February 8, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

LA City Council Orders Investigation into LAPD Response to UCLA and USC Protests

Motion to Examine Police Actions During Gaza-Related Campus Demonstrations

By Dolores Quintana

The Los Angeles City Council has passed a motion that would require the Los Angeles Police Department and the Inspector General to investigate and present findings in an after-action report on its response to the recent campus protests at UCLA and USC related to the war in Gaza. The motion passed unanimously, 15 to 0. 

The Palestine Solidarity encampments were not interfered with by the administrations at UCLA and USC at first, but after time passed the administration at USC declared the encampment unlawful and had the police use force to remove the students. 

During the public comment section of the City Council meeting on Tuesday, a large number of community members, students, and union members echoed the call for a report on the incidents at UCLA and USC, including the LAPD, CHP, and LASD’s actions in dismantling the encampments, use of force, and the arrests of the protesters. Many insisted that the City Council call for a ceasefire. 

They were passionate about UCLA in particular, pointing out that the students were arrested, but none of the attackers were. There were repeated calls for amnesty for those who were arrested, but City Council President Paul Krekorian reminded them that the City Council does not have the power to grant amnesty. 

One community member, a grad student, angrily denounced UCLA and the LAPD, and said that the mother of one of the students in the encampment was hung up on by the LAPD ten times when she called from help in the encampment. The female student was 19 years old and had been beaten. She also noted that one of her student’s skull was cracked 30 times after the student was attacked. 

At UCLA, after a night of brutality from agitators intent on creating mayhem and causing injuries in the encampment, when students and faculty members were brutalized for hours on live television without UCLA or the police taking any action. The Chancellor called in LAPD, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Highway Patrol the following night to disperse the camp and arrested 200 members of the encampment. 

Strangely, not a single one of the men who had been filmed committing multiple assaults and other acts of violence, like shooting firecrackers into the encampment, were detained or questioned by the police. They were simply allowed to leave and some of them decided to linger and continued to attack members of the press. To date, only one of these attackers has been arrested. 

Council members have instructed the LAPD and the Office of Inspector General to detail how decisions were made during the protests and to provide recommendations for policy improvements.

Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who introduced the motion, expressed concern over the varied responses to the protests. She noted that hundreds of arrests were made for non-violent offenses at one campus, while there was no intervention at another campus where actual violence occurred for several hours.

“I’m concerned that these divergent responses leave our communities with questions and particularly leave our communities wondering whether the response protesters may get from law enforcement depends on their politics rather than on their actions,” Raman said.

in News
Related Posts

Student Protest Over Immigration Policies Leads to Walkouts Across the Westside

February 7, 2025

February 7, 2025

Walkout Turns Tense as Counter-Protester Confronts Teen in Video From Venice Students from Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI), Culver City...

Open Arms Art Show Runs Through Mar. 22 in Burbank

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

Opening Exhibition Saturday Feb. 8 from 12 to 8p.m. More than an art show, the Open Arms Exhibition is an...

Quiet Luxury: What’s Inside the New Regent Boutique and Sweet July

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

The Regent Santa Monica Beach, known for its perfect Santa Monica getaways, or local dining at its Mediterranean-based restaurant Orla...

Two Injured in West Adams Shooting After Struggle for the Possession of a Gun

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

Man and Woman Hospitalized in Stable Condition After Gun Discharges Twice The West Adams neighborhood was the site of a...

Serial Predator David Pearce Convicted of Murders, Rape in Shocking Fentanyl Overdose Case in West LA

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

“Dead Girls Don’t Talk,” Fake Producer Abandoned Women’s Bodies Like Garbage A jury convicted David Brian Pearce of two counts...

Best Spots to Celebrate Valentines, Galentines, or Have a Super Bowl Party on the Westside

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Cocktails, Game Day Grub, Valentine’s Pasta, and a Lonely Heart’s Tea Service You will find many excellent ways to celebrate...

FDA Issues High-Risk Recall for Pre-Packaged Broccoli Florets Sold at Walmart

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Recall Is Now Classified as Class I Due to Seriousness Of Contamination The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified...

Matū Kai Brings Its Signature Wagyu and Famous Cheesesteak to Brentwood

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Team Behind Beverly Hills’ Acclaimed Matū Is Opening a Second Location One of Beverly Hills’s newest and most popular restaurants,...

Pan African Film and Arts Festival Returns for 2025 with Global Black Storytelling

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Largest Black Film Festival in the U.S. Expands to Culver City With Over 150 Films The Pan African Film and...

Influencer Florence Mirsky Responds After Her Racist Rant Is Caught in Video Footage

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Viral Footage Shows Mirsky Using Slurs and Berating Valet Workers in Beverly Hills Influencer and cannabis entrepreneur Florence Mirsky, who...

 State Farm Seeks Emergency Rate Hike, Citing Wildfire Losses—Consumer Advocates Push Back

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Insurer Requests up to a 38% Rate Increase, but Critics Call It an Unjustified Cash Grab In a press release...

(Video) Los Angeles Marathon Returns For 40th Anniversary

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Register at mccourtfoundation.org Register at https://t.co/fkBPxh7q8K pic.twitter.com/cQKU97fWjF — Westside Today (@WestsideLAToday) February 4, 2025

Los Angeles County Ramps Up Storm Protections in Fire Burn Areas As Two Storms Approach

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Officials Install Flood Barriers and Urge Residents To Prepare As a storm system approaches California this week, Los Angeles County...

Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar Make History at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Beyoncé Wins Album of the Year, Kendrick Lamar Sweeps Five Categories The 2025 GRAMMY Awards delivered a night of historic...

High-End Beverly Hills Watch Dealer Sentenced to Over 5 Years for $5.6M Fraud

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

“The Timepiece Gentleman” Ran Luxury Watch Scheme, Defrauded Clients “The Timepiece Gentleman” was sentenced Wednesday to 70 months in federal...