Dear Campus Community,

In the context of recent, and perhaps continuing, off-campus protests, one of our primary concerns is the campus community’s safety. In this message, we want to provide you with updated information and guidance in the event the unrest persists.

The University of California Police Department (UCPD) received notice that demonstrators plan to hold another rally, which will begin on or very close to campus, around 5 p.m. Given the impact that this may have on surrounding streets, we are recommending that employees leave campus between 4 and 4:30 p.m. so that they can, if they so desire, avoid having their commute impacted by the demonstration.

Given that these demonstrations are being held off-campus, we hope that they will continue to have minimal impact on campus activity, particularly as students prepare for their exams. Thus, we hope to be operating normally tomorrow. However, given the different groups involved and their lack of recognizable leadership to interact with, there is an unavoidable degree of uncertainty. We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and communicate as quickly as we can.

As Chancellor Dirks said in his statement yesterday, we understand that there are many in our community, and across the country, who are deeply distressed about recent decisions in New York and Ferguson, and we fully support their right to have their voices heard. We hope that the anger expressed over the weekend will be channeled into constructive, non-violent action and advocacy that can advance the ongoing fight for justice and equity in our nation.