Chaos descended upon Cal- ifornia campuses as many Pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested for setting up camps last spring. Some counter-protesters attacked a UCLA encampment, and police met resistance from the protesters when they took down the encampment according to the CalMatters news article “Hundreds ar- rested and suspended: How California colleges are disci- plining faculty and students over protests.” Some of the protesters had blocked Jew- ish students from accessing areas on the UCLA campus according to the EdSource news article “Federal judge orders UCLA to en- sure equal access to Jewish students following pro-Palestinian protests.”
In response to the chaotic protests on California col- lege campuses last spring, UC campuses are enforcing encampment bans and protest regulations. People on campus ar- en’t allowed to set up camps or structures, block access to areas on campus, refuse to identify themselves, and use masks to hide their identities according to the Berkeleyside article, “Uni- versity of California Bans Encampments, Imposes Protest Rules.” These reg- ulations don’t violate the First Amendment. Universi- ties can enforce reasonable restrictions on when, where, and how people protest with- out any bias for or against certain opinions, according to the Fire article “Campus Encampment Bans Rarely Violate the First Amend- ment.” All of these regula- tions, except for the masking regulation, are fair and nec- essary to maintain a safe and inclusive campus.
Unauthorized encamp- ments or structures can overwork campus security, and make areas on campus harder to access. Not allow- ing people to block others from accessing areas is com- mon sense; denying access to anyone because of their gen- der, race, religion, sexuality, or identity is unacceptable. What happened to the Jew- ish students denied of their right to move freely on cam- pus shouldn’t happen again. People should be able to walk freely around campus with- out encampments or structures blocking their way.
However, the regulation on masking is unnecessary. The campuses already require people to reveal their identi- ty when asked by an official, so banning masks is redun- dant. If an official needs the identity of someone who vi- olated policy, they can simply ask for it instead of penal- izing mask wear- ers. This penalty of masking after violating policy is also discriminatory towards certain people. People with worse immune systems or other health concerns are in more need of masks. Some religions require face cover- ings as well. If someone with these certain health condi- tions and/or religions wants to participate in civil dis- obedience, they will be pe- nalized more severely than those without those health conditions and/or religions. Free speech and assembly rights are fundamental free- doms everyone should have. However, this right should not infringe upon the rights of others. This is especially important in college cam- puses, places for learning and understanding. People should be able to have diffi- cult and diverse discussions, but they should not disrupt the freedom, wellbeing, and education of others.