A group of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a building on the campus of Cal State Los Angeles on Wednesday night, leaving behind damage and graffiti.
Between 50 and 100 demonstrators occupied the student services building, forcing a handful of university employees who were inside the building to shelter-in-place. Those staff members were able to leave as of Thursday morning.
The protesters came from a nearby encampment on campus, which has been active for more than one month. As of Thursday morning, they’ve exited the building and returned to the encampment.
Trash, graffiti and smashed windows were left behind at the student services building on Thursday. Protesters flipped over golf carts, copiers, furniture and even a vending machine in order to create a barrier between the main campus area and the building.
The pro-Palestinian protesters have been calling for the university to cut ties with Israeli-based companies.
Protesters told KTLA that the vandalism in the building was in response to “radio silence” from the university in regards to the Israel-Hamas War.
“We don’t think property is sacred,” said a protester identified as Vera. “We believe that lives are more important than property. Especially when our money goes to this school. This is extensively our university, but we aren’t treated that way.”
All classes and services have been moved from in-person to online for the day.