UCLA Faculty, Staff Demand Chancellor’s Resignation

More than 800 members of the University of California, Los Angeles, faculty and staff are calling for the resignation of Chancellor Dr. Gene D. Block.

The call is one of three demands the group made of the administration, during a May 9 rally amid antiwar protests.

Dr. Gene D. Block.The group claimed that, on April 30, “UCLA administration and LAPD stood by as students were brutally attacked for over four hours by outside agitators.” The following day, the group of 1,093 faculty and staff members from across the University of California system released a letter the chancellor decrying his administration's failure to protect faculty, staff, and peacefully protesting students. The statement is among dozens from UCLA departments, institutes, and affiliate groups condemning the administration's actions.

The group also demanded that 1.) all legal charges be dropped and grant full amnesty to all students, staff, and faculty who were involved in the encampment and peaceful protest, and 2.) full disclosure of all UCLA investments, within 30 days, and divestment from military weapons companies.

Block said he would launch an investigation immediately following the events of April 30.

“[Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Safety Officer Rick Braziel] and I have directed UCPD to invest whatever resources are needed to conduct a rapid and thorough investigation into the violent attack,” Block wrote in a campus update regarding April 30 unrest following protests at UCLA.

“Our new Office of Campus Safety — under AVC Braziel’s leadership — is also conducting a careful review of UCPD’s response to the Tuesday night attack,” he added. “In addition, we are conducting an analysis of UCLA’s security protocols and a broader assessment of all acts of violence over the last 12 days, including those against counter-protestors. AVC Braziel’s office will create a plan that puts in place key learnings and additional means of protecting the well-being of everyone on our campus.”