DAVIS, Calif. — A Davis man filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Davis, and its top officials over a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus.
The camp was established on May 6 in the quad near the Memorial Union by UC Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine, or UCD PULP. The group listed its demands, including for the university to divest in Israel and the war in Gaza. And Tuesday marks day 15 for the encampment.
Jonathan Groveman filed the lawsuit on May 17 in connection to the university's handling of the encampment, including access to campus.
"Plaintiff cannot access any part of the campus as all students and members of the community should, now that the Quad and main artery of campus access is cut off by the Encampment," the lawsuit said.
In the lawsuit, Grovemen said the university violated his First and 14th Amendment rights. The lawsuit also said Groveman is Jewish.
In the lawsuit, Groveman said he is a veteran and goes to the university regularly for various activities. While trying to cross the quad on May 7, he was told to go around the encampment, which he couldn't do due to a disability, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also said Groveman was hit twice in the face with an umbrella.
This is a statement he sent to ABC10:
“It is my right to counterprotest the UCD encampment. And it is my right to do this on protected ADA footpaths and spaces as a disabled U.S. military veteran. But the university giving consent to the university encampment to block the ADA footpaths and set up barriers against me violates my rights as both a disabled veteran and Jewish person.
Additionally, it is not just a matter of singularly closing the ADA footpath, it is university-accepted aggression near and around the encampment that makes it unsafe for disabled veterans like myself.”
However, Hannah Zeltzer, a liaison with the encampment, said the group feels this lawsuit is meant to keep them from talking about their demands.
"When we learned of this lawsuit, we thought it was just 'lawfare.' It was a distraction from our demands. Accessibility is obviously really important and those with accessibility needs are welcomed to go through the camp as they need to," said Zeltzer.
Standford McConnehey, another liaison with the encampment said this move could also be used as a tactic to come into the encampment and take photos or incite violence.
"To my knowledge this individual, I don't believe this individual approached the camp and said, 'Hey, I have a legitimate access need, that I need to use this sidewalk cutting through the center of the quad.' If that happens, that person would be allowed through, especially if they're on crutches or wheelchairs," said McConnehey.
Several UC Davis administrators were named in the lawsuit including UC Chancellor Gary May and UC President Michael Drake.
"Allowing extremists to seize control of the center of the UC Davis campus has turned a premier university into a place that excludes Jews and the disabled from a place they call home," Groveman's attorney David Rosenberg-Wohl said in a statement. "Rather than showing leadership to preserve a place of debate and learning, the administrators of UC Davis have shown appalling disdain for everyone but the loud and angry few and have abandoned their responsibility to the community at large."
The university released a statement in response to the lawsuit, which can be viewed below.
"UC Davis is committed to a safe and peaceful campus environment that respects our community's right to free expression while maintaining our educational and research mission without disruption. When the university receives a complaint of denial of reasonable accommodation, antisemitism or other offensive behavior, it immediately reaches out to the affected parties to provide support and resources, and reviews the allegations under the university's anti-discrimination policy."
McConnehey said, at this point, they plan on leaving it up to the university to address the lawsuit.
"I have faith that the university's campus council is going to respond to the lawsuit as necessary, and it really doesn't have anything to do with us. We're not state actors in this respect, so we're really focused on negotiations," said McConnehey.
The lawsuit isn't the only effect of the encampments at UC campuses.
Hundreds of University of California workers walked off the job Monday after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union voted to strike last week. Their decision was a response to the UC administration's response to the pro-Palestine encampments on UC campuses statewide.
The large police response to protests on campuses like the University of California, Los Angeles has union members at UC Davis concerned a similar response could happen at their school.
The walk-off comes as the union representing more than 250 police officers within the UC system, including Davis and Los Angeles, is maintaining their stance that they've been wronged by the UC administration.
Israel–Hamas war
The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250 others. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
The war in Gaza has driven around 80% of the territory's population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction to apartments, hospitals, mosques and schools across several cities. The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
Watch more on ABC10 | College Campus Protests: Pro-Palestinian encampment established at UC Davis
