USC decision to deploy police on Gaza war protesters distorts public perception against students

In USC President Carol Folt’s first meeting with student protestors from the Gaza Solidarity Occupation this week, she apparently claimed she only became aware of their campaign when the encampments appeared and refused to acknowledge the violence inflicted on students by the Department of Public Safety and Los Angeles Police Department.

The group’s demands of USC are, in brief: divestment from Israel, cutting off the police presence on campus, ending the university’s displacement of South Central LA residents and denouncing the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. These demands echo those of other student groups occupying campuses across the country.

I am not associated with the organizers, but I have attended the encampments in solidarity with the group’s demands. I have personally witnessed the militarization of our campus in recent days. It has become clear to me that by calling in law enforcement while restricting campus access for media and community members, our administration has distorted public perception against its own students. 

The disconnect between the peaceful protests and the administration’s continued mischaracterizations were most palpable on Saturday, when the LAPD issued a citywide tactical alert and USC closed off most of the campus to only residents.

That evening, I sat next to students encircling marigold leaves that spelled out “Free Palestine,” and were brightened by string lights. A speaker played mournful music, offset by the drone of an LAPD helicopter above, while organizers took turns reading out the names and stories of those killed in Gaza, the death toll now more than 34,000. 

Off to the side, people spoke in hushed tones as they watched live footage of over 60 LAPD cars and riot police marching into campus. One of the readers stopped speaking mid-obituary, overcome by emotion.

At 11 p.m., LAPD canceled the alert and left campus before ever reaching the encampment. Though no reason has been provided, organizers suspect their callout for community members to overwhelm the phone lines for DPS and USC administrators succeeded.

It should not take community backlash for our administration to come to its senses and not deploy riot police on its own students.

The university’s militarization of campus follows a long streak of missteps, including their cancellation of Asna Tabassum’s valedictory speech and then the main commencement altogether. Ironically, despite claiming they could not keep either event safe, they managed to call riot police when students protested.

The administration’s statements have largely ignored the protest’s demands and tactics, leading several media outlets to conflate campus occupation with the vandalism of the Tommy Trojan statue and ongoing anger over graduation. Vandalism, which occurred days after the initial arrests of 93 protesters, is against the encampment’s community guidelines. To be clear, the occupation is not a reactionary protest, but rather part of a national movement for universities to divest from Israel – something California universities have done before, like when students mobilized in 1985 to oppose apartheid in South Africa.

For the administration to sanction violence against its students without a fundamental understanding of what they are voicing is embarrassing. At worst, it suggests the administration feigns ignorance to suppress free speech when that speech has something to do with USC.

The protests rocking college campuses nationwide have been uncomfortable for all. But discomfort is a requisite of meaningful protest, and it does not automatically mean unsafe. When violence has proliferated in other parts of the country, administrations have either been directly responsible or escalated tensions with law enforcement.

I believe our institutions have responded with violence because they are afraid of divestment. Rather than acknowledge the demands openly, our administrators have largely refused to participate in the free speech they claim to promote.

I feel sorry for the class of 2024, but not because of the disruption. I feel sorry because their last days at places of higher learning have been marked by administrators choosing suppression over critical thinking.

During Saturday’s vigil, I saw pain, exhaustion and fear in my peers as police arrived. But I also saw their intellect, compassion and bravery as they laid not only their safety but their futures on the line.

As the negotiations with administrators continue, I expect my university to match its students’ integrity by bringing fair, educated and actionable items to the table.

CalMatters offered USC officials an opportunity to write a commentary providing the administration’s perspective. After initially expressing interest, university administrators later declined the offer through a spokesperson.