At April’s board of trustees meeting, students from different areas, including Los Angeles Community College and Long Beach community members, gathered at the event to protest LBCC’s investment choices.
The protesters took to the stand during public comments and voiced their anger and concerns with the schools investing, asking for a divest of funds in a petition they claim was signed by 300 members of the community.
“We the students, staff, faculty, and community of Long Beach City College, call on you to divest all worker benefit funds from BlackRock,” said one of the protestors who took to the stand.
According to The People’s Forum, an activist informational group, BlackRock is a New York City-based investment company that invests in companies that actively make weapons for Israel.
In the annual report of July 2023, BlackRock was listed among the many companies that LBCC had put money into.
“It’s sh-t like this that makes an actual change in our community,” said one of the onlookers who eventually joined in.
Protesters wore masks to protect their identities out of concern of being harassed or even doxxed, a means of leaking information by online technology, by other community members.
“We’ve seen a pattern of kids on college campuses being doxxed and targeted, we have even shut down an Instagram account targeting supporters in Long Beach,” said one of the protesters.
The protest occurred just hours after the board had passed the Arab-American Heritage Month proposal.
When asked about the claims the board declined to give any comments other than their final statement to the community members who arrived
“It is against protocol for us to comment on what you have stated,” said Board President Vivian Malauulu, “However, it is not against it to comment on the fact that the Long Beach City College Board and our Superintendent-President have always been very supportive of First Amendment rights.”
The board ended the meeting shortly after going into their closed session concluding any more public comments.