UCLA police/security management reshuffle

Rick Braziel has been put in charge of UCLA security. See below. He operates a police consulting firm. Braziel is a past president of the California Peace Officers Association and was chief of police of Sacramento. He was involved in the U.S. Justice Department review of the police mishandling of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting incident.

May 5, 2024

Dear Bruin Community:

Protecting the safety of our community underpins everything we do at UCLA. Our students, faculty and staff can only learn, work and thrive in an environment where they feel secure.

In the past week, our campus has been shaken by events that have disturbed this sense of safety and strained trust within our community. In light of this, both UCLA and the UC Office of the President have committed to a thorough investigation of our security processes. But one thing is already clear: To best protect our community moving forward, urgent changes are needed in how we administer safety operations.

I am therefore taking several actions to significantly alter our campus safety structure. These decisions were not made lightly — but my leadership team and I feel that decisive change is needed to help maintain a safe campus environment.

Effective immediately, I am moving oversight and management of UCLA PD and the Office of Emergency Management from the Office of the Administrative Vice Chancellor to a newly created Office of Campus Safety, whose leader reports directly to me. It is clear that UCLA needs a unit and leader whose sole responsibility is campus safety to guide us through tense times. This organizational structure, which elevates our safety and emergency management operations, has proven to be an effective one at other major universities across the country.

Leading the Office of Campus Safety as its inaugural associate vice chancellor is Rick Braziel, who brings to the position more than 30 years of public safety service, including five years as chief of police for the City of Sacramento. Braziel has also served as an instructor in community policing and has led reviews of law enforcement agencies and police responses. 

Additionally, I have created a formal advisory group with expert leaders who will partner with AVC Braziel. Members of this advisory group include UC Davis Chief of Police and Coordinator of the Council of UC Chiefs of Police Joe Farrow, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Professor of Health Policy and Management Vickie Mays and UC Office of the President Systemwide Director of Community Safety Jody Stiger. I am confident that AVC Braziel, in partnership with this advisory group, will provide effective new leadership of our safety and emergency management operations.

The well-being of our students, faculty and staff is paramount. These actions are essential for creating a secure environment where everyone at UCLA can confidently pursue their studies and careers.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block

Chancellor

Source: https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/changes-to-campus-security-operations/.

May Day

On May 1, a sound truck somehow was parked next to Royce broadcasting antisemitic messages. Video with audio can be found below. The owner of the truck with California license 46393U3 can be identified by UC Police through a request to DMV. Has it been? How did the truck get on campus at a time when the encampment was in progress without anyone in authority noticing? Was there anyone in authority around to notice?

Or direct to https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6dBXxwLnhZ/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D.

Columbia

Given recent events at UCLA, it's easy to lose track of other similar events, notably at Columbia University. Below in written and video format is the statement of Columbia's president:

These past two weeks have been among  the most difficult in Columbia's history. The turmoil and tension, division and disruption have impacted the entire community.

You, our students, have paid an especially high price. You lost your final days in the classroom and residence halls. For those of you who are seniors, you're finishing college the way you started online.

No matter where you stand on any issue, Columbia should be a community that feels welcoming and safe for everyone. We tried very hard to resolve the issue of the encampment through dialogue. Many people who gathered there were largely peaceful and cared deeply about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Academic leaders talked with students for eight days and nights. The university made a sincere and good offer, but it was not accepted. A group of protesters crossed a new line with the occupation of Hamilton Hall. It was a violent act that put our students at risk, as well as putting the protesters at risk. I walked through the building and saw the damage which was distressing.

But despite all that has happened, I have confidence. During the listening sessions I held with many students in recent months, I've been heartened by your intelligence, thoughtfulness and kindness.

The ones that impressed me the most were those who acknowledged that the other side had some valid points. We need more of that at Columbia. Every one of us has a role to play in bringing back the values of truth and civil discourse, that polarization has severely damaged.

Here at Columbia, parallel realities and parallel conversations have walled us off from other perspectives. Working together, I know we can break down these barriers.

As many of you know, I was born in the Middle East. I grew up in a Muslim family with many Jewish and Christian friends. I spent two decades working in international organizations with people from every nationality and religion in the world. Where if you can't bridge divides and see the other side's point of view, you can't get anything done.

I learned from that experience that people can disagree and still make progress.

The issues that are challenging us - Palestinian-Israeli conflict, anti-Semitism, and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias - have existed for a long time, and Columbia, despite being a remarkable institution, cannot solve them single-handedly.

What we can do is be an exemplar of a better world, where people who disagree do so civilly, recognize each other's humanity and show empathy and compassion for one another.

We have a lot to do, but I am committed to working at it every day and with each of you to rebuild community on our campus.

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuDsfPv0qOA. [The transcript is on the video site.]

Somewhat parallel to our own chancellor, there is explanation in the statement, but no apology for allowing an extended period in which basic civil norms were allowed to disappear. Heads of colleges and universities are not like the contemporary kings and queens of England, figureheads who do not make policy. Heads of colleges and universities do make decisions. And Columbia, as a private university, had more control over access to its campus than does UCLA.

Anderson Graffiti

From an email yesterday:

Dear Anderson Community,

 

I’m very sorry to report that our UCLA Anderson complex was defaced last night with graffiti, for which there is no excuse. We are working to clear it as quickly as possible, but we did want to forewarn any of you coming to campus of its presence. We will do our best to identify and prosecute the person or persons who committed this crime and will increase security to try to prevent any further vandalism.

 

Best,

Tony

 

• • • 

Tony Bernardo

Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management 

There have been reports of graffiti, including swastikas, on other buildings. For example, here is the Ashe Student Health Center and the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics:

And, of course, there is Royce Hall:

Chancellor's Statement Lacks Key Element: Apology

Reproduced below is the chancellor's latest statement on the events that led to the clearing of the encampment by police. Unexplained is the lack of effective police presence during the entire episode that lasted over a week, not just the violent episode around midnight on April 30-May 1. As blog readers will know, prior to that announcement, various violations of law and university regulations had occurred. Anyone, including non-UCLA people, had ample evidence from days of social media and conventional TV news that rules were being broken without consequences. That this episode would not end happily was evident as we pointed out in our earlier post, "Chaos invites chaos."* 

Chancellor Block can now look forward to explaining what happened to a hostile congressional committee. Rather than provide the kind of statement which we reproduce below in his testimony, he might consider making an apology. "I should have allowed lawful protest while also enforcing basic rules. I failed to do that. I'm sorry."

May 2, 2024

Chancellor Block shared the following message with the Bruin community.

Dear Bruin Community:

 Our community is in deep pain. We are reeling from days of violence and division. And we hope with all our hearts that we can return to a place where our students, faculty and staff feel safe and, one day, connected again.

Our approach to the encampment that was established on Royce Quad last week has been guided by several equally important principles: the need to support the safety and wellbeing of Bruins, the need to support the free expression rights of our community, and the need to minimize disruption to our teaching and learning mission. 

The events of the past several days, and especially the terrifying attack on our students, faculty and staff on Tuesday night, have challenged our efforts to live up to these principles and taken an immense toll on our community.

We approached the encampment with the goal of maximizing our community members’ ability to make their voices heard on an urgent global issue. We had allowed it to remain in place so long as it did not jeopardize Bruins’ safety or harm our ability to carry out our mission.

But while many of the protesters at the encampment remained peaceful, ultimately, the site became a focal point for serious violence as well as a huge disruption to our campus.

Several days of violent clashes between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators put too many Bruins in harm’s way and created an environment that was completely unsafe for learning. Demonstrators directly interfered with instruction by blocking students’ pathways to classrooms. Indirectly, violence related to the encampment led to the closure of academic buildings and the cancellation of classes. And frankly, hostilities were only continuing to escalate.

In the end, the encampment on Royce Quad was both unlawful and a breach of policy. It led to unsafe conditions on our campus and it damaged our ability to carry out our mission. It needed to come to an end.

Over the past several days, we communicated with and made a formal request to meet with demonstration leaders to discuss options for a peaceful and voluntary disbanding of the encampment. Unfortunately, that meeting did not lead to an agreement.

To preserve campus safety and the continuity of our mission, early this morning, we made the decision to direct UCPD and outside law enforcement officers to enter and clear the encampment. Officers followed a plan that had been carefully developed to protect the safety of protesters at the site. Those who remained encamped last night were given several warnings and were offered the opportunity to leave peacefully with their belongings before officers entered the area. Ultimately, about 300 protesters voluntarily left, while more than 200 resisted orders to disperse and were arrested.

UCLA facilities teams are now in the process of taking down structures and cleaning up the quad, and we ask that students, staff and faculty continue to avoid the area.

I want to be clear that we fully support the right of our community members to protest peacefully, and there are longstanding and robust processes in place that allow students, faculty and staff to gather and demonstrate in ways that do not violate the law or our policies. I urge Bruins to take advantage of these many opportunities, which were designed to support advocacy that does not jeopardize community safety or disrupt the functioning of the university. 

I also want to recognize the significance of the issues behind the demonstrators’ advocacy. The loss of life in Gaza has been truly devastating, and my administration has and will continue to connect with student and faculty leaders advocating for Palestinian rights to engage in discussions that are grounded in listening, learning and mutual respect. Similarly, we will continue to support our Jewish students and employees who are reeling from the trauma of the brutal Oct. 7 attacks and a painful spike in antisemitism worldwide.

We will also continue to investigate the violent incidents of the past several days, especially Tuesday night’s horrific attack by a mob of instigators. When physical violence broke out that night, leadership immediately directed our UCPD police chief to call for the support of outside law enforcement, medical teams and the fire department to help us quell the violence. We are carefully examining our security processes that night and I am grateful to President Drake for also calling for an investigation.

The past week has been among the most painful periods our UCLA community has ever experienced. It has fractured our sense of togetherness and frayed our bonds of trust, and will surely leave a scar on the campus. While Counseling & Psychological Services and Staff & Faculty Counseling Center are available to lend support to those in need, I also hope we can support one another through this difficult moment and reaffirm the ties that unite us as a community of learning. 

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block, Chancellor

Source: https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/our-community-is-in-deep-pain/.

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*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2024/05/chaos-invites-chaos.html. 

The FAFSA Drama Continues - Part 12

From Inside Higher Ed: The Department of Education has implemented a temporary fix to the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will allow students with parents or guardians who lack a social security number to complete the form, undersecretary of education James Kvaal told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday.

After months of frustration over persistent technical glitches, the fix will allow mixed-status families to bypass the identity verification system that had been causing problems, enabling them to enter their tax information manually instead of having the system retrieve it from the IRS. The applicants will still have to complete the verification process, but will no longer have to wait until it’s done to make a studentaid.gov account and access the online form...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/05/01/temporary-fix-lets-mixed-status-families-complete-fafsa.

6 AM: It appears the encampment area is clear...

The decision process at Murphy Hall that started last Thursday is not so clear. UC President Drake has called for some kind of investigation. 

The Regents are meeting behind closed doors tomorrow, perhaps to create such an investigation.* Yesterday, the chancellor send the message below out:

Chancellor Block shared the following message with the Bruin community.

Dear Bruin Community:

Late last night, a group of instigators came to Royce Quad to forcefully attack the encampment that has been established there to advocate for Palestinian rights. Physical violence ensued, and our campus requested support from external law enforcement agencies to help end this appalling assault, quell the fighting and protect our community.

However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable. It has shaken our campus to its core and — adding to other abhorrent incidents that we have witnessed and that have circulated on social media over the past several days — further damaged our community’s sense of security.

I want to express my sincere sympathy to those who were injured last night, and to all those who have been harmed or have feared for their safety in recent days. No one at this university should have to encounter such violence. Our student affairs team has been reaching out to affected individuals and groups to offer support and connections to health and mental health resources.

I also want to acknowledge the trauma and heartache this has brought to our full campus. Resources are available to students through the Student Affairs websiteand Counseling & Psychological Services, and to employees through the Staff & Faculty Counseling Center.

We are still gathering information about the attack on the encampment last night, and I can assure you that we will conduct a thorough investigation that may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals. We are also carefully examining our own security processes in light of recent events. To help in these efforts, I urge those who have encountered violence to report what they experienced to UCPD, and those who have faced discrimination to contact the Civil Rights Office. We are grateful for the support of law enforcement and their efforts to investigate these incidents.

This is a dark chapter in our campus’s history. We will restore a safe learning environment at UCLA.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block

Chancellor

Source: https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/condemning-violence-in-our-community/.

===

There is an evolving timeline at the Daily Bruin:

https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/02/lapd-breaches-palestine-solidarity-encampment-at-ucla-in-dispersal-attempt.

News reports indicate a crowd has formed protesting the arresting process. Live TV coverage is available on Spectrum Channel 1. There appears to be relative calm as protesters are loaded on to buses by police.

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*Yesterday, Regent Chair Leib made the statement below:

The violence at UCLA yesterday was despicable and unacceptable. The Regents of the University of California will not tolerate violations of the law or University policy on our campuses, including unlawful encampments, hate speech, and other forms of protest not protected by the First Amendment. While we understand the passions surrounding Israel and Gaza, no cause is free from the consequences of conduct on our campuses.

When students are blocked from public walkways, not allowed entry into campus buildings, and are impeded from accessing educational facilities, it is the responsibility of the campus to prevent these clear violations. The actions that have occurred recently have clearly created an unsafe environment. Protests that interfere with University operations or threaten the safety of students require immediate enforcement of University policies so that violent situations are prevented. It is our priority to ensure the safety of all students and allow equal access to education.

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/statement-board-regents-chair-richard-leib-0.