UCLA Protests: A History of Activism, Riot Police, and Shifting Tides

UCLA, like many universities, has a long history of student activism. Protests, demonstrations, and civil unrest have been integral to the university's fabric, allowing students to advocate for a more just society. However, this activism has often been met with responses from law enforcement, sometimes escalating into clashes and raising questions about the balance between free expression and campus safety.

Early Activism and Suppression

The first documented form of student activism at UCLA occurred in 1934 when John Burnside, Tom Lambert, Mendel Lieberman, Sidney Zsagri, and Celeste Strack were suspended by then-Provost Ernest Moore. Moore stated that the suspended students had allegedly been working with the National Student League, a communist organization that had planned to partake in revolutionary activities amid growing fear of revolutionary activity occurring at UCLA. Shortly after, then-Stanford student Stan Beaubaire began a petition to reinstate the suspended individuals. The circulation of the petition across UCLA and other California universities culminated in a 3,000-person protest at Royce Quad.

Vietnam War Era and Police Militarization

Decades later, the national student activist group Students for a Democratic Society rose to prominence in response to President John F. Kennedy’s escalation of the war in Vietnam and socioeconomic inequalities across the nation. On May 19, 1969, visiting student James Rector died from police violence at UC Berkeley during a protest against the destruction of People’s Park, a park dedicated to the student activism of the time. This militarization of police forces sparked protests across the UC system, including UCLA. A few months later, protests against the Vietnam War intensified at UCLA and across the nation after the death of a student protester at the hands of the police at Kent State University.

Anti-Apartheid Movement

In 1985, UCLA students gathered to protest against a new cause: apartheid in South Africa. Students demanded the UC system to divest its $2.3 billion investment in companies supporting apartheid. Student activists on campus have set the tone for contemporary movements.

Chicano Studies Protests

Faculty and students had made several attempts to change the standing of the Chicano Studies Program from an interdisciplinary program to a department, and the program had even expanded its offerings to include a minor in 1992. However, as the sharp cuts to budgets throughout the 1980s took a toll and Chancellor Charles E. Young made the decision to cut the program. Following two years of discussions and on the eve of Cesar Chavez's funeral, on April 28, 1993, students set in motion a sit-in demonstration by the Conscious Students of Color group. Around 200 students walked across the UCLA campus to the Faculty Center to protest the decision. After the Los Angeles Police Department and UC Police Department officers appeared in riot gear a clash ensued and 99 students were arrested. Several students and one UCLA professor made the decision to protest the UCLA administration's action by fasting, setting up outside Murphy Hall. They received support from state legislators including Tom Hayden, Art Torres and Xavier Becerra. The hunger strikers were: Juan Arturo Diaz Lopez, Marcos Aguilar, Balvina Collazo, Maria M. Lara, Arturo Paztel Mireles Resendi, Cindi Montanez, Joaquin Manual Ochoa and Professor Jorge R. Mancillas.

Recent Pro-Palestinian Protests and Encampments

Like many universities across the country and around the world, UCLA has recently experienced a period of unrest related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Oct. 7 attack and ensuing conflict in Gaza have led to protests, encampments, violence, vandalism, arrests, remote learning, canceled events and calls for change.

October 2023:

University of California President Michael V. Drake and UC Board of Regents Chair Richard Leib condemned the "horrific and heart-wrenching terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens."
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Monroe Gorden Jr. addressed concerns about safety as events and rallies related to the conflict took place on campus.
The university acknowledged the deep emotions stirred by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Concerns were raised about a global rise in acts of Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab hate.

February 2024:

UCLA stated its opposition to calls for a boycott against and divestment from Israel, aligning with the position of all 10 UC campus chancellors and the UC Office of the President.

March 2024:

The university expressed being "appalled, offended and deeply frustrated" by an antisemitic caricature displayed during a protest targeting a University of California Board of Regents meeting.

April 2024:

Demonstrators established a physical encampment on a lawn in Royce quad, joining similar groups at universities across the country.
UCLA outlined its approach to the encampment, emphasizing the need to support the safety and wellbeing of Bruins, support free expression rights, and minimize disruption to the teaching and learning mission.
The university reiterated its opposition to calls for boycott against and divestment from Israel.
Physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad.
The university increased its security presence and engaged law enforcement to investigate acts of violence.
Barriers used by demonstrators to block access to buildings were removed.
UC President Michael V. Drake affirmed the importance of the right to protest but emphasized the need to exercise those rights within established laws and policies.
The university reported "horrific acts of violence" at the encampment and called law enforcement for mutual aid support.
A group of instigators attacked the encampment, leading to physical violence and a request for support from external law enforcement agencies.
UCLA made the decision to direct UCPD and outside law enforcement officers to enter and clear the encampment.
Campus operations were limited through the weekend, and classes continued remotely.
The university created a new Office of Campus Safety, led by Rick Braziel, to oversee UCLA PD and the Office of Emergency Management.
The University of California announced that 21st Century Policing Solutions (21CP) would lead the independent investigation of the actions that led to violence on the UCLA campus.

May 2024:

UCLA faculty and staff denounced the University’s handling of the student Gaza protest.
Dickson Plaza (Royce Quad) reopened to the public, with law enforcement and other security personnel remaining on campus.
The university acknowledged the fracturing of the sense of community and security and expressed sorrow for the pain within the community.
The Chancellor testified before a Congressional committee focused on antisemitism on college campuses.
UCLA students gathered at Wilson Plaza to watch a screening of the documentary film “The Encampments,” but were told visuals were not allowed. The group moved to another location, where UCPD officers informed them they could not hold the screening. Dozens of UCPD officers armed with less-than-lethal weapons gathered near the students.

Law Enforcement Response and Controversy

The response of law enforcement to protests at UCLA has often been a source of controversy.

Jeff Wenninger, who retired as a lieutenant after 30 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, oversaw the officers that dispersed protestors and extracted lawbreakers from hostile crowds during the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. He noted that the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA became the latest campus tinderbox to erupt.

In 2007, the LAPD faced criticism for its response to a May Day immigration demonstration in MacArthur Park.

Wenninger expressed shock at seeing an officer fire multiple bean bag shotgun rounds into a crowd, arguing that bean bag rounds are meant for single-target acquisition and questioning the rationale for the officer's actions. He also noted that many police officers are not adept at dealing with emotionally charged crowds and that policing demonstrations demands decision-making with a special intensity.

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Echoes of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots

The events at UCLA can be viewed in the context of a broader history of civil unrest and police response in Los Angeles. The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also called the Rodney King Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after a jury acquitted four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) charged with using excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King. The rioting took place in several areas in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as thousands of people rioted over six days following the verdict's announcement. Widespread looting, assault, and arson occurred during the riots, which local police forces had difficulty controlling. When the riots ended, 63 people had been killed, 2,383 had been injured, more than 12,000 had been arrested, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion, making it the most destructive period of local unrest in US history.

The riots were fueled by a number of factors, including:

Racial tensions: Before the release of the Rodney King videotape, minority community leaders in Los Angeles had repeatedly complained about harassment and use of excessive force against their residents by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers. Daryl Gates, Chief of the LAPD from 1978 to 1992, has been blamed for the riots. The origin of Operation Hammer can be traced to the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. Under Gates' direction, the LAPD expanded gang sweeps for the duration of the Olympics. These were implemented across wide areas of the city but especially in South Central and East Los Angeles, areas of predominantly minority residents. After the games were over, the city began to revive the use of earlier anti-trade union and anti-syndicalist laws in order to maintain the security policy started for the Olympic games. The police more frequently conducted mass arrests of African American youth. The Christopher Commission later concluded that a "significant number" of LAPD officers "repetitively use excessive force against the public and persistently ignore the written guidelines of the department regarding force".
Economic inequality: Many residents of South Central Los Angeles felt that they had been left behind by the economic boom of the 1980s.
Tensions between different racial groups: In the years before the riots, resentment and violence between the African American and Korean American communities in Los Angeles were increasing. Many Korean shopkeepers were upset because they suspected shoplifting from their black customers and neighbors. Many black customers were angry because they routinely felt disrespected and humiliated by Korean store owners. On March 16, 1991, a year before the Los Angeles riots, storekeeper Soon Ja Du shot and killed Black ninth-grader Latasha Harlins after a physical altercation. Other recent incidents involve the tragic events of May 25, 1991, where two employees at a liquor store near 35th Street and Central Avenue were shot. Both victims, who had recently immigrated from Korea, lost their lives after complying with the demands of a robber described by the police as an African American. Additionally, last Thursday, an African American man suspected of committing a robbery in an auto parts store on Manchester Avenue was fatally injured by his accomplice. The incident occurred when his accomplice accidentally discharged a shotgun round during a struggle with the Korean American owner of the shop. "This violence is deeply unsettling," stated store owner Park.
The Rodney King beating: The videotape of Rodney King being beaten by police became an instant focus of media attention and a rallying point for activists in Los Angeles and around the United States. On the evening of March 3, 1991, Rodney King and two passengers were driving west on the Foothill Freeway (I-210) through the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) attempted to initiate a traffic stop and a high-speed pursuit ensued with speeds estimated at up to 115 mph (185 km/h), before King eventually exited the freeway at Foothill Boulevard. The pursuit continued through residential neighborhoods of Lake View Terrace in San Fernando Valley before King stopped in front of the Hansen Dam recreation center. After the two passengers were placed in the patrol car, five Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers - Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Rolando Solano - surrounded King, who came out of the car last. None of the officers involved were African-American; officers Koon, Wind and Powell were white, while Briseno and Solano were of Hispanic origin. They tasered King, struck him dozens of times with side-handled batons, kick-stomped him in his back and tackled him to the ground before handcuffing him and hogtying his legs. Unbeknownst to the police and King, the incident was captured on a camcorder by local civilian George Holliday from his nearby apartment across from Hansen Dam. The tape was roughly 12 minutes long.

The acquittal of the officers involved in the Rodney King beating was the spark that ignited the riots. On April 29, 1992, the seventh day of jury deliberations, the jury acquitted all four officers of assault and acquitted three of the four of using excessive force. Outside the Simi Valley courthouse where the acquittals were delivered, county sheriff's deputies protected Stacey Koon from angry protesters on the way to his car. The riots began the day the verdicts were announced and peaked in intensity over the next two days. A total of 63 people died during the riots, including nine shot by police and one by the National Guard. Of those killed during the riots, 2 were Asian, 28 were Black, 19 were Latino, and 14 were white. No law enforcement officials died during the riots. As many as 2,383 people were reported injured. Estimates of the material losses vary between about $800 million and $1 billion. Approximately 3,600 fires were set, destroying 1,100 buildings, with fire calls coming once every minute at some points. Widespread looting also occurred. Many of the disturbances were concentrated in South Central Los Angeles, where the population was majority African American and Latino.

In the week before the Rodney King verdicts were reached, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates set aside $1 million for possible police overtime. On April 29, Judge Stanley Weisberg announced that the jury had reached its verdict, which would be read in two hours' time. This was done to allow reporters and police and other emergency responders to prepare for the outcome, as unrest was feared if the officers were acquitted. The LAPD had activated its Emergency Operations Center, which the Webster Commission described as "the doors were opened, the lights turned on and the coffee pot plugged in", but taken no other preparatory action.

Key Events of the 1992 Riots

Initial Unrest: The riots began shortly after the acquittals were announced. A group of people gathered at the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues in South Central Los Angeles. In an interview, a member of the group said that the group "just decided they weren't going to pay for what they were getting". The store owner's son was hit with a beer bottle, and two other youths smashed the store's glass front door.
Mayor Tom Bradley's Response: Mayor Tom Bradley addressed the city, saying, "Today, this jury told the world that what we all saw with our own eyes wasn't a crime. Today, that jury asked us to accept the senseless and brutal beating of a helpless man. Today, that jury said we should tolerate such conduct by those sworn to protect and serve. My friends, I am here to tell this jury, "No. No, our eyes did not deceive us. We saw what we saw, what we saw was a crime…" We must not endanger the reforms we have achieved by resorting to mindless acts." Assistant Los Angeles police chief Bob Vernon later said he believed Bradley's remarks incited a riot and were perhaps taken as a signal by some citizens.
Police Retreat: At Florence and Halldale, two officers issued a plea for assistance in apprehending a young suspect who had thrown an object at their car and whom they were pursuing on foot. Approximately two dozen officers, commanded by 77th Street Division LAPD Lieutenant Michael Moulin, arrived and arrested the youth, 16-year old Seandel Daniels, forcing him into the back of a car. The police formed a perimeter around the arresting officers as the crowd grew more hostile, leading to further altercations and arrests (including that of Damian Williams' older brother, Mark Jackson). One member of the crowd stole the flashlight of an LAPD officer. Fearing police would resort to deadly force to repel the growing crowd, Lieutenant Moulin ordered officers out of the area altogether. He said, "Hey, forget the flashlight, it's not worth it. It ain't worth it. It's not worth it. Forget the flashlight. Not worth it."
Attack on Reginald Denny: Reginald Denny, a white construction truck driver, was pulled from his truck and severely beaten by a group of Black men who came to be known as the "LA Four". The attack was recorded on video from a news helicopter, and broadcast live on US national television. Denny suffered a fractured skull and impairment of his speech and ability to walk, and underwent years of rehabilitative therapy.
Attack on Fidel Lopez: Fidel Lopez, a self-employed construction worker and Guatemalan, was pulled from his GMC pickup truck and robbed of $2,000. Rioters, including Damian Williams, smashed his forehead open with a car stereo and one tried to slice his ear off. After Lopez lost consciousness, the crowd spray-painted his chest, torso, and genitals black. He was eventually rescued by Black Reverend Bennie Newton, who told the rioters: "Kill him, and you have to kill me too." Lopez survived the attack, but it took him years to fully recover and re-establish his business.
Spread of the Riots: Rioting moved from South Central Los Angeles, going north through Central Los Angeles causing widespread destruction in the neighborhoods of Koreatown, Westlake, Pico-Union, Echo Park, Hancock Park, Fairfax, Mid-City and Mid-Wilshire before reaching Hollywood. The looting and fires engulfed Hollywood Boulevard, and simultaneously rioting moved west and south into the neighboring independent cities of Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Compton, Carson and Long Beach, as well as moving east from South Central Los Angeles into the cities of Huntington Park, Walnut Park, South Gate and Lynwood and Paramount.
Koreatown: Koreatown is a roughly 2.7 square-mile (7 square kilometer) neighborhood between Hoover Street and Western Avenue, and 3rd Street and Olympic Boulevard, west of MacArthur Park and east of Hancock Park/Windsor Square. As the riots spread, the police largely abandoned Koreatown to defend store fronts in the wealthy and predominantly white independent city of Beverly Hills. The lack of law enforcement forced Koreatown civilians to organize their own armed security teams, mainly composed of store owners, to defend their businesses from rioters. Those who stood on the roof of the California Supermarket at 5th and Western Avenue with firearms were later referred to as the "roof" or "rooftop Koreans".
National Guard and Federal Assistance: The California Army National Guard responded quickly by calling up about 2,000 soldiers, but could not get them to the city until nearly 24 hours had passed. In the early morning hours of Friday, May 1, the major rioting was stopped. Rodney King gave an impromptu news conference in front of his lawyer's office, tearfully saying, "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?" Governor Wilson requested federal assistance and eventually 10,000 Army National Guard troops were activated. That same day, 1,000 federal tactical officers from different agencies across California were dispatched to L.A. to protect federal facilities and assist local police.

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