When pro-Palestinian protesters built camps on two of Los Angeles’ most prominent university campuses last year, the week-long demonstration ended with dozens of arrests at USC, with hundreds more at UCLA suffering violent attacks by losers.
Law enforcement officials have pledged to act promptly against those who broke the law. However, at the end of last month, I was in Los Angeles. Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto announced that of the nearly 350 people arrested, only two will face criminal charges from her office.
The decision not to claim all of Feldstein Soto’s case rekindled debate about how the protests were handled, leaving campus officials wondering whether future agitators would encourage them.
Dramatic scenes on both campuses, Jewish groups and the Trump administration accused USC and UCLA of tolerating anti-Semitism, and Jewish individuals sued UCLA and Palestinian groups. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters have sued UCLA three times, claiming they were unable to protect them from the violent mob who attacked the camp last May.
In accusing only two suspects, the city’s lawyers frustrated campus officials, law enforcement leaders and demonstrators who were on the other side of the skirmish line for various reasons last year.
A spokesman for Feldstein Soto did not answer questions about these allegations. In a previous statement on the charges, Feldstein Soto thanked the office’s prosecutors for his “devotion to the rule of law and his commitment to objectively assessing the evidence and introductions received on each of these issues.”
Most serious violent crimes are dealt with by the LA County District Attorney’s Office and few charges have been referred to city counsel for review.
Feldstein Soto refused to accuse the 338 protesters arrested by Los Angeles and the University of California police of the 338 protesters arrested on both campuses on suspicion of dispersing, trespassing and failing conspiracy for trespassing.
In a statement issued last month, her office said it rejected most of these cases due to lack of evidence or because the university showed its “unable to support the identification or other information necessary for prosecution.”
Her office reviewed nine other cases accused of resisting arrest, obstruction, peace, battery, vandalism and attacks with deadly weapons. Four of these cases caused no charges, and three were referred to a city counsel hearing. Essentially it is a detour process that often ends without filing a request.
As a result, two men faced misdemeanor crimes, both of which were linked to violence near UCLA.
The case at the heart of the lawsuit unfolded days after complaints from some UCLA faculty and students that protest camps blocked free movements on campus, leading to harassment of Jewish students. On the night of May 1st, 2024, a group of pro-Israel demonstrators attacked, causing mayhem.
Dozens of people were involved in the violent incident, and the video showed attackers dragging pro-Palestinian protesters to the ground, begging people with weapons, throwing items at camps, and in some cases scattering journalists in their faces.
Although several people were involved in the violence, Feldsteinsoto only charged Edan, 19, who is believed to be in Israel.
It was first identified last year by CNN. Multiple videos showed him in a white hoodie, showing a face mask shaking the pipe wildly with a demonstrator.
University police initially asked the LA County District Attorney’s Office to file a felony charge, but prosecutors declined, citing his age, minimal injuries suffered by the victim and lack of a criminal history. Still, the prosecutor introduced his case to Feldstein Soto on a misdemeanor charge.
Feldstein Soto was charged with a battery last month and displayed a deadly weapon, records show. He is scheduled for court in late May. Ong’s lawyer declined to comment.
Last month, independent journalist Eric Levi released photos aimed at showing him standing outside the Israeli Defence Force recruitment centre near Tel Aviv. Levi also highlighted Tiktok’s post and is said to have shown him from Ong with IDF fatigue.
A spokesman for the city’s attorney’s office did not answer questions about On’s whereabouts. The IDF did not respond to multiple inquiries. Ong’s lawyer declined to comment on the matter. Last year, the judge petitioned the judge to return the Israeli passport seized after his arrest, according to court records. His lawyers argued in a court application that it was not a flight risk.
The second defendant, 31-year-old Matthew Katz, was charged on April 30, 2024 in a battery, false imprisonment and resistance lawsuit related to conduct near UCLA, records show.
Attorney Sabrina Darwish denied allegations against Katz, who described her as a “peaceful participant” who demonstrated support from the Palestinians. Darwish said in an email to the Times that the charges “have no both legal merit and evidence support.”
“Katz is the only protester charged from a pro-Palestinian camp, leading to more than 200 arrests last year,” Darwish said. “The decision to prosecute appears to have been affected by more general pressure than the rule of law.”
Palestinian protesters say Feldstein Soto has failed to hold the group accountable for attacking the UCLA camp. The lawsuit filed in March against UCLA and the police agency identifies 20 more individuals allegedly responsible for the violence.
“There is overwhelming evidence of over four hours of assault and battery against these children,” said a UCLA camp demonstrator who asked to be identified only as “Hugie” for fear of retaliation. “The city sat down and watched these people being attacked brutally.”
One person accused of attacking the camp was charged with a felony last year by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Court records show that prosecutors accused Malachi Maranlibrett of attacking him with deadly weapons and increased hate crimes. A spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on why the prosecutor pursued the hate crime. Marlanlibrett’s attorney did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Another man, Noel Padilla, was charged with arrest and resisting battery, records show. Both men will return to court this week. It was not clear which side of the collision padilla was continuing. Natalin Daldarian, a spokesperson for the LA County Public Defence Counsel’s Office, said Padilla was allowed to divert the forward deflection but refused to further comment.
The dig shaming follows Feldstein Soto’s claim that the charges must be dismissed in hundreds of other cases because it “cannot help with failure or identification” of campus officials.
The union head, representing UCLA police department officials, accused Feldsteinsoto of attacking Feldsteinsoto’s claims as “false” and refusing to request “political reasons.”
Union official Wade Stern noted that campus police presented similar evidence to protesters at UC Irvine last year, urging Orange County prosecutors to file dozens of misdemeanor charges for their failed dissolution.
UC Regent Jaisles said he was briefed on the information that police had submitted to the city, accusing Feldsteinsoto of ignoring evidence that clearly identifies people suspected of misconduct.
“She issued a blanket layoff,” Suress said. He called the decision “a “tragedy of justice” sending a “bad message” to her law enforcement partner.
Spokesman Ivor Pine said the city’s attorneys’ office had “full cooperation based on information available from UCPD.
Pine said the incident was presented “without sufficient information to establish an element of crime with regard to an individual.”
Judea Pearl, an American UCLA computer professor and Israeli voice supporter, said the decision “telling students that these actions that have broken the law and university rules have no consequences and they can make it again.”
“It’s going to burn them,” Pearl said.
For years, city law firms rarely indict protesters for failing other non-violent crimes related to constitutionally protected demonstrations. This is the case for most arrests following President Trump’s first election victory in 2016, George Floyd’s police murder in 2020, and the raucous celebration after the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series victory.
However, last year Feldsteinsoto took a more aggressive stance and filed obstruction charges against 31 Jewish demonstrators who blocked parts of the 110 Expressway while sought a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Attorney Colleen Flynn, who represents these protesters, called the case a “obvious exception” to the standard charging policy and presented bias against “people protesting against Palestine.”
City lawyers also elicited concerns from LAPD officials last year when she personally lobbyed for the arrest of a prominent leftist activists who allegedly involved in destroying the American Israeli Public Affairs Commission’s President Brentwood’s home.
Detectives said the video evidence was not clearly shown to activists, Rich Sergienko, city councillors of people committing crimes.
Organizers of last year’s campus protests said their goal was to persuade university leaders to sell donations of connections with arms companies that support Israeli war efforts. The camp featured many Jewish members, but also faced criticism from the Jewish community. The Jewish community said they were anti-Semitic and Israeli demons.
More than 52,000 Gazaans were killed during Israel’s military campaign, according to Hamas’ Ministry of Health. Hamas-led extremists were attacked in southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 mainly civilians and took about 250 hostages on October 7, 2023, causing the latest conflict.
The moment the Trump administration targeted pro-Palestinian protesters on university campuses, some praised Feldsteinsoto’s decision to not raise accusations in all but two cases, as a victory for the First Amendment.
Most of those detained last year were Amelia Jones, professor, associate dean and associate dean of USC’s Roski School of Art and Design, written in a statement to The Times.
“As a student and someone who participated in a completely peaceful protest almost every day, I am excited that this issue has been resolved and that freedom of speech has been ratified,” Jones said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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