Company I 184th Infantry California National Guard Unit was established in Eureka on April 17, 1930, under the command of Capt. Joe Basier. Capt. Oscar Swanlund assumed command in 1936. March 3, 1991, will mark 50 years since Company I was inducted into the federal service. The unit was then under the command of Capt. William Walker.

I became a member of Company 184th Infantry in 1938. That was a period of innocence for most of us as far world politics was concerned. The problems of the Old World seemed far away, and we were desperately trying to find our way out of the long-lasting effects of the Great Depression. A buck private could earn 12 bucks every three months in the National Guard, and it was a strong incentive. In addition he would get two weeks’ vacation at San Luis Obispo at government expense.

I was too young to legally belong to the guard, but with four brothers in the unit, I could not wait to get into it. With the help of certain noncoms and my brothers, I got in. If Captain Swanlund was aware of my age, he didn’t try to stop my enlistment. He was also quite proud to tell later that Company I had I the most brothers within a single company in the state. Our picture soon as appeared in the California National Guard Magazine and that pleased Captain Swanlund very much.

The armory was in the old Winship School, which forms the west end of the present-day Civic Auditorium. When the auditorium was completed it provided an excellent indoor training area for typical infantry close order drill and general weapons training.

Once each year the company would assemble at the armory and prepare to embark to San Luis Obispo for maneuvers and training. With full field packs we would march to the Splendid Cafe for breakfast and from there to the Northwestern Pacific Depot to board the train for Sausalito. After a trip across San Francisco Bay on the ferry, we would board the Southern Pacific train to complete our journey to San Luis Obispo. Upon arrival we were quartered in Tent City. Along with maneuvers and training that was home for the next two weeks.

Prior to the time Company I was mustered into the federal service, my brothers and I had already entered the regular army. My brother Robert had chosen the Navy — thus we called him “Black Sheep.”

The original men of Company I came from every walk of life. During the war, many went on to gain commissions as officers, some as noncoms, and there were those who earned individual citations. Company I also earned citations as a unit.

Robert Viale. Photo: US Army.

One particularly memorable Company I man was Lt. Robert M. Viale, who was posthumously honored: Congress awarded Lieutenant Viale the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award that can be bestowed upon an individual, for heroism and gallantry above and beyond the call of duty. During the Philippine campaign Lieutenant Viale sacrificed his own life to protect those of his men and a group of civilians. Uncommon valor was a common mark of Company I men during World War II — as was service to the community in peacetime. 

Lt. Col. Ernest J. Reed, a CalTrans engineer, was an original Company I man. He later became the commanding officer of the 1401st Engineer Battalion (combat California National Guard headquartered in Eureka). As Captain Reed he was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star Award sometime prior to October 1944.

First Sgt. Fred R. McDonald was also awarded the Bronze Star at the same time. Sergeant McDonald later became a commissioned officer.

Capt. William Walker, a local banker, rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Lt. Col. A. Clinton Swanson, a construction inspection consultant and former assistant director of public works, also commanded Company I for a time.

Capt. Oscar Swanlund, who was the owner of Swanlund’s Photo Shop, reached the rank of major and later served as Mayor of Eureka (1957-1961).

Supply Sgt. Johnny Langer, who was the co-owner of Langer and Kretner, also served as Mayor of Eureka (1947-1951).

Sgt. John W. Phegley, who became a science teacher at McKinleyville Elementary School, continues to serve the community as a photographer and photographic historian for the Humboldt County Historical Society.

Lowell Mengell, Sr., served on the City Council for several years.

Any many more — too numerous to identify in this article — from every background served their country in peace and war.

The critical need for experienced men drew some of the original personnel into the ranks of commissioned and noncommissioned officers — filling important stations in leadership roles.

Upon induction into federal service the unit was stationed first at San Luis Obispo. They saw service in such places as the Presidio of San Francisco, doing guard duty at the San Francisco Airport. They had maneuvers at places like Chehalis and Fort Lewis, Washington, and in the desert country near Fresno, and were quartered for a time in the horse stables at the Del Mar Race Track near San Diego. They were also sent to eastern Oregon and back to San Francisco before their combat assignment in the Aleutian islands and, finally, the South Pacific.

The 184th Infantry was released from the 40th Division in November 1942 and attached to the Seventh Army Division. As part of the Seventh Army Division, the 184th Infantry saw a wide diversity of action. In May 1943 they were assigned to the Ninth Amphibious Training Force — the Long Knives. On July 12 they embarked to the Aleutian islands. After hard fighting on Attu, they staged on Adak. In a bleak and uninhabited land of frozen tundra and mountains — one of the most hostile natural environments on earth — they prepared for the invasion of Kiska.

Extensive artillery preparation began on August 16,1943, when the order to assault the Japanese installations came. Along with the First Battalion 87th Mountain Infantry, field artillery, and engineers, with a Canadian brigade attached — they landed at Long Beach, Kiska. The commanding officer of the 184th Infantry ordered the band to play them ashore. Thus they disembarked to the strains of “California Here I Come” and “The Maple Leaf Forever.”

On shore, they discovered that the Japanese had vanished — the suddenness of their departure was evidenced by the tables set for mess, blankets soaked in oil but not burned, and many arms left in good condition. A lot of war casualties resulted from mines and booby traps left by the Japanese, but the 184th came away practically unscathed.

The 184th completed its mop up at Kiska and sailed with the Seventh Army Division to Hawaii, arriving there on September 15, 1943. After a period of rest and retraining, they sailed with the Fourth Marine Division for Kwajalein Island.

The 184th Infantry was given the task of seizing Kwajalein, a crescent-shaped island three miles long and one-half mile wide. It was heavily fortified with hundreds of shelters, so well built that it required point-blank artillery fire to penetrate them. In addition, flame throwers and explosive charges were needed to complete the task. On February 1,1944, at 5:00 p.m. a call to halt was made. By that time the 184th had lost 23 men — 10 killed and 13 wounded.

A tropical storm struck at about 10:45 that night, and it was accompanied by an awesome storm of artillery, mortar fire, hand grenades and machine-gun fire. The attack was in the 184th sector, and in the stubborn fighting that ensued, the 184th had 465 casualties — 65 killed and 400 wounded. The Japanese paid the price with heavy losses — 2,000 killed outright and 137 captured.

After completing the capture of Kwajalein and Enewetak, the Seventh Division returned to Oahu and Manus islands for additional training. They then returned to Enewetak to prepare for the invasion of the Philippine islands at Leyte.

The 184th had participated in 91 days of hard fighting during the battle for Okinawa. The Japanese were entrenched in a defensive system of heavily fortified positions.

From their positions dug deeply into the hillsides, coral escarpments and pinnacles — a desperate enemy poised. Though faced with almost certain annihilation, they defended their positions with fanatical and suicidal determination. Counterattacking by ceaseless importunity, they inflicted great casualties upon the 184th Infantry regiment. The battle-hardened 184th fought through rough terrain and inclement weather for 91 days of intense combat. The courage and gallantry of the unit prompted Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., to comment, after one of its operations on Okinawa, “A magnificent performance.”

After the campaign at Okinawa, the 184th landed in Korea on September 8, 1945. After a brief reunion with the 40th Division the 184th was deactivated. In January its colors were proudly returned to Sacramento. The remaining personnel were assigned for a time to the 31st Infantry Regiment. Thus the curtain was drawn once more upon a gallant and illustrious California organization.

Countless stories of adventure, terror. supreme human endurance and gallantry are embraced in any infantry regiment engaged in such life or death struggles. The men of Company I — wherever they were assigned — gave a fine account of themselves. Their actions and sacrifices served a critical need in the preservation of the freedoms we enjoy today. At the conclusion of World War II, the 184th Infantry had played a key role in the campaigns of the Aleutian islands, the Eastern Mandates, Leyte, Ryukus and Okinawa.

The 184th Infantry Combat Assault Team was reinforced with tanks and artillery for the invasion of Leyte. made their landing at Leyte on the left of the XXIV Corps on October 20, 1944. It was arranged with the First Battalion (Sacramento, Gilroy) on the left and the Third Battalion (Napa, Santa Rosa, Eureka and Modesto) on the right.

After the capture of the Dulag Airstrip and Burauen, the area from La Paz south to Abuyog and west to the mountains was cleared. Hard battles were fought at St. Victor. Supply situations became serious — shoes worn out from constant duty could not be replaced — and tropical infections and sickness plagued the troops. Still the troops were pushed hard without rest. In November the unit moved to the west side of the island to relieve elements of the 32nd Infantry. Ground captured by the Japanese 13th Division near Demulaan was regained. On December 2, 1944, the 184th, along with the 17th Infantry Regiment, resumed attack. After occupying Ormoc, the area from Delores to Valencia was secured. Christmas Day, 1944, marked the official end of the campaign, yet hard fighting and mopping up operations continued.

The Seventh Division had covered almost 2,000 square miles in its battles of liberation for the Philippine islands. Having conquered 52 Japanese organizations, they had done much to bring about the liberation of the Philippines.

On D day — April 1, 1945 — the 184th landed on the beaches of Okinawa. It They was there that the decisive struggle of the Pacific War was to unfold. Late in May the 184th Infantry spearheaded a night attack, breaking through the Naha-Shuri-Yonabaru line for a distance of five miles — living up to their motto — “Let’s go!”

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POSTSCRIPT: The history of Company I 184th Infantry Regiment is one of frequent change and reorganization. Its roots go back to the local militias of the days of the Gold Rush of 1849 and to the Sunshine Division, the 40th, which was organized at Camp Kearney, near San Diego, on September 16, 1917, as a unit of the World War I American Expeditionary Forces.

The earliest guard unit to be stationed locally was the Eureka Guard Company Sixth Brigade, formed May 15, 1859. A long list of changes, reorganization, and redesignation took place through the years. It even included the California National Guard Fifth Division Naval Battalion, which began December 7, 1895, and was redesignated the Fifth Division Naval Militia in 1901. After induction into federal service in 1917, it was redesignated as the Fifth Division California Naval Militia. In January 1919 it was deactivated, and there was no unit then for 11 years.

On April 17, 1930, Company I 184th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Division of the California National Guard was formed under command of Capt. Joe Basier. In 1936 Capt. Oscar Swanlund assumed command of Company I. On March 3, 1941, Company I 184th Infantry of the 40th Division was inducted into federal service under command of Capt. William Walker.

After mustering into federal service, the unit was separated from the 40th Division and placed in the United States Seventh Army Division. The unit saw extensive combat on Attu, the westernmost Japanese entrenchment in the Aleutian chain, and in the South Pacific.

On January 20, 1946, Company I 184th Infantry was deactivated in Korea.

After a large number of reconstitutions and redesignations through the 1950s and 1960s, the 579th Engineer Battalion Companies A and B — which you might say are the descendants in terms of military lineage of the 184th Infantry Regiment — were formed as they exist today.

This article is dedicated to those men both living and dead from our own community that shouldered the great burden of war — to establish a lasting profile in our hall of memories.

The author wishes to acknowledge the invaluable assistance in the preparation of this article of former Company I members Lt. Col Arthur Clinton Swanson (Ret), USAF, Lt. William E. Nellist, Jr., Sgt. John W. Phegley, Sgt. Glenn Evans, Sgt. Lowell McDonald and Pfc. Harold Starkey, Veterans of Foreign Wars Service Officer; and Staff Sgt. George Albert, Unit Historian, Company A 579th Combat Engineer Battalion of the California National Guard, and Brig. Gen. Donald E. Mattson, Commander. Center for Military History, Sacramento, California.

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The story above was originally printed in the September-October 1990 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

Japhy’s Soup and Noodles served its very last bowl of soup last night, after 25 years of serving bowls of soup (and also other things). The couple of days leading up to the restaurant’s sudden closure were mighty busy, with lines of people spilling out the storefront and down the block. It goes without saying: local soup-lovers are in a sad place. 

But G Mehta, Ronuk Patel and Roshan Patel say they have something to cheer Arcata up. The three are opening up a new ramen bar – and it’s right across the street from where Japhy’s was, up on G street in Northtown. 

Noodle-based soups are about the only thing the two businesses have in common, though. 

Susukino Ramen Bar, named after a neighborhood in the city of Sapporo, Japan, will be a late-night restaurant with a bar atmosphere and live DJ sets on Fridays. They hope to open in late June.

“We’re trying to really make it like a real Japanese izakaya, basically,” Ronuk told the Outpost during a tour of the space, still in the renovation stage. “You come and hang out, have a beer and eat good food, you know? And it’s just supposed to be that kind of vibe.” 

The restaurateurs, who own the cannabis farm Devi, said they’ve wanted to open a restaurant for a while, and Japanese food is the obvious choice. Inspired by a decade of annual snowboarding trips to Japan, Ronuk recruited his friend Gori for the restaurant, a chef who recently moved here from Sapporo. 

Gori will serve up four types of ramen, classic Japanese appetizers, and yakitori skewers, made with ingredients sourced locally when possible, Ronuk said. A bowl of ramen will probably cost about $15. They’ll pour wine and beer, but hope to open a full bar eventually – and they plan to stay open as late as 2:30 a.m. on the weekends. 

Located at 1504 G St, the relatively large space has seen a couple of restaurants come and go over the last several years. “It’s tough business, it’s not easy,” Ronuk said. “It really is passion for us, because we love food so much. We love Japanese food. We love ramen.”

He and his business partners are confident that Arcata wants and needs what they’re serving up. 

It’ll be the “neighborhood spot,” Roshan said. “We can bring a whole community together and build a culture around it: bring that Japanese vibe that’s super homey and friendly, everyone just come in here kicking it, grab beers, eat some meats, just enjoying their time.”

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PREVIOUSLY: ‘These Baby Fish Represent Hope’: CDFW Releases 500,000 Juvenile Salmon into Klamath River

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Press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) this week successfully completed the release of more than 2 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts into the Klamath River.

On Wednesday, May 15, CDFW released approximately 1.3 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts below the Iron Gate Dam and carried out another release of approximately 800,000 fish from the same location on Wednesday, May 22.

The salmon smolts were trucked about 7 miles to the release point from CDFW’s new, state-of-the-art Fall Creek Fish Hatchery. The fish carried coded-wire tags and had their adipose fins clipped to later identify them as being of hatchery origin and provide scientists and hatchery managers with data about their life histories and the success of the release.

Although still undergoing the final phases of construction, CDFW’s new Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, which replaces the 63-year-old Iron Gate Fish Hatchery on the Klamath River, has already exceeded its production goal of 3.25 million salmon in its first year of operation, the combined result of the excellent water quality in Fall Creek, a tributary to the Klamath River, along with improved efficiencies of the facility itself.

The salmon smolts are about six months old and average just under 3 inches in length. The smolt releases began earlier than scheduled last week due to warming temperatures in the Klamath Basin and C. Shasta disease concerns. C. Shasta – or Ceratonova shasta – is a naturally occurring freshwater parasite native to the Klamath River that can cause disease in young salmon. The fish are particularly susceptible in warmer water temperatures. Those concerns were alleviated this week, however, with a return of cooler temperatures to the Klamath Basin.

Dam removal provided a dramatic backdrop to CDFW’s salmon releases. The three remaining Klamath River dams targeted for removal – JC Boyle, Copco 1 and Iron Gate – are all being actively deconstructed. Their removal is ahead of schedule and could open up free fish passage and access to hundreds of miles of new spawning and rearing habitat to salmon returning from the ocean as early as this fall.

CDFW plans another release of  250,000 to 300,000 yearling fall-run Chinook salmon later this year. If dam removal proceeds at its current pace, CDFW expects to release the fish directly from its Fall Creek Fish Hatchery into Fall Creek, which has been inaccessible to salmon due to its location behind the Iron Gate Dam.

Dam removal, the transition to the state-of-the-art Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, increasing variability in hatchery releases at different salmon life stages to supplement in-river production and the strong relationships forged with tribal partners that have made these actions successful are all critical components of the California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future released by Gov. Gavin Newsom in January 2024.

Photos: Caltrans

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PREVIOUSLY:

• New Highway 96 Sign Printed in Both English and Karuk

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Press release from Caltrans District 1:

In collaboration with the Karuk Tribe, the township of Orleans, and Humboldt County, Caltrans recently completed work on the Orleans Community Enhancement Project, a nearly $500,000 effort that highlights the area’s native culture and promotes safety along State Route 96, the Bigfoot Scenic Byway.

The project was made possible by Governor Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative – a sweeping, $1.2 billion, multiyear clean-up effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs, and join with communities throughout the state to reclaim, transform and beautify public spaces.

The Orleans Community Enhancement Project features two new gateway monuments that mark the town’s north and south boundaries and bear the community’s name in both English and Karuk (Panamnik) languages. Tribal designs now adorn Orleans’ lone crosswalk, and changeable banners reflect the area’s rich Karuk heritage.

The Project also installed 10 decorative solar light posts to illuminate previously dim areas and pathways, increasing safety for pedestrians and cyclists. These features help to create a visual sense of place within the community and encourage travelers to slow down, and even stop to visit when driving through the community.

“The Karuk Council is very impressed with the concerted efforts of Caltrans, Humboldt County, and the Karuk Tribe Department of Transportation under the direction of Misty Rickwalt,” said Karuk Chairman Russell “Buster” Attebery. “The new custom gateway monuments, crosswalks, tribal designs, and solar lighting will make the town of Orleans a safer place and bring an awareness to the area’s rich Karuk heritage.”

“These enhancements not only pay tribute to Orleans’ history but also help make the town safer and more visually appealing for all of its residents and visitors,” said Caltrans District 1 Director Matt Brady. “The completion of this project marks a big step forward in revitalizing our local public spaces and promoting community pride.”

Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and its local partners have picked up more than 2.3 million cubic yards of litter – enough to fill about 700 Olympic-size swimming pools. This represents a substantial increase compared to the department’s previous trash collection efforts and can largely be attributed to Clean California, along with other Caltrans litter removal efforts. Caltrans has hosted more than 500 free dump days in communities throughout the state – resulting in the collection of 12,000-plus mattresses and nearly 50,000 tires. The initiative has drawn more than 10,000 community clean-up volunteers and created 15,000 jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated, on probation, or experiencing housing insecurity.

For more information, visit CleanCA.com.

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office wishes everyone a pleasant Memorial Day weekend. As we honor those who have served in our military and enjoy the outdoors, we urge caution regarding swimming in our local rivers. It remains too early in the season to safely swim in several of our waterways, notably the Trinity River. Both the Trinity and Klamath Rivers pose significant risks due to high water levels, cold temperatures, submerged obstacles, and swift currents. Even experienced swimmers may struggle in these conditions. Therefore, we advise the general public to refrain from swimming in these rivers at this time.

 For those choosing to swim in one of our local waterways, we offer the following safety recommendations: 

• Check river levels and flow information provided by the National Weather Service.
•  Avoid swimming alone.
• Stay near the shoreline.
• Avoid swimming into strong fast-moving currents.  If the current seems too strong, get out of the water.
• Refrain from consuming alcohol while swimming.
• Do not substitute inflatable water toys for a life jacket. Ensure young children wear a life jacket and supervise them closely while swimming.

 The Sheriff’s Office emphasizes the importance of exercising caution and using common sense when enjoying our counties rivers and the ocean. Your safety should always be the top priority.

California lawmakers voted to offer an official apology for the state’s role in supporting slavery and moved several other reparations bills but let others die.

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat from south Los Angeles, authored AB 3089, the apology bill, after serving on a nine-member state task force that studied harms committed against Black residents.

“We were people’s properties in this state. And it was defended by the State Supreme Court and other courts,” Jones-Sawyer told the Assembly ahead of the vote.

Four Democrats and 12 Republicans did not vote on the apology bill. The Assembly approved the bill 62–0, including six Republicans who voted for it. Now it heads to the state Senate and, if approved, to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

State lawmakers embraced and applauded as soon as the bill passed. Jones-Sawyer said Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia have all enacted some form of apology for their role in slavery.

His bill is one of more than a dozen in a package of reparations bills supported by the California Legislative Black Caucus. In February the state Assembly approved a resolution acknowledging “harms and atrocities” state leaders inflicted on Black residents over the years. Assemblymember Akilah Weber, a Democrat from San Diego, authored that bill.

Other key bills in the Black Caucus’ reparations package cleared important hurdles.

A proposal by Democrat Sen. Steven Bradford of Inglewood to compensate Black residents for land unjustly taken by eminent domain moved forward.

The California Senate also advanced proposed legislation that would create an agency to help Black families research their family lineage and confirm eligibility for any future restitution measures, and a bill that would establish a reparations fund. The bills will now head to the state Assembly for another vote.

State Sen. Steven Bradford, a Los Angeles-area Democrat, said the state “bears great responsibility” to atone for injustices against Black Californians.

“If you can inherit generational wealth, you can inherit generational debt,” Bradford said. “Reparations is a debt that’s owed to descendants of slavery.”

A bill that would require state licensing boards to prioritize Black applicants passed the Legislature’s appropriations committees. The Pacific Legal Foundation testified in opposition, saying it is unconstitutional.

“The state’s licensing laws are already too burdensome. Making race a factor is an insult to the state’s workers who just want the means to earn an honest living,” Andrew Quinio, a foundation attorney, told lawmakers April 23.

Two other proposals aimed at implementing the California Reparations Task Force recommendations quietly died in the suspense file last week: SB 1007 would have provided financial aid for buying or maintaining a home and SB 1013 would have granted property tax relief to descendants of slaves. Bradford wrote both bills, but the Black Caucus did not designate them as priority bills this year.

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The CalMatters Ideas Festival takes place June 5-6! Find out more and get your tickets at this link.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

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By Christopher Buchanan, Christina Chkarboul, Atmika Iyer, Briana Mendez-Padilla, Jacqueline Munis, Jada Portillo, Hugo Rios, Elizabeth Wilson, Amelia Wu and Mikhail Zinshteyn

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While some universities in California are negotiating with student protestors, hundreds of students and faculty throughout the state are facing legal and academic repercussions for protesting the Israel-Hamas war.

Protesters, who have largely been non-violent, have disrupted events, occupied buildings and public spaces, erected encampments, and skirmished with counterprotesters, resulting in university leaders citing campus policy violations and calling in law enforcement to forcefully remove protesters. According to a CalMatters analysis, at least 567 people, many of whom are students and faculty, have been disciplined by their universities or arrested since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing over 1,100 and sparking a counter-offensive by Israel that has killed 35,000 Palestinians.

For months, pro-Palestinians have been intent on forcing their universities to divest from weapons manufacturers and companies with ties to Israel, and pro-Israelis have insisted the language and actions of the pro-Palestinian groups have been creating anti-semitic environments.

At some campuses, students and faculty are facing consequences for what they see as engaging in their First Amendment rights to speech and to peaceably assemble. An unknown number of students have been suspended or warned of possible suspension, while other students and faculty have been arrested on suspicion of trespassing, attempted burglary and unlawful assembly. And although some campuses are dropping charges, students and faculty throughout California face long-term repercussions.

Students and faculty face legal consequences

Law enforcement officers in riot gear have arrested hundreds of students and faculty for participating in pro-Palestinian encampments on several campuses, including Pomona College, University of Southern California, Cal Poly Humboldt, UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Irvine.

Twenty students arrested at Pomona College on April 5 were suspended and cut off from their access to housing and the campus. At USC on April 24, 48 were students, three faculty members and three staff were arrested on suspicion of trespassing.

First: A pro-Palestinian protester is arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officers during a protest in Alumni Park at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on April 24, 2024. Last: Pro-Palestinian protesters listen to speakers during a protest at Alumni Park at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on April 24, 2024. Photos by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

Protesters are slowly pushed towards the gates behind them as Los Angeles Police Department officers move to close the University of Southern California campus during a pro-Palestinian protest in Los Angeles on April 24, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

The next day, UCLA students began an encampment. The ensuing violence by counterprotesters and law enforcement against the camp protesters has drawn condemnation and resulted in the reassignment of UCLA Police Chief John Thomas on May 22, according to a statement from vice chancellor for strategic communications Mary Osako.

Third-year philosophy student Aidan Doyle said despite being aware of potential legal and academic consequences, including dispersal notices from the university and law enforcement, he and many other students felt it was absolutely necessary to continue their protest to call attention to the many deaths in Gaza.

“Despite all the roadblocks that the university and even the police presented to protesters, there’s still an electrified student base who wants to take the side of Palestine,” Doyle said.

After an aggressive group of counterprotesters stormed the UCLA campus in the early morning of May 1, the university moved all instruction online and called in outside law enforcement to clear the encampment that night. Officers arrested 254 protesters and dismantled the encampment. A CalMatters analysis of video from the sweep at UCLA found 25 instances of police brandishing “less-lethal weapons” in students’ faces.

After being injured by police during the sweep, Doyle was among the students and faculty members taken in packed prison buses to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. He has been charged with trespassing, though he and his lawyer believe the charges will be dropped.“(The encounter with counterprotestors) was such a heinous assault and nobody got arrested. Then, the very next day, 200 people who acted peacefully were arrested,” he said. “It’s a hard pill to swallow that the administration is predisposed to dislike us.”

Last: Groups of pro-Palestinian protesters gather at an entrance to their encampment at UCLA on the late evening of May 1, 2024. Law enforcement would eventually clear the encampment on the morning of May 2, 2024. Photo by Ted Soqui, CalMatters

Despite the violent apprehension of students at UCLA, two more UCs called in law enforcement to clear protest encampments over the following two weeks. Police arrested 64 individuals at UC San Diego’s Price Center on May 6, 40 of whom are students now facing charges including failure to disperse and resisting arrest, as well as suspension from the school. And at UC Irvine, law enforcement cleared the encampment on May 15, leading to 47 arrests including 26 students and two employees.

A fourth-year UC San Diego student who asked to be identified as Jewish but also requested anonymity for fear of academic consequences was arrested for failure to disperse while attempting to secure the encampment after police arrived.

“No one really wanted to be the person who broke rank [in holding the encampment perimeter] because we all believed in what we’re doing,” the student said. “We wouldn’t have done anything different.”

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said in a statement that the arrests were made after multiple orders from police officers to disperse were ignored: “UC San Diego encourages and allows peaceful protests, but this encampment violated campus policy and the law, and grew to pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of the campus community.”

Faculty members at UC San Diego condemned Khosla’s decision to involve law enforcement and are demanding the university reverse suspensions of arrested students.

“We are outraged at what our administration has done here,” said Gary Fields, a communications professor at UC San Diego for 22 years. “I’ve seen a lot of protests, but I’ve never seen anything like what Chancellor Khosla did.”

A University of California campus police officer pushes a pro-Palestinian protester away from a moving San Diego Sheriff’s bus with arrested protesters onboard at UC San Diego on May 6, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Students suspended, banned from campus

The encampment sweeps were not the first crackdown of pro-Palestinian demonstrators on California campuses. As far back as Jan. 23, a group of protesters gathered outside Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Recreation Center as the university hosted a career fair inside that included military-defense company Lockheed Martin. Eight people were arrested, including three students and one faculty member.

One of the students arrested, who asked to remain anonymous due to the ongoing case, said they were also suspended for two academic quarters due to their participation. The student was supposed to graduate this spring. However, the suspension includes a ban from campus events.

“I thought they were rooting for us but I was really proved wrong there and they’re not looking out for our well-being at all,” the student said.

Other universities have also opted to enforce strict academic consequences. They have handed out suspensions, academic probations and event bans, though most schools will not disclose how many students have been disciplined.

After Stanford students established a second encampment on April 25 following a previous 120-day sit-in that ended in a deal with campus administrators, the university is taking a punitive approach to overnight protests. Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez sent a letter to about 60 students at the encampment saying they would be referred for disciplinary action for violating university policy, and that they could be arrested. They also announced that any student groups helping to maintain the encampment would also face disciplinary actions.

The university has already put an unknown number of students on academic probation, mandated community service hours and taken away university-funded fellowships for violating policies. The protesters risk losing campus jobs and university-sponsored internships.

“I get a lot of fellowship money from Stanford. I get a lot of medical support from Stanford. Being on academic probation is something I’m really, really scared of, just because I know those things would probably be in jeopardy,” said a student at the encampment, who requested anonymity due to fear of academic and professional retaliation.

USC suspended at least 29 students who participated in the protest, according to the student group Divest from Death Coalition, which has been collecting suspension letters.

“They were suspended for bringing items onto campus with the intent to use those items for the construction of the encampment,” said Jess, a doctoral candidate and member of the coalition who asked to be identified by her first name only for fear of repercussions.

Additionally, USC canceled its mainstage commencement ceremony due to the lack of security provisions for the expected 65,000 attendees.

In response to a growing encampment at Cal Poly Humboldt, the university shut down completely at the end of April and shifted classes online for the remainder of the semester.

According to Humboldt’s Communication Specialist Iridian Casarez, the university suspended 77 students related to protest activities. The suspension notice cited the alleged destruction of property, trespassing, resisting arrest, and obstruction of pedestrian traffic. Environmental studies major Stella Baumstone was among those, and said her initial concern was whether she’d be receiving her diploma. She knows of one student who lost a campus job due to the suspension and has been struggling to pay rent.

“It’s hard to see what they’re doing is having real material harm for people,” Baumstone said.

On April 30, 40 protesters were arrested when they refused law enforcement’s request to disperse and instead barricaded a building. Charges ranged from unlawful assembly and vandalism to conspiracy.

First: Pro-Palestinian protesters demand police officers leave campus during a protest outside of Siemens Hall at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata on April 22, 2024. Last: A pro-Palestinian supporter leads a chant during a protest at Cal Poly Humboldt on April 22, 2024. Photos by Mark McKenna for CalMatters

People gather after demonstrators took over Siemens Hall at Cal Poly Humboldt during a pro-Palestinian protest in Arcata on April 22, 2024. Photo by Mark McKenna for CalMatters

Rouhollah Aghasaleh, an assistant education professor, was the only faculty member arrested that day. The professor received a two-month suspension from the university and is barred from going to campus, attending university events including online, and contacting students.

“They are using a similar template for faculty suspension as if for a faculty member under investigation for a Title IX case,” Aghasaleh said. “I don’t think I’m dangerous for my students. My students also don’t think I’m dangerous for them.”

Faculty consequences are muddled on some campuses. John Branstetter, a political science lecturer at UCLA, was arrested after standing between students and police during the raid, trying to quell violence. He said the university has not promised to review “everybody who was caught up in it and apply the rules of the (employment manual) to us, although it’s not clear to me what those are.” He added he is particularly vulnerable as a non-tenured faculty member.

Students and faculty at UCLA have yet to face academic consequences for their participation in the encampment. Both Doyle and Branstetter believe the university will likely not follow through with suspensions or punishment. However, UCLA did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

On May 20, a rolling strike began at UC Santa Cruz when graduate students and other academic workers represented by United Auto Workers 4811 were the first to walk off the job. Strikes at UCLA and UC Davis are planned to begin May 28, adding to the work stoppage. That would mean roughly a third of the UC system’s graduate workers – who teach and grade a large portion of the undergraduates – will be withholding their labor.

The union demands that the UC drop disciplinary charges against some graduate workers who were arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the past month. The UC calls the strike illegal, which the union disputes, and argues that it cannot change disciplinary rules just for graduate workers. The union argues these disciplinary rules are new and unilaterally change their working conditions, which they say is a violation of labor law.

Faculty and students at several universities have also held additional protests calling for district attorney offices to drop charges and for campus officials to offer academic amnesty for those they say expressed their right to speech and assembly.

And protesters continue to block public spaces and buildings, leading to further law enforcement action. On May 23 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a group blocked a main entrance to campus while chanting for a “free Palestine.” Eight people were arrested, including four students and one faculty member, for “unlawful assembly, willfully obstructing a street or sidewalk and resisting arrest,” according to university spokesperson Matt Lazier. The Cal Poly Police Department has temporarily banned those arrested from campus.

Meanwhile, also in the morning of May 23, at UCLA, a group of a few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters erected a short-lived encampment that cleared out once officers arrived. In the afternoon, a larger group of about 200 occupied Dodd Hall, a classroom space, using their bodies to block doorways and stopped students of at least one class from entering.

Fourth-year student Ricky Ramirez, who was trying to attend his 5 p.m. sociology class, said he was sympathetic to the protesters and had joined previous pro-Palestinian rallies at campus. “I understand why it’s happening,” he said. “I wish the school would inform us more and keep us up-to-date.”

After witnessing several campus security guards grab and then push a student who was standing outside a back door of Dodd Hall, Ramirez said, “It’s really scary, honestly. I feel like it could just happen to me and I’m just trying to get into class.”

University police officers cleared out the students by about 5:30 p.m. It did not appear that any arrests were made.

Kenza K., a third-year UCLA undergraduate student who identified herself as a spokesperson for the student protesters, said the day’s actions were a test to see if students were just as mobilized as they were three weeks ago. And, according to her, they were. Their goal was not to get arrested, she added, “though students are willing to take a lot of risk because they believe that they’re not doing anything wrong.”

Some campuses turn to peacemaking

Some universities have been able to avoid police intervention and come to agreements with pro-Palestinian protesters. Most of these deals include provisions that would make investments by universities more transparent and bring recognition to Palestinian losses. Encampments have cleared following negotiations at San Francisco State, Sacramento State, Sonoma State, UC Riverside, UC Berkeley and Chapman University.

Various movements in solidarity with Gaza joined the “Free Palestine Camp” demonstration outside of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley on April 23, 2024. Photo by Manuel Orbegozo for CalMatters

Sacramento State President Luke Wood said there would be full transparency for the university’s investments following the protests. Sonoma State’s president Mike Lee promised the same but added one caveat. Without prior approval by Cal State Chancellor Mildred Garcia, Lee agreed to cut ties with student and faculty exchange programs in Israel. After Garcia placed him on administrative leave for insubordination, Lee announced he would retire, leaving the deal in limbo and student activists in the Cal State system calling for Garcia’s resignation.

In stark contrast to the other three UC campuses, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said she’d be reevaluating whether the university’s investments align with the UN Principles for Responsible Investment — which prohibits investment in companies who are threatening any public safety — and that she’d call for a ceasefire in support of Palestinian and Jewish lives. UC Riverside has agreed to consider investment strategies that direct money away from weapons manufacturers.

“This is a step forward for our community,” said a statement by the group Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Riverside. “However, our work is not done. Innocent people are STILL dying, enduring displacement, and suffering. This is not a victory and, more importantly, this is not defeat.”

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Sergio Olmos contributed to this story. Buchanan, Chkarboul, Iyer, Mendez-Padilla, Munis, Portillo, Rios, Wilson and Wu are fellows with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

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