Rep. Rashida Tlaib criticizes Wayne State University removing the pro-Palestinian encampments | Tlaib Instagram
A week after it was set up, Wayne State University police entered the pro-Palestinian encampment on the Detroit campus early Thursday morning, forcing the protestors back, and taking a dozen people into custody. Within two hours, most of its contents had been removed.
According to a statement from Wayne State President Kimberly Andrews Espy, the decision to remove the encampment was made after consulting with university leadership, including the Board of Governors.
“Starting at approximately 5:30 a.m., officers from the Wayne State University Police Department made repeated amplified announcements to allow everyone time to gather their belongings and leave. Many people left. Final cleanup of the area is ongoing, and campus operations will remain remote for today [Thursday]. We will announce tomorrow’s operations later today,” said Espy.
Wayne State University officers removing student encampment. May 30, 2024. Screenshot from Instagram of WSU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
Twelve protesters were arrested, according to Wayne State’s Associate Director of Communications Bill Roose, who told Michigan Advance that seven face trespassing charges, three with obstructing a police officer, one with assault of a police officer and another with resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer.
A video posted to Instagram from the WSU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), characterized the action as overly forceful and without cause.
“Zionist trained Wayne State Police were sent from genocide Espy to brutalize students and dismantle the encampment,” said the student in the video. “Many students, including organizers, were arrested. One individual was clearly not resisting arrest and was thrown to the ground brutally by four Zionist-trained Wayne State Police with a hand over his neck. A few other individuals were grabbed while walking away and their hijabs ripped off. This was an unnecessary response as we have requested multiple times to meet with Wayne State administration. We will not rest until Wayne State divests!”
Other videos posted by the group show officers entering the encampment, forcefully moving students out of the way and throwing several of the protestors to the ground and taking them into custody. However, it’s not known how many people were arrested or what charges they might face.
Espy, however, said the encampment presented health and safety challenges that disrupted operations and forced the university to go into remote operations since Tuesday.
“University leadership repeatedly engaged with occupants of the encampment,” said Espy. “In each conversation, we reiterated that the occupants were trespassing on university property, and we asked that the encampment be removed. No individual or group is permitted to claim campus property for their own use and deny others access to that property.”
Responding to the encampment removal was Branden Snyder, executive director of Detroit Action, a community-based economic justice organization.
“The forceful removal of anti-genocide protestors and the arrests of twelve students at Wayne State University are a blatant attack on free speech by a country determined to silence dissent,” said Snyder. “Furthermore, the use of excessive force on students by police in riot gear are [sic] indefensible. Student protests have a proud tradition of being on the right side of history, and this time is no different. Younger generations across America are awakening to the propaganda and standing up against the senseless killings of Black and brown people worldwide. Meanwhile, the powers that be continue to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars into foreign conflicts while working Americans struggle with housing instability, inflation, state violence, and inadequate healthcare.”
Snyder called on Espy and the WSU board of governors to “listen to students on campus, acknowledge the ethical impact of their investments and protect students’ right to protest.” He also demanded the immediate release of the arrested students and called on WSU to engage in a collaborative dialogue with the protestors.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) previously called on Espy to meet with organizers and contended Espy was absent from the campus to instead attend the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Policy Conference being held this week on Mackinac Island. However, Advance staff on Mackinac Island for the conference confirmed Espy was not present for the Thursday morning panel on which she was originally slated to appear.
Wayne State University officers removing student encampment. May 30, 2024. Screenshot from Instagram of WSU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
SJP has made four general demands of the university; divestment from “war-profiteering companies,” full disclosure of WSU investments, and police “collaboration” with Israel, and issue a Gaza ceasefire statement that acknowledges a “genocide being carried out by the United States and Israel against the indigenous Palestinian population.”
In her statement, Espy noted WSU’s “proud history of supporting freedom of speech, religion, and the right to peacefully protest,” but said those rights have to be balanced with needs of the university community including its students, faculty, and staff.
“When actions violate the law, threaten health and safety, or impair the ability of our campus community to conduct the work of the university, however, we must act,” she said. “Meanwhile, we remain more committed than ever to our mission of creating and advancing knowledge, preparing a diverse student body to thrive, and positively impacting local and global communities.”
Similar encampments, making similar demands, have also gone up on other university campuses in Michigan, including at Michigan State University in East Lansing and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The U of M encampment was removed last week by campus police, who took four people into custody before releasing them pending possible charges.
Presidents from Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Ferris State University and Oakland University spoke at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island Thursday about higher education’s role in growing Michigan’s economy and workforce, but took the time to talk about students’ response to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Michigan State University had an encampment for three days in April where new President Kevin Guskiewicz paid the encampment a visit.
“I’m really proud of the way in which some of our student leaders and faculty leaders from various backgrounds have come together to have difficult conversations around the issues,” Guskiewicz said. “They don’t always walk out of the room arm-in-arm having agreed with one another, but we have to do that.”
That’s why going to the encampment was important, Guskiewicz said, dialogue has to remain open as universities have always been the home of activism and civil discourse.
Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz speaks at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols
“It’s why I went out and spoke with the protesters that were setting up an encampment on campus and I spent some time trying to understand what was important to them and I learned what was important to them, they learned what was important to me … thinking about the safety of the campus community,” Guskiewicz said. “And we were able to move forward and allow for… a protest there. Also, they allowed for a peaceful and respectful graduation ceremony.”
University of Michigan President Santa Ono expressed his pride that the school has a history of activism, adding that freedom of speech is a cornerstone to what university stands for. However, Ono said when it comes to this issue “things are a little bit different.”
“This is very complicated. It’s more challenging than previous tense moments on campus, but it’s up to us, not only on campus, but government foundations to come together to address the root causes of anti semitism [and] Islamophobia, Ono said. “There’s a lot of bad actors that are involved. We know that for sure.”
The art of civil discourse is a lost one, Ono said, but it can be recovered again. Schools have to encourage and reinforce how to have discourse and provide venues to do so.
“We have to encourage the youth to get off of TikTok and social media and learn how to talk to each other. We do have to model it, we have to work together as a network as a society to address these issues and we will rise to the occasion,” Ono said.
University of Michigan President Santa Ono speaks at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols
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The post Twelve arrested as Wayne State cops break up pro-Palestinian encampment appeared first on Michigan Advance.