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Police Clear Out UC Irvine Encampment After Protest Expands
Protestors gather at the UC Irvine campus.
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Courtesy Amir Mertaban
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Topline:
Law enforcement officials cleared out a student encampment at UC Irvine on Wednesday. Police made 47 arrests, the majority of which were for failure to disperse and a few were arrested for trespassing. Those arrested were booked and released on citation.
Police invited in: The UC Irvine Police Department called in the Orange County Sheriff's Department for support.
In a statement to the university community on Wednesday evening, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said, "it was terrible to see that they would dramatically alter the situation in a way that was a direct assault on the rights of other students and the university mission." He said he was prepared for the encampment to exist without law enforcement intervention but called in the police because the building was barricaded.
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Wasn't UC Irvine negotiating? Administrators met with student organizers earlier this month for what the university described as a “productive” conversation.
However, in a statement released last week, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said that talks had stalled and that "the students were not willing to meet with us today."
Student organizers say they were still willing to negotiate but were caught off guard by Gillman's public statement. Student organizers who were part of the negotiating team said they were suspended by the university and not allowed on campus.
From the mayor: In a statement to LAist on Wednesday, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan said, "My only hope is that UCI Administration will handle the situation without any physical force by police. ... These are unarmed students using their first amendment right to protest, as many students have done previously throughout the years."
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