Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
USC Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Set Up Camp Again As College Officials Warn Of 'Further Action'
Student protesters set up camp on the campus of USC on April 24, 2024.
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)
Topline:
The University of Southern California's campus has reopened as protesters set up another encampment calling for divestment from Israel.
The backstory: Last week, the protesters established an encampment at USC's Alumni Park over a list of six demands, including divestment from companies linked to the Israeli occupation in Gaza and U.S. weapons manufacturers. After being cleared out late Wednesday, protesters reestablished an encampment at Alumni Park this weekend.
What's next: USC has indicated they plan to respond to the new encampment, citing graffiti of a statue at Alumni Park as well as alleged harassment of students. "We are hoping for a more reasonable response Sunday before we are forced to take further action. This area is needed for commencement set up early this week," USC spokesperson Joel Curran said in a statement.
Support for LAist comes from
Police actions: In addition to the arrest of over 90 people on Wednesday, Los Angeles police officers issued a tactical alert and visited the reestablished encampment at the school Saturday night. According to LAPD spokesperson Drake Madison, officers left without making any arrests.
Negotiations: The protest group, the USC Divest from Death Coalition, said they will continue to camp out until their demands over divestment are met. Curran wrote in a statement that students declined requests from USC President Carol Folt to meet with the students. The group, however, said they have not heard from Folt directly, and that negotiations between protesters and the administration broke down late last week.
Commencement speakers withdraw: Booker Prize nominated author C Pham Zhang and UCLA professor and MacArthur Fellow Safiya Noble have withdrawn as speakers USC’s Rossier school satellite commencement ceremony.
In a letter first published on Literary Hub, the two said they are withdrawing because “to speak at USC in this moment would betray not only our own values, but USC’s too.”
“We stand with Asna, USC student protestors, and an increasingly vocal contingent of the American public in expressing our support for Palestinians and condemn Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza,” wrote Zhang and Noble.
Go deeper: For background on the reasons behind the protests, read LAist's coverage of the arrests at last week's protests at USC, as well as the demonstration across town at UCLA.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist