UC Faculty Call for Resignation of UCLA Chancellor Over Protest Handling

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block speaks in Los Angeles on Jan. 3, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

LOS ANGELES—More than 800 University of California faculty and staff called May 9 for the resignation of UCLA Chancellor Gene Block over the handling of a pro-Palestinian encampment and related violence that erupted on the Westwood campus.

The faculty members all attached their names to an online petition that calls for the ouster of Mr. Block, as well as full amnesty for all students, staff, and faculty who were involved in the encampment. The petition also calls on the university to fully disclose within 30 days all of its investments, and to divest from “all military weapons production companies and supporting systems.”

Faculty and staff members gathered on the UCLA campus Thursday to express their concerns and deliver the petition to Mr. Block and university administration. There was no immediate response from Mr. Block.

On Friday, the UCLA Academic Senate, which represents campus faculty, will hold an emergency meeting to consider a resolution of “no-confidence” and a formal censure of Mr. Block. Those resolutions both state that Mr. Block “failed to ensure the safety of our students and grievously mishandled the events of last week.”

The resolutions are similar to those taken up Wednesday by the Academic Senate at USC, which voted to formally censure USC President Carol Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman. That group tabled a no-confidence resolution.

The faculty actions are the latest fallout following last week’s dismantling of the massive encampment at UCLA’s Royce Quad. The police action resulted in 209 arrests. The removal of the encampment came roughly 24 hours after a masked group clashed with protesters, setting off fireworks and spraying tear gas. Protesters said the clash resulted in dozens of injuries.

Complaints quickly arose following that incident, which observers said was allowed to continue unfettered for several hours before police intervened and restored order.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was among those condemning the violence and seemingly slow law enforcement response. University of California President Michael Drake also announced an independent investigation of the UCLA response to the violence.

The UC announced Tuesday it was hiring 21st Century Policing Solutions—a police-tactics consulting firm—to lead the university system’s independent investigation of actions taken at UCLA that culminated in last week’s violence.

Mr. Block, meanwhile, announced earlier this week that he remains committed to identifying those who participated in violence.

“To that end, inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Safety Officer Rick Braziel is leading a law enforcement investigation to identify the perpetrators of the violence and hold them to account,” Mr. Block said. “The LAPD has committed a detective to assist in our investigative efforts, and we have also connected with the FBI about possible assistance. We have spoken to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to solicit his help in ensuring that the instigators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Citing unnamed law enforcement sources, the Los Angeles Times reported that the investigation will include the use of facial-recognition technology, while also employing license plate readers to determine who entered the campus or was driving in the vicinity that night. The investigative tools being employed were compared to those used by federal authorities investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol.

Over the weekend, Mr. Block announced the creation of the Office of Campus Safety, with Mr. Braziel placed in charge of the operation.

Mr. Block said that office is also conducting a review of the UC Police Department’s response to the attack and conducting an analysis of UCLA’s security protocols. It is assessing all acts of violence that has occurred on campus over the past 12 days. Mr. Braziel is expected to create a plan to put in place to establish additional means of protecting students, staff, and visitors on campus, Mr. Block said.

The union that represents campus police officers at the 10 University of California schools has repeatedly blamed UCLA administrators for the delayed response to the attack on the encampment and other violence between counter-protesters and people at the pro-Palestinian encampment.

“The written guidelines for roles and responsibilities make clear that senior UC administrators on each campus are solely responsible for the university’s response to campus protests; those administrators decide the objective, and campus police are only responsible for tactics in implementing those objectives,” Federated University Police Officers’ Association President Wade Stern said in a statement.

“As such, the UCLA administration owns all the fallout from the response and lack of response to this protest.”

Dozens more people were arrested on the UCLA campus on Monday morning, when the university had planned to return to in-person classes following two days of remote learning prompted by the encampment activity last week. Early Monday morning, authorities arrested roughly 40 people in a campus parking garage, and UCLA Police said they were carrying materials indicating they were prepared to break into and possibly barricade themselves inside a building.

Police said the group was carrying items such as bolt-cutters, super glue, padlocks, heavy-duty chains and metal pipes, along with printed materials “encouraging vandalism and violence.”