Topline:
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 of Palestine 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 student encampment, citing graffiti of a statue at Alumni Park as well as alleged harassment of students. In a statement provided to LAist, USC spokesperson Joel Curran wrote: “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.”
Police actions: In addition to the arrest of over 90 people on Wednesday, Los Angeles Police Department officers issued a tactical alert and visited the reestablished encampment at the school on Saturday night. According to LAPD spokesperson Drake Madison, police 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 USC President Carol Folt made requests to meet with the students that were declined. The group, however, said that they have not heard from Folt directly, and that negotiations between protesters and administration broke down late last week.
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.
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