Five people arrested as UC Santa Barbara 'liberated zone' cleared overnight

As sea fog enveloped the UC Santa Barbara campus in the early darkness Sunday morning, more than 80 police officers in riot gear surrounded and cleared the “UCSB Liberated Zone” — a pro- Palestinian established by an autonomous group of students. staff and faculty more than seven weeks ago – arresting five people and removing all remaining tents and property from the area.

The encampment, which was the hub of on-campus organizing in solidarity with Gaza during the tumultuous spring quarter, has hosted dozens of students and community members over the past 54 days. It was also the last such camp on any UC campus.

According to statements from the university administration and updates posted to the UCSB Liberated Zone Instagram account, the encampment cleanup followed several messages from the university to camp organizers, which demanded that the area is cleared after the failure of negotiations between the group and the administration. A resolution.

In a letter to UCSB's designated liaison, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Margaret Klawuns, UCSB Liberated Zone representatives described how “conversations were repeatedly derailed,” with the university refusing to agree to the group's demands, which included divestment from military contractors and “recognizing that what is happening in Palestine is genocide.” »

Then, at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, June 21, the university issued an ultimatum to the group, asking them to decamp or present an emergency plan by the following night, or face forced decampment and police intervention. .

On Saturday evening, just hours before police arrived on campus, the university sent the group a final email warning, with Chancellor Henry Yang writing that “the encampment constitutes a violation of UC policies and an illegal trespass.”

“We ask that you remove your personal items and leave the camp immediately,” Chang wrote. “Any items left behind will be treated as abandoned.”

In a statement posted on social media, the UCSB Liberated Zone said the university initially gave the group at least until noon Monday to deliberate and respond, and that “the abrupt change in deadline undermines trust and confidence.” good faith that we tried to give.” maintain” and could be seen as an attempt to dismantle the encampment before the summer session.

“The administration's handling of these conversations, particularly Chancellor Yang's delegation of power to a single representative with no decision-making authority, has added to our frustration,” the group said in the statement.

When UCPD officers, supported by units from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, arrived on campus after midnight Sunday morning, university officials said:

several people remaining there received “multiple warnings to leave the area before and during the removal of the tents.”

“Although most individuals complied with the warnings,” said UCSB spokeswoman Kiki Reyes, “five individuals refused to disperse and were taken into custody.”

Around 1:30 a.m., security forces had surrounded the camp on all sides, blocking all entrances and issuing at least three dispersal orders. According to witnesses at the scene who broadcast the incident live on social media, a small group remained in the area while other demonstrators chanted slogans just beyond the police lines.

Around 2 a.m., law enforcement began dismantling the camp, including tents, tables, the pantry and an olive tree planted on the campus lawn — a tree the group had hoped would be destroyed. The university would preserve it as a monument to both men. -one month camp.

The Sheriff's Office confirmed that five individuals were arrested during the camp cleanup and all five were transported to the Santa Barbara County Main Jail by UCPD officers, where they were each charged with ” failure to disperse” and held on $2,500 bond. All five were released Sunday afternoon with a citation and a court date set.

The university could not provide details on further investigation into the encampment or occupation of Gervitz Hall, nor would officials confirm whether those arrested were students.

Representatives from the UCSB Liberated Zone called the camp cleanup “a clear act of police retaliation” and a “removal of our First Amendment rights and our shared duty as students to use our education to change the world for good.”

After the smoke cleared Sunday, the university administration sent out a campus-wide statement regarding the incident.

“As an academic community, we believe strongly in the principles of free speech and academic freedom,” the administration’s statement said. “During a difficult year, we have sought to balance the rights to protest and exercise free speech with the rights of the broader university community to pursue our educational mission and to live, work and learn in a welcoming, inclusive and secure environment.”

Chancellor Yang said the university was “seeking a peaceful solution” and had held meetings to listen to students' concerns, although he claimed the group's demands “included actions that are beyond jurisdiction or control campus, which violate UC policy and are within campus jurisdiction.” jurisdiction of the Academic Senate.

In the weeks since the camp was established, Chang said, the number of tents, banners and signs on campus increased, and “the walls of the library and bathrooms near the tents were defaced by vandalism.” “. He described the camp as “increasingly disruptive to students trying to pursue their educational goals,” and said that after the group refused to disband voluntarily, “the university then made the decision to remove the illegal encampment.”

“We recognize sincere and deeply held beliefs in the face of painful world events. We remain committed to dialogue, debate and education,” Yang continued. “Our principles of community have been severely tested, and we must work together to restore them in a safe and tolerant environment that protects free expression and supports our shared academic mission.” »