Abandoned 'Gaza solidarity encampments' at American colleges are now ... trends now
Campus crews have been left to clean up abandoned Gaza encampments at U.S. colleges after police broke up protests and arrested demonstrators who left their litter behind.
Over 200 protesters were arrested and one officer was injured after a tense standoff between anti-Israel protesters and police at UCLA on Thursday morning.
Police ripped apart tents and umbrellas being used as shields, while those detained left behind posters and camping supplies.
The front of Royce Hall and Powell Library was covered in graffiti and leftover supplies were sprawled along the area including batteries, flashlights, food and plywood.
'UCLA facilities teams are now in the process of taking down structures and cleaning up the quad, and we ask that students, staff and faculty continue to avoid the area,' the university said.
UCLA crews use a bulldozer to remove the remnants of the Gaza encampment
Workers from UCLA strategically clearing out the encampment, sorting out items of value from the garbage
Police walk by as people work to clean garbage left by anti-Israel protesters at UCLA
Tents and trash are left behind at the site of a pro-Palestinian encampment
The front of Royce Hall and Powell Library was covered in graffiti and garbage
Piles of trash build up as crews work to clean up the UCLA Gaza encampment
Classes on Thursday and Friday are being held remotely, while crews from the university worked to clean up the mess.
All campus employees were 'encouraged to work remotely wherever possible.'
Video taken by SkyFOX showed workers from UCLA strategically clearing out the encampment and sorting out items of value from the garbage.
Objects, including water bottles, were thrown at officers according to a CHP spokesperson.
Campus police are present while crews operate bulldozers to remove the remnants of the broken down encampment.
There have been at least 2,138 arrests from at least 60 colleges and institution across the country, according to an NBC News tally.
Portland police have arrested at least 12 people at Portland State University where people barricaded themselves inside the library on Thursday.
Photos show broken ceilings and graffiti inside and outside of the library. Barricades made of soccer goal posts, overturned tables, chairs and other items continued to obstruct the library entrance, and walls inside have been spray-painted with graffiti.
'We have found caches of tools, what appears to be improvised weapons, ball bearings, paint balloons, spray bottles of ink, and DIY armor,' said the Portland Police Bureau.
The nationwide campus demonstrations began at Columbia on April 17 to protest Israel´s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250
