May 04 (Encampment)

Encampment organizers released a statement regarding safety at the Encampment and increase in Encampment size: "Since day 1, students have been threatened with arrest, suspension and physical intimidation. Our Encampment has maintained a higher degree of discipline and professionalism than we have been shown by the administration. The size of the Liberated Zone of the Encampment was too small to facilitate the safe and peaceful exercising of our rights. Arab and Muslim students who are outside of the Encampment have encountered harassment, threats, and privacy invasion, and an expansion of our Encampment became necessary to protect the student community. Because the UC system has so grievously injured its students in LA and provided no framework or dialogue for ensuring our safety, it is our responsibility to establish basic safety measures on the ground. Horrific videos of UCPD and 'counterprotestors' attacking and maiming students have demonstrated the unwillingness of the UC system to meet its basic responsibility towards its students.... A small expansion of our footprint into open, unused areas could not be called an escalation in any sense of the word. Student demonstrations have long been an important and expected part of higher education. We encourage UC administration to reevaluate its aggressive posture. We reaffirm that the highest responsibility of a university is to its students above all else."