Alumnus here. The engineering school (HSSEAS) just sent out an embarrassingly milquetoast statement on the whole clusterfuck. Here is my response, in the event that anyone cares:
Not sure if anyone reads replies to this address, but in the event they do:
I shall be blunt: Precisely none of your statement addresses the root cause of the issue.
Pointedly, identifying and addressing root causes to the greatest and most effective extent possible is a logical razor that I first learned to apply with some level of skill at UCLA. I have come to rely on this skill as a core part of my identity as both an engineer, as well as a human.
I am absolutely appalled at and furious with the way the administration has handled the situation - particularly, the comically biased and flagrantly militaristic stance the LAPD took towards the protesters, while effectively giving the counter protestors carte blanche.
I’ll be clear: backstopping, even indirectly (though this was a rather direct example), the obviously genocidal policies of Israel towards the Palestinian population of Gaza is the sort of thing that irreconcilably conflicts with my ethics and morals. I view this on the same level as white supremacy, and - yes - the holocaust. Israel is not synonymous with Jewish people. Attacking or marginalizing Jewish people is not and was never the point of the protests. The fact that the administration continues to fail to understand this, in my opinion, manifestly disqualifies them from holding any leadership position at the university, and forces me to fundamentally question the ethical principles that the University claims to hold so dear.
As a result, until and unless the UCLA administrators involved in these policies are dismissed, I intend to discourage my family, friends, and professional network from attending, donating to, or interacting with UCLA in any fashion.
It pains me to do this. I’m not trying to flex any connections I may or may not have here. I am doing this because I am doing my best to be a conscientious human. I do still believe that UCLA, despite its flaws, is an excellent university, and I am grateful for the academic foundation, friendships, and connections I gained while I attended - (omitted for privacy). I also realize that HSSEAS administration may not, in fact, agree with the University administration (and indeed, if that is the case, I implore you to issue a statement to that effect).
But I cannot stay silent in the face of a genocide that the world is watching play out in real time, and that the University appears to at least passively accept (though the police response indicates something far darker than that).
This is the action I feel I must take in response.
Most Sincerely and Regretfully,
(sign-off omitted for privacy)
“Edan went to bully the Palestinian students in the tents at UCLA and played the song that they played to the Nukhba terrorists in prison!” his mother boasted in Hebrew on Facebook, referencing Hamas. She circled an image of him that had been broadcast on the local news.
The fucking hypocrisy.
I got my degree there, and their handling of this whole shitshow has induced me to halt my alumni support altogether. It’s so fucking embarrassing. I don’t want to be associated with their idiocy.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Law enforcement stood by for hours as counterprotesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA on April 30, which erupted into the worst violence stemming from the ongoing college protests around the country over Israel’s war in Gaza.
A CNN review of footage, social media posts, and interviews found that some of the most dramatic attacks caught on camera that night were committed by people outside UCLA – not the university students and faculty who were eventually arrested.
The violent counterprotesters identified by CNN, which included an aspiring screenwriter and film producer and a local high school student – were joined by unlikely allies, several of whom are known throughout southern California for frequenting and disrupting a variety of protests and public gatherings.
His mother – who previously described a smaller group of UCLA students protesting the war last year as “human animals” on social media – said dozens of his schoolmates had also gone to campus on the 30th and that her son intends to join the Israel Defense Forces.
The man in the LA Kings jersey was ultimately dragged into a group of counterprotesters and kicked by an aspiring Los Angeles screenwriter and producer who CNN identified as Malachi Marlan-Librett, according to a review of social media photos, footage from the protest and interviews with multiple people who knew him.
Video footage shows Bibiyan among those at the front line of people rushing the encampment in an attempt to remove protective metal barriers, as campus security guards watched the violence unfold.
The original article contains 2,342 words, the summary contains 247 words. Saved 89%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
were joined by unlikely allies, several of whom are known throughout southern California for frequenting and disrupting a variety of protests and public gatherings.
cops man… when actual criminals show up to harass genuine protesters and law enforcement just lets. them. fuck.
Bring these fucks to justice.
