In the aftermath of Deltopia 2025, two UC Santa Barbara students conducted a survey on interactions with law enforcement during the weekend-long event. The study reports alleged incidents of racial and gender-based targeting, excessive force and a general lack of concern for real safety from law enforcement.
Across responses, the researchers noted a pattern of I.V. residents experiencing “blatant abuse… unnecessary arrests, rude behavior, and predatory practices” when interacting with law enforcement. Alexa Lopez / Daily Nexus
The study was conducted by UCSB alumni Grace Kish and Rya Bonavia in collaboration with former External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) Owen Myers and Associated Students (A.S.) Office of Attorney General (OAG). The survey collected around 500 anonymous responses from attendees of Deltopia, the yearly unsanctioned street festival that was banned this January. Survey questions asked respondents about their demographics, how they felt about various statements and allowed for written elaboration for certain answers.
Due to the anonymous nature of the survey responses, its findings reflect subjective experiences, not verifiable incidents. Any and all data collected by the survey is based on perceptions, and therefore cannot make definite conclusions about the actions of law enforcement during the event.
In the study, the researchers also noted how negativity bias — the tendency for people who had negative experiences to participate in the survey — may have played a role in the data that they collected. They also acknowledged their own personal biases going into their research.
“As I was writing I tried not to say exactly what I’m feeling as a person, as a woman, as a student in Isla Vista and reading these reports and hearing things. So I definitely think I did have bias against the police interactions,” Kish said. “But I think the way in which I try to channel my writing was as flat as I possibly could.”
Despite the inherent limitations of testimonials, the researchers emphasized the value of their findings.
“But even just the fact that people are saying this without me adding any of my own opinion, it means something,” Kish said. “That these people [are] feeling these things, that they’re feeling that they’re being discriminated against, that they feel like there’s no safety resources. That is something in itself.”
Across responses, the researchers noted a pattern of I.V. residents experiencing “blatant abuse … unnecessary arrests, rude behavior and predatory practices” when interacting with law enforcement.
Any and all data collected by the survey is based on perceptions, and therefore cannot make any definite conclusions about the actions of law enforcement during the event. Nexus file photo
Several testimonies alleged gender- and race-based targeting by law enforcement. 35% of respondents answered “yes” to the question “Do you believe police disproportionately targeted specific racial or ethnic groups during Deltopia?” with an additional 43% answering “unsure.” The study also noted a theme of aggression from law enforcement, reporting 42% of respondents witnessed or experienced excessive force while 49% did not.
“[People of color were] being mistreated and more aggressively interacted with in all accounts I witnessed than their white counterparts during Deltopia. I witnessed White people with entire bottles of alcohol open in public being calm spoken to while Black and Hispanic students were physically subdued for verbal interactions,” one testimony read.
Following Deltopia 2025, some community members voiced concerns that “women were being targeted by police and arrested disproportionately.” According to the study, when asked, “Do you believe police disproportionately targeted those of a specific gender or sexual orientation?” 22% of respondents answered “yes,” 28% answered “no” and 49% said they were “unsure.”
“I cannot emphasize enough how uncomfortable and terrifying the police’s strategy for creating safety through arresting intoxicated young women is. Even if done with good intentions, the result is abysmal and decreases trust between police officers and women. I can think of better alternatives, such as having officers help intoxicated young women find their friends or sit them down with female community officers that actually increase the safety of young women,” one testimony read.
At a 2025 I.V. Community Services District (IVCSD) meeting after Deltopia, then IVCSD President Spencer Brandt alleged that I.V. Foot Patrol (IVFP) Commander Garrett TeSlaa told him a part of IVFP’s strategy “was to detain women in particular that were suspected of being under the influence.” TeSlaa denied this claim, stating that their strategy was “not just for females, it was for everybody.”
Deltopia has historically seen a spike in emergency medical calls, with 2025 seeing 130 total. One testimony claimed that when officers arrived to help a person collapsed in a driveway, they were not equipped with Narcan. Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office (SBSO) policy requires personnel to carry Narcan when on patrol.
In a statement to the Nexus, UC Police Department (UCPD) said it has “zero tolerance for misconduct, including rude behavior, mistreatment of others, and excessive force,” and “is committed to providing safety services equally, fairly, objectively, and without discrimination toward any individual or group.” The statement also claimed that while UCPD fully investigates all complaints, it “received no complaints related to the 2025 time period and made no arrests in Isla Vista.”
“In addition to all UCPD officers being professionally certified by California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST), the UC Santa Barbara Police Department is also an accredited law enforcement agency through the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA),” the statement read. “UCPD personnel are required to complete a robust program that includes trainings on Procedural Justice, Racial Profiling & Diversity, De-escalation Communications, Implicit Bias, Trauma-Informed Interviewing, Crisis Prevention, Cyber Security, and Sexual Harassment.”
Following Deltopia 2025, some community members voiced concerns that “women were being targeted by police and arrested disproportionately.” Nexus file photo
SBSO said that while it appreciated the “time and effort” taken to compile the information, it raised concerns about the study’s methodology.
“The report itself acknowledges its key limitations. The findings are anonymous, non-scientific, subjective and based on a voluntary, self-reported survey prone to negative bias,” the statement read. “The Sheriff’s Office holds its personnel to high standards of professionalism. We expect our deputies and allied law enforcement officers to carry out their duties with integrity, respect, and sound judgment, particularly in dynamic events such as Deltopia. We take any concerns regarding police conduct seriously. The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to continuous constructive dialogue with the community, including students, partner organizations and Isla Vista residents.”
The study also measured respondents’ views on suspending restorative justice during Deltopia weekend. Respondents were asked how they felt about the statement “I believe that the suspension of restorative justice positively impacts safety,” and 42% strongly disagreed, 19% disagreed, 26% were undecided, 9% agreed and 4% strongly agreed.
“The reality is that the people who live in IV and go to UCSB are not the ones causing issues, and I feel like suspending restorative justice has barely any effect at all on limiting citations at Deltopia because people who do not live in IV most likely won’t come back to participate in the program regardless. All it does is punish IV residents by removing a measure for them to make up for a mistake that is most likely small that they didn’t mean to do,” one testimony read.
Data and testimonies also displayed frustrations with a lack of community input on law enforcement policies. When asked if respondents felt their voices were considered in discussions about law enforcement on Deltopia, 43% answered “Never,” while 22% answered “Sometimes” and 3% answered “Always.”
“Though evidence enough to a lack of student participation, what’s even more telling is the 31% of students who said they were unsure. Such ambiguity could point to both an intentional disregard for student voices — i.e. people are unaware because law enforcement does not give them the opportunity to be aware — or a lack of interest on the students’ part,” the study stated. “In any case, it would be beneficial to incorporate students more into future conversations on the topic.”
Many students and student leaders, including A.S. EVPLA E.J. Raad, strongly opposed the 2026 Deltopia noise ordinance, arguing that student input was not sufficiently considered.
Responses also indicated that the large presence of law enforcement during the weekend “makes, to some extent, students and community members feel unsafe and perhaps targeted.”
“Rather than accurately assess the situation, local authorities appear to anticipate illegal behavior from every and any pedestrian. Officers are thus quick to make skewed assumptions about participants’ behavior, often conflating any form of beverage consumption or impropriety (though not illegality) with the negative perception of Deltopia– leading to a perhaps inflated number of citations, arrests, or general interactions,” the study stated.
Study responses showed the large presence of law enforcement during the weekend “makes, to some extent, students and community members feel unsafe and perhaps targeted.” Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
To improve law enforcement interactions, the study suggests establishing “Deltopia-specific behavior training,” which Kish said would entail teaching officers to approach interactions with less “harshness and forcefulness.”
The study also called for a “proper balance” between safety services and police numbers. The researchers said that participants called for fewer officers and greater collaboration with student organizations, as well as enhanced access to safety resources such as EMTs, medical tents, water stations and clear communication.
Researchers called upon law enforcement and the community to increase transparency and accountability. It continued by saying that this would allow I.V. to “balance any celebration with safety,” ensuring that law enforcement “serves the community rather than alienating it.”
The researchers held that their findings were still relevant to students and the community, despite the fact that Deltopia is effectively banned due to the noise ordinance.
“Cancellation does not erase patterns, concerns, or community experiences that were identified. The data reflects broader trends in public safety and community response that extend far past a single event, such as awareness of policy and experiences across demographic groups,” the study stated. “Community feedback provides valuable insight into trust and the effectiveness of current communication. Even in the absence of Deltopia, this information can guide improvements in outreach strategies and long-term safety initiatives.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the May 7 print edition of the Daily Nexus
