Los Angeles Police Department and Department of Public Safety officers have cleared the “Gaza Solidarity Occupation” after just over 11 days of chants, teach-ins, and clashes with DPS and USC administration.

The mobilization came after an email from the Office of the President on Friday evening, emphasizing its stance that although free speech is one of the University’s “foundational values,” exercising free speech does not include “the right to obstruct equal access to campus, damage property, or foment harassment, violence, and threats.”

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In a statement to the Daily Trojan on Sunday morning, Senior Vice President of Communications Joel Curran wrote that LAPD participated in the sweep to provide additional security but that the clearing itself was peaceful and no arrests were reported.

“Earlier today, the University of Southern California Department of Public Safety (DPS) successfully removed the illegal encampment rebuilt on the university’s campus,” the statement read. “We want to thank LAPD for assisting DPS in clearing the encampment and restoring normalcy for students and community as quickly and safely as possible.”

President Carol Folt gave mixed messages on whether she would call the LAPD on protestors. A brief recording posted to Instagram from the USC Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation revealed that in the first negotiation session with protesters Tuesday, Folt said she had “no intention of seeing DPS or the LAPD” coming to campus. 

At a virtual Academic Senate Executive Board meeting Wednesday, however, Folt said she could not commit to keeping LAPD from campus, based on unspecified future events. 

A week prior to the Academic Senate meeting, LAPD arrested 93 protesters on the first day of the encampment — among them 51 students and 36 people unaffiliated with USC — on suspicion of trespassing. The rapid and heavy police response brought outrage from students, faculty and community members. 

At around 5 p.m. Saturday, Assistant Director of Residential Education Nancy Alonzo read a statement to the encampment, saying “the encampment has to go down” because of “acts of vandalism and the theft of university property,” according to an Annenberg Media report. 

By 4 a.m. Sunday, over 50 LAPD officers entered campus with zip ties, less-lethal launchers and helmets, with three police vans following behind them that appeared to be used for transporting people who have been arrested.

Officers began pushing out protesters toward Trousdale North Entrance, as they chanted, “Free Palestine,” and, “Arrest. Attack. We do not care. We will be back.” Officers locked protesters outside the entrance’s gates, and some began marching toward USC Village. 

By roughly 5:30 a.m., LAPD and DPS officers cleared out a majority of the encampment, dismantling tents and canopies that had remained there since April 27, when protesters returned to Alumni Park after a brief time spent at Founders Park. 

On Thursday, the University notified USC community members who were arrested April 24 that it was pursuing disciplinary action based on their “alleged conduct” and that subsequent violations of University policy, including “camping, amplified sound, defying DPS directives, vandalism, harassment, bullying, and theft of property,” would bring “further discipline up to expulsion as well as an immediate ban from campus.”

In a post to USC SCALE’s Instagram story shortly after the sweep, protesters wrote, “WE WILL BE BACK. FREE PALESTINE.”