The USC gates, erected in January 2013, both implicitly and explicitly delineate who belongs on campus and who does not. This not only creates a physical and symbolic barrier between students and community members, but works against the very values of diversity and inclusion that USC promotes. Instead of embracing the complexities of existing in an urban space, the university has taken extreme measures to keep the South Los Angeles community—and consequently, people of color—out.

These practices have not only heightened racial profiling, but have discouraged students from interacting with their neighbors. The newly constructed gates are detrimental to the historic community relationship USC has been working to build for over 130 years. We, the undersigned students, faculty members and community residents, urge President Nikias, the USC Board of Trustees, and USC’s Senior Administration to remove the fencing from around our campus.