By Brad Butterfield
The university-led police response to the pro-Palestinian protest on April 22 was unnecessary and operational planning was “regrettably deficient,” according to an independent review by the OIR Group, a police oversight and review firm. A week later, hundreds of California law enforcement officers marched onto Cal Poly Humboldt’s quad in an impressive stamp of authority. Public records show that on April 29 and 30 alone, law enforcement labor, catering, and lodging cost the university at least $475,872. In total, the week-long protest cost the university $2.9 million, according to the university’s news and information department. Adding to the protest response’s dramatic expenditures was a six-figure bill for unarmed private security who patrolled campus for 12 days in May following the protest’s conclusion.
Pandemonium at Siemens Hall, April 22
The ‘open occupation,’ as described by some original protesters, of Siemens Hall on April 22 devolved rapidly into total chaos by dusk. Before the sun had set that day, several students were arrested as tensions flared between law enforcement and the protest group. By 9 p.m., the protest group had grown considerably, but so had law enforcement’s numbers. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) was the first outside department to provide tactical support to the University Police Department (UPD). They were soon joined by 15 Arcata Police Department (APD) officers and 18 Eureka Police Department (EPD) officers, according to public records. At 10:40 p.m., after nearly six hours of failed efforts to gain control of the protest, law enforcement left the quad to a chorus of protesters shouting, “Cops go home.” An independent review by the OIR Group, commissioned by the city of Eureka, found that “operational planning was regrettably deficient,” and said that there was, “no urgent need for law enforcement intervention,” on April 22. The university’s new interim president, Michael Spagna, said in a recent school-wide email that the university is conducting its own review of the police response, which will be facilitated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Law enforcement, by the hundreds
After the protest’s dramatic opening night, an occupation of Siemens Hall began and barricades were constructed at entrance and exit points of the quad. Then, on the evening of April 29, hundreds of protesters braced for impact as Interim Police Chief Peter Cress’ dispersal order warning of the potential for kinetic projectiles and/or chemical agents echoed throughout campus. The message rang from 10 p.m. until the early hours of the morning. Around 3 a.m., hundreds of police in riot gear marched on campus, taking back control of the quad.
Of the six documented law enforcement agencies that provided tactical support on April 29 and 30, the most costly was the California Highway Patrol (CHP), whose bill totaled $266,255. HCSO’s tactical support totalled $39,471. The APD sent only six officers, costing the university $2,023 (assuming no benefits associated with the overtime pay). The Eureka Police Department (EPD) sent 11 officers who received a combined 75.75 hours of overtime pay in cash. EPD did not provide the hourly overtime rate of pay per officer and did not respond when asked. Lastly, the San Francisco Police Department’s bill totaled $70,684. “Thank you for your business,” the 42-page SFPD’s bill concluded.
Public records detailing the UPD expenses during the protest were requested on May 1 but have not yet been released.
An itemized breakdown of all costs associated with the protest and its response, provided by the university’s Director of News & Information Aileen Yoo, quotes $267,000 for the CSU Critical Response Unit & Mutual Assistance, while UPD operations are quoted at $45,500.
In total, according to Yoo’s itemized list of expenses, law enforcement costs totaled $1,248,500 during the protest.
Cress, Chief of Staff Mark Johnson, Chancellor Mildred Garcia, and Governor Gavin Newsom were contacted for an interview for this article. None granted one.
All expenses paid
Mobilizing hundreds of law enforcement officers from across northern California is the beginning of a large bill. According to the SFPD bill, obtained through public records, food, lodging, and fuel costs were covered by the university. In total, lodging for the legions of out-of-county officers cost the university $59,526 spread between eight hotels across Humboldt County. The university has not yet fulfilled a May 1 public records request for gas compensation costs during the protest.
Business was booming for Humboldt Dining during the week of the protest. From April 26 to May 1, the university spent $56,339 on catering, according to public records. This included $4,819 in Emergency Operations Center (EOC) meals and beverages. The April 29 and 30 alone cost the university $37,913 in catering expenses. In fact, a single work order dated April 30 totals $13,185 for 125 breakfasts, 150 lunches, and 175 dinners.
Punctuating the exorbitant spending surrounding the protest was a $203,730 charge for unarmed security for 12 days in May, through a private security firm called AX9 based out of the Bay Area, according to public records.
Footin’ the bill
The university estimates the total financial impact at $2.9 million, but expects the number to grow as repairs continue, according to Yoo.
“That cost includes approximately $1.6 million in physical damage to the campus, in addition to emergency operations,” Yoo said.
Work orders detailing repair work done to Siemens and Nelson Halls since the protest were requested in August, but have not yet been released by the university.
Additionally, emergency, admin & overtime pay is quoted at $198,741, according to Yoo. The university claims $60,091 in revenue losses, $80,000 in call center expenses, and another $71,112 in additional costs for the off-campus commencement ceremonies.
According to Yoo, the university is in the claims process to determine which costs will be covered through insurance and which will be the university’s costs to bear.
Following the protest, Cress resigned from the UPD, as did Tom Jackson Jr from his presidency. Jackson’s resignation, according to the university, had been planned since spring. His resignation was described as a, “transition,” by the university, as he’s now a tenured faculty member. Johnson, who’d been a key decision-maker during the protest, was appointed as interim vice president for university advancement — in addition to his role as chief of staff.
The financial spectacle generated by administrative decisions has frustrated and confused many in the campus community.
“If it was a business, a truly cut-throat corporation, all of those administrators would be fired because of the cost to the taxpayers for their poor decisions,” said Tony Silvaggio, Interim California Faculty Association President. “They took that extreme measure for something that wasn’t extreme.”
This article is the first of a three-part protest follow-up series.
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