Last Wednesday a group of 60-100 people associated with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) took over and vandalized a building at Cal State University Los Angeles. When Ed wrote about the incident last Thursday the occupation itself had ended but there was still some uncertainty about exactly what had happened and why police didn't respond more quickly or forcefully.

Since then a few more things have become clear, starting with the fact that the school's president, Berenecea Johnson Eanes, was inside the building during the takeover. The next day she issued a statement condemning the people involved and demanding that the people in the encampment leave. [emphasis added]

As you likely know, last night unlawful protesters occupied the first four floors of the Student Services Building (SSB), destroying offices, stealing property, and leaving significant damage.

For forty days, there has been an Encampment on our campus. We have been in ongoing formal and informal communication with the Encampment and its advisors. I went into the Encampment twice. I made significant commitments on transparency, respectful conversations, and mental health support. These are all within my authority and aligned with our first principles as a university. So long as the Encampment remained non-violent, I was committed that the university would continue to talk.

Last night, those involved with the Encampment chose violence and destruction. Our chief concern at Cal State LA has always been the safety and security of all involved: our students, faculty, staff, public, and protesters. Yet, the significant damage to SSB will affect student-facing services: including admissions, records, accessible technology, basic needs, new student and family engagement, Dreamer resources, and educational opportunity programs. It will take time to restore all those spaces and divert significant resources that would otherwise go to academics, student services, or operations.

I am saddened, and I am angry. For all those who sheltered in the Student Services Building, who had to leave in that chaos, thank you for being brave and resilient. Thank you for showing your professionalism and care – both for each other and for our students. I appreciate your care shown even to those who pursued intimidation and destruction. To the three employees and one student whose assaults were reported (one as protesters gained entry to SSB, another as they were leaving, another who was surveying damage, and one accosted on a walkway) I am so sorry. Know that this will not stand.

Campus community: Know that we will recover from this, but also know that I am committed to doing everything we can to ensure this will never be allowed to repeat. I cannot and would not protect anyone who is directly identified as having participated in last night’s illegal activities from being held accountable.

The Encampment has crossed a line. Those in the Encampment must leave.

The encampment was a giant mess and the school was wrong to tolerate it in the first place. But better late than never I guess.

This is the #proPalestinian camp at #CalStateLA. This is about 200 yards from the Students Services Building…that was occupied by demonstrators yesterday. They set up barricades. And there is property damage. @knxnews pic.twitter.com/VPTIxDIjY6

— Jon Baird (@KNXBaird) June 13, 2024

It's still not entirely clear why the police never entered the building to clear out the vandals but the LA Times reported Saturday that a call did go out to the LAPD and CHP. Reading between the lines, it sounds like President Eanes told them to stand down.

As pro-Palestinian protesters took over and barricaded the Cal State Los Angeles student services building Wednesday night, university police issued a mutual aid call that brought officers from the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol to the campus.

Although the officers were prepared to enter the building and clear out the protesters, top university officials never gave them approval to move in, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the incident...

About 60 staffers remained inside for roughly two hours before security officers established a safe exit route. Many left, but about a dozen — including Cal State L.A. President Berenecea Johnson Eanes, whose office is in the building — voluntarily stayed behind.

Pro-Palestinian student groups wrote on social media around 5 p.m. that Eanes said she would negotiate with them. Later, they posted claims that she did not follow through.

So Eanes was in the building and volunteered to stay behind, apparently to negotiate. Then at some point she change her mind but by that point the LAPD and CHP officers who'd arrived had left. Whatever the case, the vandals did a lot of damage in the short time they were inside.

After a takeover of a Cal State L.A. building by pro-Palestinian activists, who smashed windows, trashed offices and left graffiti, we're getting a first look at the damage. Why were they allowed to loot the building for hours? This morning at 6 from ABC7 https://t.co/PZa2qKHM55 pic.twitter.com/yQ59veU8PP

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 13, 2024

Here's move video showing them carrying items out of the building.

🚨🇺🇸🇵🇸PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS RANSACK CSULA BUILDING

After protesters took over the Student Services Building at the Cal State Los Angeles campus footage emerged of them looting the building, removing furniture and equipment.

There is also extensive damage and graffiti… https://t.co/kPtY4xJHlu pic.twitter.com/7RPNE1Y7jX

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 13, 2024

And a few more clips from inside:

Lots of damage here at CSULA. interestingly enough there is a lot of property damage but from what I can tell everything seems to have remained in the building itself. pic.twitter.com/tf4Zqh7dcr

— acatwithnews (@ACatWithNews) June 13, 2024

I'd post more clips from the SJP group that organized this but they don't exist anymore. The group's Instagram account was banned last week by Meta.

Meta kicked Students for Justice in Palestine at California State University, Los Angeles, off of Instagram after it promoted a fundraising poster that featured the logo of a terrorist and a picture of someone who hijacked a plane...

SJP at CUSLA made the Instagram post on June 3, which featured terrorist Leila Khaled and displayed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s logo, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization...

Khaled attempted to hijack two planes in 1969 and 1970.

Celebrating terrorists seems to be what these groups do. I'm not sure why anyone is surprised. Here's a screenshot of the poster that got them banned.

Here’s a screenshot of the entire post by CSULA’s SJP chapter pic.twitter.com/r1Wj201CBJ

— Adam Sabes (@asabes10) June 5, 2024