By: Anthony Orrico and Jd Preslicka
Pro-Palestine protesters blocked the pathway leading from the College of Business to the Brotman Hall courtyard, as well as the entrance from the GO BEACH sign. Metal chairs, tables and umbrellas around the fountain were used to barricade the path.
The event organizers were La F.U.E.R.Z.A, Faculty for Justice in Palestine at CSULB (FJP), Students for Justice in Palestine at CSULB (SJP) and California Faculty Association (CFA). On Thursday morning, they began marching around 11 a.m. from the upper campus quad down to Brotman Hall, finalizing their blockade surrounding the fountain.
The protesters chanted and sang while carrying signs reading “Americans Struggle, Israel Gets Billions” and “CSULB Will Not Be Complicit in Genocide.” Near the front wall of Brotman Hall, protesters made additional, larger signs.
Despite paths being blocked for the first hour of the protest, an alternate pathway for students remained available. Throughout the day, protesters were urged by organizers to abide by the demonstration guidelines.
Student protesters from several activist organizations marched in support of Palestine, including La F.U.E.R.Z.A and Students for Justice in Palestine at CSULB. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
On the northeast side of the blockade, CFA members held signs supplied by OC Banner Drop 4 Palestine. Two signs, which were held by six individuals, read, “We condemn scholasticide, Israel destroyed all of Gaza’s universities” and “End Israeli occupation, save Gaza.”
Organizers, including CFA members, directed traffic on each side of the blockade. In addition to CFA faculty members, CSULB professors attended in support of the protest.
“This country has two different traditions. One tradition is one of war, of violence, of settler colonialism and the other tradition is of people resisting those things, and advocating for a different type of society, a different type of politics. I believe that is part of that tradition,” said Yousef Baker, a professor of international studies at CSULB.
Most protesters refused to speak with the press, directing any inquiries to their media liaison Luis Ortiz, a member of La F.U.E.R.Z.A.
“The university system invests $1 billion into companies that invest in Israel, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, people that are profiting off the genocide. So, as students, we have a responsibility to make sure that our tuition dollars or tax money is going in the correct ways. We do not want our money to go towards the genocide of Palestinians, or the genocide of people abroad,” Ortiz said.
Protesters were supplied with food, water and additional face coverings at a booth near the back wall of the courtyard. Hospitality supplied the food and drinks, while monetary donations were encouraged. It was unclear what groups specifically were taking these donations, only identifying themselves as “hospitality.”
Near the blockade entrance next to the GO BEACH sign, members of Beach Hillel spoke to a pro-Palestine protester while holding small Israeli flags and an American flag. The group remained for around an hour.
Not all non-protesting students were indifferent to the protest. One student became agitated with the blocked pathway, with another grabbing a chair and throwing it to the side of the walkway.
Students chanted, carried signs and marched from the quad to Brotman Hall to the Walter Pyramid, demanding the university divest from companies doing business with Israel. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
Some students became frustrated with the nature of the protest and its potential to inconvenience students attempting to get to class.
“It’s fucking ridiculous. Make it peaceful, do what you got to do. But why are you barricading students from being able to walk to their classes?” CSULB student Faith Power said. “And I think it’s sad that certain people can’t even walk with their graduation now because of certain things. And I just yeah, this is just kind of blown out of proportion. We’re not even in the fucking country that this happening.”
Other students were openly opposed to the protesters’ message in general and voiced their feelings.
“You see a lot of these chants of ‘river to the sea.’ And maybe some students may not even know what the meaning behind it is. But there’s a notion behind it. That is genocide,” Adam Franco, another CSULB student, said.
Around 5 p.m., protesters cleaned up trash and attached posters and banners to the outside of Brotman Hall. One banner hung directly in the entrance of Brotman Hall read “Refaat Alareer Hall,” in reference to the late Palestinian professor killed in Gaza last December. Protesters then made their way to the Walter Pyramid. A few protesters, including those who wore safety vests and CFA shirts, stayed behind to rearrange the tables, chairs and umbrellas to their original position and remove the temporary wooden planks.
The Walter Pyramid was hosting the semifinals of NCAA men’s volleyball tournament, which included UCLA vs UC Irvine and Grand Canyon University vs CSULB, at the time of the protest.
UPD and Walter Pyramid security guards instructed ticket holders to bypass the main entrance to the pyramid blocked by protesters and use the blue ramp entrance next to the Pyramid parking structure. Fans leaving the Pyramid were told after the conclusion of the UCLA vs UC Irvine game to leave through the exit of the Pyramid adjacent to E. Atherton Street.
Upon arriving at the Walter Pyramid, protesters walked up the steps and held up the large banners made during an earlier portion of the protest. Members of La F.U.E.R.Z.A spoke to the crowd from in front of the Pyramid steps.
Associated Students, Inc. President Mitali Jain was present for a portion of the protest but declined to comment.
CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said in a statement to the Daily Forty-Niner after the protest, “Over these past several months as we’ve grappled with the tragedy of the Israel-Hamas conflict, we have embraced and defended the role of this institution as a place to discuss, debate and at times use of protest as a form of constitutionally protected expression. Our utmost goal has been to ensure the safety of this campus community and promote an environment of civility and mutual respect.”
On the side of the Walter Pyramid across from the softball field, Long Beach Police Department officers were seen wearing riot gear but did not engage with protesters. Shortly after 6:50 p.m., the remaining protesters walked back to Brotman Hall.
The protest was scheduled to end at 7 p.m. and many of the protesters dispersed by then. The organizers said they did not have the resources to support a full encampment like the ones at University of California, Irvine, University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles.
This article was edited on May 3, 2024 with additional information.