"Police arrest man for alleged assault on pro-Palestine encampment"
"Nearly a month after counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA, police have made their first arrest, detaining an 18-year-old who is not a student.
“During that violence, one individual was seen on video assaulting encampment occupants with a wooden pole, causing serious injuries to at least one victim."
This is a very good piece by a colleague accusing university presidents of lying, in their own narrow self-interest, about what's happening on campuses. Their craven behavior barely protects them and makes everyone else far less safe. Including Muslim and Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
I should have also tagged #UCLA which is also featured in this piece, though the author is at USC. UCLA had the horrorshow of protesters getting attacked for hours by far-right counterprotesters including Nazis and violent right-wing Israel supporters (below).
The only violence at USC (my campus) was #LAPD. On both campuses (and nearly all others), the actual student protesters were peaceful.
The #LAPD is not expected to like the existence of “#FuckTheLAPD merchandise. But their sole remedy is to not do things that result in people wanting to buy and wear “Fuck the LAPD” merchandise. I understand that would be a difficult task. But I promise you that it would still be easier than trying to get a court to rule that “Fuck the LAPD” shirts violate the LAPDF’s #IntellectualPropertyRights.
That thing last month where the LAPD had their lawyers send a bogus DMCA takedown request to some people selling "Fuck the LAPD" t-shirts, and the t-shirt people's lawyer sent back a letter that literally just said, "LOL, no"? Well, here comes act 2: the "LOL, no" lawyers have sent a 🔥scathing🔥 letter to the other lawyers asking why they shouldn't seek attorney's fees.
“The administrators keep leaning on ‘safety’ without consulting or sharing their thinking with the Senate or wider faculty,” she said. “We do not necessarily doubt that there were safety concerns, but some question whether this series of decisions to call [#LAPD on nonviolent protesters] harmed & endangered members of campus community while also sending a message to anyone threatening the campus that those threats work.”
#LAPD entered our campus in riot gear again overnight and tossed out the protesting students. No arrests bc guess what the students have been peaceful and disciplined this whole time, and decided to just comply this time around instead of getting arrested
The only thing swifter than LAPD militarized response to bunch of kids sleeping in tents is #USC President Carol Folt's lying about the entire situation which is nonstop
Not one arrest was made at #UCLA of the Zionist frat boys who were let in by private security and ignored by #LAPD while they hospitalized 22 students. It looked like a mob of brown shirts. Biden is setting the stage for project 2025 and he is either too stupid or too arrogant to realize it. And #Democrats, do not @ me with “vote blue no matter who” you sound insane. #uspol
Circulating word is that #LAPD plans to disperse #UCLA Palestinian solidarity encampment at 6. A number of groups including faculty and campus unions are planning on rallying in defense. Meanwhile an administrator has entered the camp to negotiate
It's worth reading this closely. University admins still owe answers on who decided it was "unsafe" for Asna Tabassum to speak and on what grounds. Did cops direct them, or did they use cops as cover? (Southers is head of #LAPD 's board of directors equiv, as well as employed by USC)
“This is happening around the country - cities are offering #police recruits #housing subsidies while tens of thousands of people are living on our streets.
Today in Labor History March 21, 1946: The Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington, the first professional African American football player in the U.S. since 1933. His father played baseball in the negro leagues. His uncle was the first black lieutenant in the LAPD. In college, he played both baseball and football. He was a teammate of Jackie Robinson’s at UCLA. Many people thought he was a better baseball player than Robinson. Leo Durocher supposedly offered him a contract to play major league baseball, but only if he played in Puerto Rico first, which Washington refused to do.
Watch the watchers is a website set up by Stop LAPD Spying where you can look up LAPD officers by name or serial number and see their official headshots. It's incredibly useful for cop watching and other activism and it's one year old today!