{
  "id": "2024-06-12-cal-state-la-student-services-occupation",
  "slug": "cal-state-la-student-services-occupation-2024-06-12",
  "institution": {
    "name": "California State University, Los Angeles",
    "shortName": "Cal State LA",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "Cal State LA Emergency Alert"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-06-12",
    "type": "civil-unrest",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Protesters barricade the student services building with dozens of employees inside",
    "headlinePublic": "Protesters barricade the student services building with dozens of employees inside",
    "summary": "On the afternoon of June 12, 2024, [between 50 and 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators barricaded Cal State LA's multistory Student Services Building](https://ktla.com/news/local-news/pro-palestinian-protesters-leave-behind-damaged-building-after-cal-state-la-takeover/) at approximately 4:00 PM PDT, trapping university President Berenecea Johnson Eanes and approximately 58 staff members inside while some employees were directed to shelter in place. Protesters flipped golf carts, copiers, and furniture to create barricades. Most employees escaped by 6:00 PM PDT; a group of administrators remained until after midnight. Most protesters left around 1:15 AM PDT on June 13 and returned to an outdoor encampment. [Cal State LA then issued a 'protest action alert' directing all campus affiliates 'Please do not come to main campus'](https://laist.com/news/classes-move-online-at-cal-state-la-after-protesters-barricade-themselves-in-building) and shifting all operations to remote until further notice.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Early afternoon of June 12, 2024, as protesters barricaded the Student Services Building exterior",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from ABC News and CNN reporting on the June 12, 2024 building occupation; specific shelter-in-place message text not preserved in public archives",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Early morning of June 13, 2024, after protesters vacated the building around 1:15 AM PDT",
      "channel": "website",
      "verbatimText": "Please do not come to main campus.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://laist.com/news/classes-move-online-at-cal-state-la-after-protesters-barricade-themselves-in-building",
      "sourceDescription": "LAist and CBS Los Angeles both quoted this exact text verbatim as Cal State LA's official 'protest action alert' posted to the university's website on June 13, 2024",
      "annotations": [
        "This message appeared on Cal State LA's official website under the designation 'protest action alert', a non-standard notification category distinct from the campus's regular emergency alert system, reflecting the university's choice to treat the situation as a public-safety operational directive rather than a Clery emergency",
        "The 'protest action alert' was paired with an announcement that all classes and campus operations would be held remotely until further notice; the Downtown Los Angeles campus was explicitly excluded and operated on its normal schedule",
        "Cal State LA's campus is located in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles; the June 2024 occupation was among the latest in the spring 2024 Gaza protest wave nationally, occurring six weeks after most other campus encampment clearances"
      ],
      "characterCount": 34
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "June 13, 2024, as Cal State LA administration addressed the campus community following the overnight occupation",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from KTLA 'negotiation with protesters no longer possible' reporting and Times of Israel reporting on the university's post-occupation statement of June 13, 2024",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Pro-Palestinian protesters leave behind damaged building after Cal State LA takeover (KTLA)",
      "url": "https://ktla.com/news/local-news/pro-palestinian-protesters-leave-behind-damaged-building-after-cal-state-la-takeover/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Classes Move Online At Cal State LA After Protesters Barricade Themselves In Building (LAist)",
      "url": "https://laist.com/news/classes-move-online-at-cal-state-la-after-protesters-barricade-themselves-in-building",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Cal State LA protesters enter administration building, staff told to shelter in place (ABC News)",
      "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/US/cal-state-los-angeles-protesters-enter-student-services/story?id=111081600",
      "type": "national-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "CSULA classes will be remote after protesters damage building (CBS Los Angeles)",
      "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/csula-classes-will-be-remote-after-protesters-damage-building/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Pro-Palestinian protesters cleared from California State University, Los Angeles (CNN)",
      "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/13/us/cal-state-palestinian-protests/index.html",
      "type": "national-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Negotiation with protesters 'no longer possible,' Cal State LA says (KTLA)",
      "url": "https://ktla.com/news/local-news/negotiation-with-protesters-no-longer-possible-cal-state-la-says/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "context": "Cal State LA's Student Services Building occupation on June 12, 2024, was one of the last major campus building occupations of the spring 2024 Gaza protest wave, occurring well after most other university encampments had been cleared. Students had maintained a 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' on the Cal State LA campus beginning in May 2024. On June 12, [50 to 100 demonstrators barricaded the Student Services Building](https://ktla.com/news/local-news/pro-palestinian-protesters-leave-behind-damaged-building-after-cal-state-la-takeover/), which houses the university president's office, at approximately 4:00 PM PDT. Protesters overturned golf carts, vending machines, copiers, and furniture to block entrances, and some chained themselves to the main entrance. President Berenecea Johnson Eanes and approximately 58 employees were inside; the university directed employees inside the building to shelter in place. Most employees escaped through other exits by 6:00 PM PDT. A group of administrators remained inside until after midnight to manage the situation. Protesters vacated the building voluntarily around 1:15 AM PDT on June 13 and returned to the outdoor encampment. [Cal State LA then issued a 'protest action alert' on its website](https://laist.com/news/classes-move-online-at-cal-state-la-after-protesters-barricade-themselves-in-building) with the seven-word directive 'Please do not come to main campus,' shifting all classes and campus operations to remote mode. The building sustained extensive property damage. President Johnson Eanes subsequently declared that negotiation with protesters was 'no longer possible.' LAPD monitored the situation throughout but made no arrests during the occupation itself. This case is notable in the archive for its late date in the 2024 protest wave, the personal involvement of the university president, and the extremely terse 'protest action alert' format used to communicate a campus-wide operational shutdown.",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "civil-unrest",
    "building-occupation",
    "student-services-building",
    "shelter-in-place",
    "protest-action-alert",
    "gaza-encampment",
    "remote-operations",
    "lapd",
    "california",
    "east-los-angeles",
    "public-masters"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-31",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}