USC Joins Camp-In Protest

Education

Pro-Palestine demonstrators set up tents

Yusra Farzan covers Orange County and its 34 cities, watching those long meetings — boards, councils and more — so you don’t have to.

Published April 24, 2024 5:34 AM

USC Department of Public Safety officers detain a protester during a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

(

Brian Feinzimer

LAist

)

Topline:

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have started to congregate at USC in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. The organizing also comes a week after the university canceled a valedictorian's speech after she was criticized for linking to pro-Palestinian resources on her social media.

Why it matters: The tensions at USC are a reflection of a national trend as student protests have been roiling campuses in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. It also comes a week after USC announced it was canceling Asna Tabassum’s valedictory address, citing security concerns over pushback she was getting for pro-Palestine sites she had linked to on her Instagram.

The backstory: In a statement to LAist, USC said their decision "had nothing to do with the background or viewpoint of the valedictorian, but was instead based on a careful and holistic review of the situation from a safety and security standpoint.”

What's next: It's not immediately clear what USC's response to the demonstration will be, but other campuses have called in local police forces to help disperse demonstrators.

Crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed University of Southern California on Wednesday for a demonstration that went from peaceful agendas to scuffles with police, eventually leading to the arrest of dozens of people.

Roughly 12 hours after the demonstration began in the predawn hours, campus and L.A. police officers ordered the crowd to disperse, prompting some to dig in. The Los Angeles Police Department said 93 people were arrested for trespassing.

USC’s Provost Andrew Guzman said protesters were repeatedly asked by security officers to remove prohibited items and relocate to a "compliant location."

"In each case, protesters refused," he added. "Their actions have escalated to the point of confrontation and have threatened the safety of our officers and campus community."

Police patrols will continue on campus through at least the weekend, which is only open to those with a USC ID or people with verifiable business there, the university announced.

The protest was the latest in a series of camp-in demonstrations sweeping across U.S. college campuses in response to the Israel-Hamas War.

Organizers said they planned to occupy Alumni Park until university administrators pledge to divest from companies with links to Israel and arms manufacturers. They're also calling on USC to end partnerships with Hebrew University's Rothenberg International School and Reichman University.

Various people sit on yoga mats on a lawn next to a banner that reads "Silence is Violence / Keep Talking About Palestine."

They also want the university to release a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Student organizers from the USC chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace were among those taking part in the protest.

“JVP USC feels our voice is especially important right now as many people at USC and across the country are equating Zionism and Judaism, but we are here to say they are not the same,” an organizer said in a statement. “We stand by our belief of free speech, resistance to oppressive systems and solidarity with our valedictorian Asna and all other college campuses where pro-Palestine voices have been silenced."

A person with medium skin tone and red framed glasses wears a Keffiyeh around their shoulders while speaking into a megaphone. Behind them are people holding large letters that spell out "Gaza Live"

By 10 a.m., the crowd had swelled, with many yelling chants that included, "While you’re learning, Gaza is burning" and "Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!"

Various diverse people gather in a crowd, at the front, one person holds a cardboard sign that reads "Long Live Gaza," and another holds a white sign that reads in black and red text "Ceasefire Now!"

But at around 11:20 a.m., campus officers began dismantling the encampments, gathering folding chairs, blankets and boxes belonging to the protesters, who then started moving their tents and belongings around to avoid confiscation.

About 30 minutes later, some demonstrators could be seen violently clashing with campus safety and LAPD officers as the crowd grew to more than 100.

Albert Corado, brother of Mely Corado, alongside students and protesters fight with USC Department of Public Safety officers over tents at a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

(

Brian Feinzimer

LAist

)

Students and protesters march with tents to prevent USC Department of Public Safety officers from removing them at a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

(

Brian Feinzimer

LAist

)

Viet Thanh Nguyen, university professor in the departments of English, American studies, ethnicity and comparative literature, said he joined the protesters at Alumni Park because "rarely have I seen such a mass of students come out to USC for political protests, for protests for social justice, human rights, anti war, anti genocide."

Ahmad Hasan, who graduated from USC in 2021, said he came out because he wants to "make Palestine unavoidable on campus."

"We want to send a very clear message that we will not allow this university to continue doing business as usual and pretending like we aren't losing our family members every day in Gaza," said Hasan, who is of Palestinian descent.

Around 1:30 p.m., the university closed its gates and started requiring visitors to show an ID. Shortly after 5 p.m., LAPD officers in riot gear and armed with rubber bullets entered the campus to carry out a dispersal order and remove protesters who aren't students.

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., police announced that the court is private property and demonstrators had 10 minutes to leave the area or be subject to criminal trespassing charges. While most people dispersed, a group of several dozen students who had locked arms were taken into custody one-by-one.

Meanwhile, smaller groups of demonstrators forced some street closures around the campus.

The preceding valedictorian controversy

Last week, tensions were high on USC’s campus after the administration announced it was canceling Asna Tabassum’s valedictory address, citing security concerns.

Her selection was met by criticism from some student groups, including Trojans for Israel, for what they described as her “anti-Zionist rhetoric” and external online sites she had linked to on her Instagram profile. External pro-Israeli groups like We are Tov also criticized her selection, saying she “promotes antisemitic views.”

Several young people hold up a large white sign that reads "OUR DEMANDS".

In an interview with Democracy Now, Tabassum said the linked resources included information relating to “the two-state solution, as well, as well as the one-state.”

“And my goal in putting the link in my bio is simply to inform my fellow peers in the small ways that I can,” she added. “But, ultimately, what I want people to take away is for people to inform themselves, come to their own conclusions, and then advocate for what they believe in.”

Since the administration made its announcement, students and faculty have been protesting and writing letters asking management to revoke their decision.

In a crowd of college aged people, two signs can be seen held up above the masses, one stating, "Have you seen my 1st Amendment?" and the other stating, "Let Asna Speak!"

In a statement to LAist, USC said their decision "had nothing to do with the background or viewpoint of the valedictorian, but was instead based on a careful and holistic review of the situation from a safety and security standpoint.”

On Friday, the administration also announced they are canceling the keynote address by commencement speaker Jon Chu, the director behind the hit movie Crazy Rich Asians and a graduate of USC's prestigious film and television school.

“Nothing can take precedence over the safety of our community,” the statement added.

While USC officials cited safety, the LAPD confirmed to LAist last week that no crime report had been opened for the threats.

USC joins other campuses nationwide

The tensions at USC are a reflection of a national trend as student protests have been roiling campuses in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, who also reported about 250 people were taken hostage. Israel says about 100 of those original hostages are believed to remain captive. Israel’s bombing of Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of whom are women and children, according to the local health authority.

Several universities have said they want to foster free speech and open conversations. At the same time, administrators have had to answer to sharp criticisms from alumni, donors and others asking about the use of antisemitic language and slogans by some demonstrators.

Cal Poly Humboldt was shut temporarily down this week after demonstrators occupied Siemens Hall with tents chanting pro-Palestine phrases and clashing with authorities.

Around 250 students at University of California, Berkeley have also set up a similar encampment outside Sproul Hall with some Jewish students joining the protesters for a Passover seder.

Understanding how we got here

The history of this region is both complicated and fraught. Here is some context about what led up to the most recent attacks and counterattacks.

NPR's Aya Batrawy and Daniel Estrin called the initial attack "one of the most dramatic escalations in violence in recent memory" adding there are "concerns the chaos could spread to the occupied West Bank and different countries in the Middle East."

This round of bloodshed began with a surprise attack by Palestinian fighters from Gaza into Israel during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. On Oct. 7, militants infiltrated Israel's border using paragliders, motorbikes and boats and fired thousands of rockets toward the country from Gaza.

NPR's Fatima Al-Kassab reported on the history of the Gaza Strip. Some key excerpts:

The Gaza Strip is a 25-mile-long by 6-mile-wide enclave, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the north and east and Egypt to the south.
Gaza is one of two Palestinian territories. The other is the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The strip has been under a blockade by Israel and Egypt, restricting the movement of people and goods since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. Israel controls its airspace and shoreline, as well as what goods can cross Gaza's borders.

NPR's Fatma Tanis examined how we got here and what might come next in this longstanding conflict.

For anyone looking for guidance on how to talk to children about this war:

How To Talk To Children About The Violence In Israel And Gaza

Here's the latest on a growing movement on college campuses nationwide, as students organize against Israel's war in Gaza.

Here's Where Pro-Palestinian Protests Stand At University Campuses In SoCal

On Monday, Columbia University announced it was shifting classes to online after students set up encampments on the campus lawns calling on university administrators to sever ties with companies with links to Israel. Some of the students were arrested and suspended.

At Yale and New York University, police arrested around 150 people who were also calling on their administrators to divest ties with Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers.

How effective are divestment protests?

Students have turned to protest in the past calling on universities to cut ties with fossil fuel interests and organizations with ties to apartheid era South Africa.

In 2021, after nine months of student protests, the Cal State University system began pulling $162 million in investments from fossil fuel companies. The University of California system, Harvard and more than 50 universities across the nation have made similar pledges to divest from fossil fuel interests.

Gillian Hart, a professor emerita at University of California, Berkeley, was active in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement in the Boston area in the 1980s. When she taught at Boston University and MIT in the 10 years that she worked with students in the anti-apartheid movement, she said, there was only one occasion that resulted in “active police aggression” compared to the divestment movements happening on college campuses now.

“I think what was extremely important about the movement was the extent to which students really were very keen and anxious to learn about what was going on in South Africa,” she said.

Health

Public health fund

Officials seek private dollars

Aaron Schrank has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.

Published April 2, 2026 4:23 PM

Supervisor Holly Mitchell, L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, actor Danny Trejo and others gathered at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Wilmington.

(

Aaron Schrank

LAist

)

Topline:

A new private foundation called The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA launched Thursday, aiming to raise $2 million to shore up county health services this year. It comes after the Department of Public Health closed seven clinics following $50 million in funding cuts since early 2025.

Who's behind it: The foundation's board includes Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, the CEOs of Blue Shield of California Foundation and LA Care Health Plan, actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo and more. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 at the launch. Ferrer acknowledged it's "a hard day" when a public agency has to turn to private donors to fund basic services.

Deeper cuts ahead: The federal "Big Beautiful Bill" slashes Medi-Cal funding, and the department anticipates losing up to $300 million over the next three years. Federal dollars account for nearly half the public health budget.

Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.

A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.

“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.

Ferrer is on the board of the new foundation, The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA, which held its first meeting Thursday.

She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.

Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.

The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.

More cuts expected

L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.

“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”

Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.

The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.

Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.

If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.

Board members

The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA announced its founding board of directors, which includes:

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County Department of Public Health director
Debbie I. Chang, Blue Shield of California Foundation CEO
Sean Penn, actor and co-founder of Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE)
Martha Santana-Chin, LA Care Health Plan CEO
Saree Kayne, R&S Kayne Foundation CEO
Danny Trejo, actor and restaurateur
Jarrett Barrios, an executive at the American Red Cross
Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine Dean
Kristin McCowan, an executive at the Los Angeles Dodgers

Getting venues ready will be expensive

The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.

A entrance to a men's bathroom. Two drinking fountains are on a wall.

A $360 million proposal to spruce up asphalt in parking lots around Exposition Park won’t be done in time for the Olympics, as originally planned. Meanwhile, just up the street, there’s concern that a $2.6 billion expansion of the L.A. Convention Center, which is hosting Olympic wrestling, fencing and judo in 2028 won’t be ready for the Olympics.

Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.

Explore LA

Vulture chick at LA Zoo

First successful breeding from new habitat

Kevin Tidmarsh is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.

Published April 2, 2026 3:39 PM

A small chick with gray feathers sitting on a white towel appears to look head-on at the camera.

This Cape vulture chick hatched March 14 at the L.A. Zoo.

(

Courtesy Misha Body/LA Zoo

)

Topline:

The zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.

About the chick: The chick hatched on March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of eight and a half feet.

About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.

How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.

Four vultures with gray and white feathers in a zoo enclosure mimicking their natural environment. The one closest to the camera is spreading its large wings.

What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”

About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the California condors that just hatched last year at the L.A. Zoo.

Topline:

The Los Angeles Zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.

About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.

About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.

News

Art students detained

Community seeks answers from LAPD

By Laura Anaya-Morga | The LA Local

Published April 2, 2026 3:00 PM

LAPD officers speak to a crowd gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street

What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.

(

Screenshot courtesy of BHAC

)

Topline:

Last week, seven students and two staff members from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) were detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. Now, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.

What happened: According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.

Allegations of racial profiling: In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. According to Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.

What is BAM? The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.

According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said.

The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.

The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.

Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred.

According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained.

Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs.

Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.

“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.

Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.

“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”

Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students.

“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.

Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.

Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated.

Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students.

“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?”

In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.

The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction.

The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April.

“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”

Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said.

“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said.

Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.

“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.

Hey, LA listener!

The Brief

The preceding valedictorian controversy

USC joins other campuses nationwide

Understanding how we got here

How effective are divestment protests?

More cuts expected

Board members

Getting venues ready will be expensive

Keep up with LAist.