the USC campus at around 4:15 a.m. with zip ties, less-lethal launchers and helmets.” The also reported seeing “three police vans, which appear to be used for transporting people who have been arrested.”
A news videographer at the scene said officers pushed 50 to 75 students out of the encampment and off the campus. The officers then cleared out the tents and other gear that was left behind.
The police action came after USC President Carol Folt wrote an open letter to the “Trojan Family” stressing the steps the university was taking to ensure that students can finish finals “in a quiet, safe academic environment — and that our graduating students can enjoy peaceful and joyous commencement ceremonies.”
Folt took a firm stand toward protesters who might continue to be disruptive.
“Let me be absolutely clear,” she wrote in the letter released Friday. “Free speech and assembly do not include the right to obstruct equal access to campus, damage property, or foment harassment, violence, and threats. Nor is anyone entitled to obstruct the normal functions of our university, including commencement.
“… When laws and policies that apply to everyone are repeatedly and flagrantly violated — there must be consequences.”
It is not clear how campus access, which had been restricted to students, faculty and staff for much of the past week, would be impacted now that the encampment has been removed.
On Thursday, USC implemented updated campus-entry procedures as it remains under a state of heightened security. It also came a day after the school revealed plans for a “Trojan Family Graduate Celebration” at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Thursday, to replace the previously canceled main stage commencement ceremony amid the pro-Palestinian protests.
According to the university DPS, vehicle and pedestrian access to the campus is available at the McCarthy and McClintock entrances. The entry at Watt Way is not open, but DPS officials said it or other locations may be used as exits to help relieve vehicle congestion.
A separate, temporary interior perimeter fence is in place, with pedestrian access available at McCarthy Way and the quad; Watt Way and 34th Street; and McClintock Avenue and Childs Way.
Entry was still limited to students and employees with IDs. Pre-registered guests must show a QR code available from the visitor.usc.edu website, as well as a government-issued ID.
USC announced late Friday afternoon it is pausing visitor registration because the “campus is very busy with events and construction work to prepare for commencement,” but existing visitor passes will be honored.
University officials said all bags will be subject to search. People wearing masks will be asked to lower them briefly to verify identification, according to the university.
Conditions on the USC campus had remained relatively calm in recent days, a far cry from the scene last week when 93 people were arrested following a mass protest and attempted occupation of Alumni Park.
On Wednesday, dozens of USC faculty members held a march through the campus in support of protesters, calling in part for amnesty for those who were arrested last week.
The Wednesday march remained peaceful, with some students joining the faculty in the late-afternoon procession. It happened hours after a virtual meeting was held between members of the campus Academic Senate and Folt, who was joined by Provost Andrew Guzman.
Folt wrote on social media Wednesday afternoon that the meeting was “to explain our reasoning and answer their thoughtful and direct questions about our recent decisions.”
“Rich & sometimes opposing views are essential to a great university,” Folt wrote. “Trust is built every day & we hope this was a step forward.”
In her letter, Folt wrote that “the university has initiated disciplinary review processes for individuals who have violated both our policies and the law. We will take any further actions required to maintain campus safety and security, consistent with our legal obligations.”
“The university is legally obligated to ensure that students, faculty, and staff can move freely throughout our campus while pursuing their studies, work, and research,” Folt wrote. “Every part of our campuses, including Alumni Park, must be fully accessible and free from vandalism and harassment.”
USC became a focal point of Southland pro-Palestinian protests following its decision to cancel valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s commencement speech in response to complaints about online posts that critics called antisemitic. USC officials insisted the move was solely a security issue, not a political decision.
As tensions continued mounting — leading to the mass protest April 24 that resulted in 93 arrests — the university eventually opted to cancel its May 10 main stage commencement in Alumni Park altogether, but vowed to move forward with the usual array of smaller satellite graduation ceremonies for the school’s individual colleges.
Those ceremonies are set to begin Wednesday.