YOU’VE BEEN WARNED

UCLA Tells LAPD: Don’t Use Our Jackie Robinson Baseball Stadium as Protest ‘Field Jail’ Again

The police department was bringing protesters to Jackie Robinson Stadium for processing.

UCLA has hit out at the Los Angeles Police Department following reports that it used the school’s baseball stadium as a “field jail” for protesters arrested for violating curfew restrictions. The police department was accused of packing protesters into crowded buses and bringing them to Jackie Robinson Stadium for processing. UCLA said in a statement that it had no warning of LAPD’s plans. “We’re troubled by accounts of Jackie Robinson Stadium being used as a “field jail,’” the school said in a statement. “This was done without UCLA’s knowledge or permission. As lessee of the stadium, we informed local agencies that UCLA will NOT grant permission should there be a request like this in the future.” The LAPD acknowledged using the field for suspects arrested during the city's George Floyd protests. “We are no longer using it,” Officer Mike Lopez reportedly said. The stadium is named for Jackie Robinson, the UCLA graduate and Hall of Famer who became the first black player in Major League Baseball.