The Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert Saturday at the University of Southern California campus amid days of unrest as protesters called for the university to cut ties to Israel due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
USC urged its community via a social media post to avoid the University Park Campus (UPC) due to a "disruption." The university did not specify what the disruption was, but the post comes after a series of pro-Palestinian encampments on campus.
The demonstrators continued their chants calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and hung signs on the campus' trees. According to Jacob Wheeler, a USC student and NBC4 intern, those signs read, "Jews against genocide," "We love you, Gaza" and messages that Wheeler described as “some other inflammatory stuff that is going to make some students feel uncomfortable.”
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At least two reports of vandalism were flagged to law enforcement, which included a fountain on campus and the school's famous statue, Tommy Trojan.
At about 10 p.m. Saturday, a large police presence responded to the campus for reasons the LAPD did not specify. The department said it would release a statement regarding its response to the university.
Nearly 100 people were arrested Wednesday after pro-Palestinian supporters ignored police's orders to disperse from UPC. In wake of the unrest, the university announced the cancelation of its main commencement ceremony and halted social activities on campus until further notice.
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