Requests for new weapons and ammunition by several University of California campus police departments have some students worried about the militarization of their campuses.
The UC Board of Regents will vote Thursday on whether to approve the requests for drones, robots, tear gas, pepper balls, projectile launchers, and sponge bullets by five campuses, including UCLA. After the harsh response to last year’s protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, student groups are concerned about how the weapons will be used.
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UC Student Association President Aditi Hariharan urged the Board of Regents to reject the request, saying the student government would rather see the money spent on helping students with housing, food, and other basic needs.
“We are troubled to see campuses invest money in weapons, rather than student basic needs,” Hariharan said.
In 2023, the UC system spent $79,163 on weapons and ammunition. There are no details on how much this year’s request would cost, but UCLA and UC Berkeley police are asking for significantly more supplies than last year.
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