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The University of California, San Diego, is facing complaints over messages displayed at its Graffiti Art Park, including statements alleged to be antisemitic, anti-trans, and supportive of violence against federal immigration officers, a public records request revealed.
The free-expression area had come under scrutiny after ongoing complaints alleged the park’s messages violated civil rights laws, prompting administrators and student government leaders in late April to examine the allegations to come up with solutions.
Public documents and comments during the review did not state exactly what words or images prompted the complaints alleging violations of Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal funding.
But documents exclusively obtained by The College Fix recently through a public information act request detail the complaints against the park, which was established in 2014 and nestled within a eucalyptus grove near the student center.
It “consists of eight double-sided, plywood canvases, inviting students to paint, draw, write, and express themselves,” according to the university’s website.
The five-page memo, prepared by Gwen Peck, response team coordinator for the university’s Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination, included a summary of some of the controversial messages displayed at the park that prompted complaints in recent years.
They include a February 2026 complaint from a student regarding graffiti stating, “When you see an ICE agent kill them.”
“I feel this might be different from the type of environment our institute is trying to promote and protect, especially in this challenging period,” the student wrote.
The memo also detailed a complaint that same month regarding graffiti stating “Trans Women are not REAL WOMEN!” By the time the complaint was submitted, another person had altered the message, covering the word “not” with a heart.
The student who filed that complaint characterized the original message as “hate speech” and alleged the UCSD Police Department “seemed relatively unconcerned” about the “upsetting hate speech,” asking the OPHD to “expedite [its] removal.”
The memo also includes an October 2025 complaint from a faculty member who raised concerns about antisemitic messaging.
The faculty member wrote they observed artwork featuring a “Lizard Man” with a large nose and wearing a business suit. The professor said it is “connected to an antisemetic conspiracy theory.” The complainant also said a Star of David was painted over with the phrase “UCSD Funds Genocide” alongside a Palestinian flag.
“Even though UCSD cannot repress hate speech, to do or say nothing is a breach of their Title VI duty and shows a lack of commitment to the shared values it espouses,” the complaint stated, adding, “To do or say nothing is not an option here.”
“If students abuse this space, it can be taken away,” the scholar added.
At the student government meeting last spring, students largely expressed that they did not want the park removed entirely, with some arguing that eliminating the space could lead to graffiti appearing elsewhere on campus. Others pointed out it would end a space on campus that has allowed artistic expression to flourish.
Proposals included increased monitoring of the space via regular checks by students, community guidelines signage, and moving the canvases to a less visible area, among other options.
UC San Diego Media Relations and the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination did not respond to The College Fix’s multiple inquiries via email regarding whether the university has completed its evaluation of the Graffiti Art Park, whether it implemented or approved changes to the park’s operation or management as a result of the complaints, or when it expects to reach a decision if the evaluation remains ongoing.
The memo also includes a complaint regarding messages written by Jewish students affiliated with the campus Jewish student organizations Hillel and Chabad. The complaint alleges that less than an hour after those students wrote messages such as “Peace in the Middle East” at the park, they were covered with “Free Palestine” or just “X.”
“I think this goes to show we as Jewish students don’t want hate or to stop pro-Palestine clubs on campus, but what we do want is for our views to be respected, for our people to be respected, and to not feel unwelcome by our own peers and professors,” the complaint states.
Another complaint filed with the university in 2023 cited graffiti stating “Israel is the Real Terrorist,” “Zionism Equals Genocide,” and “From the River to the Sea.”
“I’ve been a Research Director at UCSD since 2018. I recently walked by the Graffiti Art Park and was very disappointed to see the entire Park, including every single board, taken over by inflammatory and harmful rhetoric relating to the IsraelHamas conflict,” the complaint stated.
Additional documents obtained by The Fix detail other complaints prompted by the park, such as graffiti stating “Frats R Rapists” and “LGBTQ = Sin.”
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