LA City Attorney declines to file criminal charges on most arrests from UCLA encampment
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto declined to file criminal charges on most arrests that took place during UC Los Angeles and the University of Southern California pro-Palestine protests in April and May 2024, according to the Daily Bruin.
The decision was announced in a press release made on April 25, where Soto confirmed the UCLA Police Department referred 205 arrests from the protests that took place on May 1 and 2 of 2024. All of these requests were declined for filing “due to insufficient evidence.” The announcement comes almost a year after the beginning of the Palestine solidarity encampments on UCLA’s campus.
Four of the referrals, which were for “criminal conduct separate and apart from protesting,” had also been declined for insufficient evidence. It was not specified whether these referrals came from protests at either UCLA or USC.
Two arrests resulted in criminal charges, according to the Daily Bruin, including Matthew Katz, who was charged with assault and battery, false imprisonment, human trafficking and “resisting arrests from alleged conduct at UCLA.”
LA Police charged Edan On with alleged assault and battery and brandishing a deadly weapon, also “from alleged conduct at UCLA.” On was the first person charged in the April 30 and May 1 attack on the Palestine solidarity encampment.
On’s charges were reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor last June by previous LA County District Attorney George Gascón, who said “he could not establish that On’s conduct resulted in injury against the victim,” or that he had collaborated with other people.
UC Berkeley faculty demands UC doesn’t comply with Trump demands
UC Berkeley faculty demanded through a resolution that UC President Michael V. Drake not comply with any demands made by the Trump administration, according to the East Bay Times.
Faculty demanded that Drake protect political speech and academic freedom from the Trump administration’s “unprecedented attack” across California’s “premier” higher education system.
UC Berkeley’s Academic Senate approved the resolution, which was signed by nearly 50 faculty members across different academic departments. The resolution comes as UCB prepares for potential demands from the current administration regarding diversity initiatives, after President Donald Trump cracked down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, as well as his threats to cut funding if leaders don’t “comply with his administration’s demands.”
Over 500 university and college leaders across the country have signed a letter in opposition to the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference.” Those who signed the letter included UCB Chancellor Richard Lyons, Drake and other leaders across California universities.
Individual California State University (CSU) campuses signed the letter, but the CSU system itself did not; neither did Stanford University.
The faculty of UCB said it was “important to call for additional protections,” considering the demand letters sent to Harvard University and Columbia University, which threatened to slash federal funding if campus leaders did not cut diversity programs, as well as put more restrictions on protest rules and reform the admissions and hiring process.
A version of this article appeared on p.2 of the May 1, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.
