11:11 am ET, April 30, 2024
Cal Poly Humboldt says police have cleared buildings occupied since last week and “restored order”
From CNN’s Rachel Ramirez
Law enforcement arrested roughly 35 people at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, campus in Northern California early Tuesday morning, clearing buildings occupied since last week and “restoring order,” according to an update from the university.
The college recently closed its doors for the rest of the semester amid escalating pro-Palestinian protests on campus, with two buildings — Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East — occupied by protesters.
At the time of the arrests, the university known as Cal Poly Humboldt issued a shelter-in-place order for students living on campus and asked people living off campus to stay away from the premises due to “continuing criminal activity.”
According to an update from the university, those arrested face a range of charges including unlawful assembly, vandalism, conspiracy, assault of police officers and more. Additionally, the university said students could face discipline for conduct violations while employees could face disciplinary action.
“What was occurring was not free expression or a protest,” the university wrote on their website. “It was criminal activity, and there were serious concerns it would spread even further on campus.”
Before the judgments, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Northern California urged the Cal Poly Humboldt administration to avoid involving law enforcement in the campus protests and to instead “take advantage of every available tool to peacefully reach a resolution with students,” Abdi Soltani, executive director of ACLU Northern California, said in a statement.
The campus closure will remain in place through May 10, the university said, as law enforcement continues to monitor the situation.
“This is a difficult day, it breaks my heart to see it, and truly nobody wanted to see things come to this,” Tom Jackson Jr., Cal Poly Humboldt president, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, serious criminal activity that crossed the line well beyond the level of a protest had put the campus at ongoing risk. I commend the law enforcement team for their effort in resolving this very dangerous situation.”
