14 Occupy UCLA protesters arrested, Wilson Plaza cleared in early morning shutdown
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 18, 2011 8:01 a.m.
Police arrested 14 people participating in the Occupy UCLA campout in Wilson Plaza while clearing the plaza early this morning.
The protesters were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and failure to disperse, a university spokesman said.
[Updated at 12:40 a.m. Thirteen were UCLA students and one was a UCLA alumnus, university police said. All were cited and released at about 11 a.m. this morning. ]
Around 5 a.m. about 60 police officers circled the camp of about 30 tents, which had been set up the previous day. Beginning at 5:18 a.m., police told the crowd of about 65 students the encampment was unlawful and gave them five minutes to peacefully disperse.
Most of the protesters took down their tents and left the area, but about 14 people remained in the center of the encampment linking arms around the last pitched tent.
At about 5:30 a.m. police began arresting the protestors who refused to leave. Those who were arrested did not resist.
The other protesters moved beyond the police barrier but continued to chant while arrests were being made.
The police officers dispatched to the scene included 10 from exterior agencies, including the Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills and UC Irvine police departments.
Protesters plan to reconvene at noon today to plan their next move, said Cheryl Deutsch, a graduate student in urban planning and president of the United Auto Workers Local 2865 chapter, a union that represents graduate students, who helped organize the protest.
University administrators were at the scene throughout the night and were in contact with the protesters, said UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton.
The students were warned of university codes they were violating and were told the police would take necessary action, Hampton said.
Compiled by James Barragan and Brendan Jackson, Bruin senior staff.
