Pro-Palestinian protesters took over the student services building at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday afternoon, blocking off entrances and exits in what university officials called an “unauthorized” action.
University spokesperson Erik Frost Hollins said the group of 100 or so protesters had barricaded the exits on the first floor and blocked pathways around the building. The university asked employees on the upper floors to shelter in place and everyone else to leave the area.
“It’s just not an area where we can provide any sort of expectation of safety for employees leaving the building,” Hollins said. “Since we are in a position where critical parts of the university … are not able to do what they need to do, it made sense to encourage all employees and students to leave the campus.”
Hollins said the university did receive an email from the group — which has been in an encampment near the campus gym for about 40 days — indicating that they were taking this action. Hollins did not know the name of the group or what exactly was said in the email. They also did not comment on how the university planned to respond other than to say campus police “are aware and they are in the area.” The Police Department declined to comment.
Hollins said the university had worked hard to provide space for peaceful, nonviolent protest.
“Unfortunately, this action went in a different direction today,” they said.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the encampment was quiet, with only a handful of people. The space was closed off by plywood, pallets and metal campus picnic tables.
Pieces of plywood were spray painted with, “The time to escalate is now!” and “CSU stop funding genocide.”
At the student services building across campus, protesters, who covered their faces with kaffiyehs and masks, blocked access with yellow outdoor umbrellas from around campus. Some of them carried supplies, such as boxes of Yerba Mates, coolers, paper cups and paper plates.
