University of Chicago pro-Palestinian encampment cleared by police
Around daybreak Tuesday, campus officers surrounded the university’s main quadrangle and kept students from entering, according to reports from the scene.
University of Chicago Police Department officers allow protesters back into the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Campus police at the University of Chicago cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at the school early Tuesday morning, ending an eight-day demonstration that brought student protesters and university officials to an impasse over the protesters’ demands.
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The action, which sparked a subsequent standoff with demonstrators, began around 4:30 a.m. as campus police wearing riot gear surrounded the university’s main quadrangle in the Hyde Park neighborhood. As students woke up, chants including “Whose campus? Our campus!” broke out.
The encampment was fully cleared by 7 a.m., according to a senior organizer named Sammy who did not give their last name out of safety concerns. Work crews could be seen dismantling tents and loading them and other items onto trucks.
When the police barricade that blocked students’ path was removed about 8 a.m, a mass of protesters made for the steps of Edward H. Levi Hall, where they linked arms as police surrounded them. The crowd at one point appeared to swell to nearly 400 people, and protesters with bikes blocked the street on South Ellis Avenue as one pointed to cars trying to pass, telling them to turn around.
“The University of Chicago administration would rather ditch its free speech and brutalize its students than even say the word Palestine, am I right?” one speaker said into a megaphone to applause from protesters.
Remnants of the pro-Palestinian encampment are seen in a dumpster near the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the campsite overnight at the South Side campus.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
One police officer could be heard telling protesters making their way back to the quad: “No signs, no tents, nothing for the encampment.”
But by 9 a.m. protesters had dispersed of their own accord as a rainstorm moved through.
“The University’s policies, including those concerning free expression, apply to all,” said Michele Rasmussen, the university’s dean of students, in a statement. “While we anticipate further protests, we will not allow such activity to indefinitely disrupt the functioning or safety of the University.”
There were no injuries or arrests made, but people were pushed to the ground, Sammy told the Sun-Times.
“The administration hopes that nobody will pay attention to this because they did it at 4:40 in the morning,” Youssef Hasweh, a Palestinian student organizer with UChicago United for Palestine, said in a statement. “We will make sure that nobody forgets. We will all be back until UChicago divests, discloses, and repairs.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said they were informed of the University of Chicago Police Department’s intention to dismantle the encampment early Tuesday morning and reached out to “reiterate serious safety and operational concerns about this plan.”
In an updated statement released Tuesday afternoon, the mayor’s office said University police requested Chicago police’s assistance but CPD “expressed an unwillingness to participate.”
University police “ultimately decided to move forward with the removal independently,” according to the mayor’s office.
No arrests or injuries this morning as police cleared the encampment starting at 4:30 this morning, according to a student organizer. The current scene is a standoff with protesters chanting at police. pic.twitter.com/sdR8YDwhCo
UChicago United, a student protest group, set up the encampment a little more than a week ago, joining hundreds of other students across the country to express support for the Palestinian people and to call on the university to disclose its financial investments and to divest from “death in Gaza, the South Side and beyond.”
The encampment was peaceful and the demonstrators’ demands of the university were clear, according to Sammy. The university had not met with student organizers since Sunday, after both parties failed to come to terms over language in a draft agreement and funding for future scholarships and research.
“There were areas where we were able to achieve common ground, but ultimately a number of the intractable and inflexible aspects of their demands were fundamentally incompatible with the University’s principled dedication to institutional neutrality,” said university president Paul Alivisatos in a statement.
“I think it shows the University of Chicago wants to protect free speech, but doesn’t listen to what we’re saying,” Sammy said. They added that the encampment took a lot of energy and resources to upkeep, and it’s unlikely it will be rebuilt.
Amira Sohail, a Palestinian student who’s one of the group’s negotiators, said protesters felt frustrated and disregarded in meetings with the university.
“The exhausting part is being in a meeting over a few words to validate someone’s existence,” she said, referring to the school’s refusal to put the word “Palestinians” or “Palestine” in the agreement to end the encampment.
A protester argues with University of Chicago Police Department officers outside the quad Tuesday after the officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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University of Chicago Police Department officers keep protesters at bay outside the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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People walk through the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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University of Chicago Police Department officers keep protesters at bay outside the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Remnants of the pro-Palestinian encampment are seen in a dumpster near the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the campsite overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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University of Chicago Police Department officers keep protesters at bay outside the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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People walk through the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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University of Chicago Police Department officers keep protesters at bay outside the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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People walk through the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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University of Chicago Police Department officers allow protesters back into the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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University of Chicago Police Department officers allow protesters back into the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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A protester flips off University of Chicago Police Department officers as the officers allow the protesters back into the quad Tuesday after clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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People walk through the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Remnants of the pro-Palestinian encampment are seen in a dumpster near the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the campsite overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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University of Chicago Assistant Professor Eman Abdelhadi speaks as protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Remnants of the pro-Palestinian encampment are seen in dumpsters near the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the campsite overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Protesters rally in the quad Tuesday after University of Chicago Police Department officers cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight at the South Side campus.|Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Organizers said they will continue to push the school to divest from Israel and support its Palestinian students, with or without the encampment.
“This is one tactic in a much larger campaign,” Sammy said.
On Monday, a coalition of over 120 faculty and academic staff from the University of Chicago had called on the school’s administration to resume negotiations with the pro-Palestinian encampment organizers.
Any action to remove the University of Chicago encampment or its inhabitants would be “indefensible,” said Elham Mireshghi, an assistant instructional professor in the Divinity School.
Student protests over the war in Gaza are continuing around the city. Over the weekend, nearly 70 protesters were arrested at a pro-Palestinian encampment set up outside the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
At Northwestern University, pro-Palestinian protesters were able to reach an agreement with administrators last week, which requires the university to, among other things, disclose information about any investments within 30 days of an inquiry and fully fund tuition for five Palestinian undergraduate students, among other agreements. Only one aid tent remains from the encampment, but protests may continue until June 1 when classes end.
At DePaul University, an encampment remains in the main quad of the school’s Lincoln Park campus. University officials say they have requested a meeting Monday with the DePaul Divest Coalition.
A DePaul spokesperson did not immediately return calls for comment Tuesday.
Doctors at Advocate Medical Group say the organization has fallen short in responding to ongoing humanitarian crises in Gaza, especially compared to donated aid and calls for peace after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Around 5 p.m. Friday, a large group of protesters had surrounded the Institute of Politics. Shortly after that, a group of police officers, equipped with riot shields, burst into the building and scuffled with protesters.
The encampment at the Lincoln Park campus had been been in place since April 30. The action came after school officials said they had reached an impasse with the protesters.
Students and faculty walked out of class to gather at the pro-Palestinian encampment and call for divestment from companies doing business with Israel.
The cancellation of the end-of-school-year music festival comes days after the university said it has reached a stalemate in negotiations with organizers of a pro-Palestinian encampment.
On Tuesday, Chicago’s Jewish community celebrated Israel declaring its independence 76 years ago, on May 14, 1948. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered across the plaza. There were a few altercations, but no arrests were made.
The flags, along with signs and banners, had been placed on Deering Meadow, where a pro-Palestine encampment stood for five days before organizers reached an agreement with university administration.
The Israel-Hamas war is heightening fears of unrest, but convention leaders say they’re confident in their partnerships with Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling and the U.S. Secret Service.
In a press conference at the school Thursday morning, students criticized university president Paul Alivisatos and shared their experiences when police began emptying the encampment early Tuesday.
Rafah has become the most recent focus of Israel’s military, which describes it as Hamas’ last holdout. Chicago-based Dr. John Kahler has seen conditions deteriorate as Gazan refugees fled south to the city.
En la madrugada del martes, agentes del campus rodearon el patio principal de la universidad y les impidieron la entrada a los estudiantes, según informaron desde el lugar de los hechos.
One protester said they were hit by an officer and taken to Thorek Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to a complaint filed with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
Reality on the ground is different from what policymakers understand in war rooms, far from the constant sound of bombs and drones, a Chicago-area doctor who has volunteered in Gaza writes. Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian American, walked out of a meeting with President Joe Biden about a month ago and is calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
After Oct. 7, chairs with the photos of hostages seized in Israel by Hamas were placed outside Am Shalom synagogue in Glencoe, waiting for the hostages’ release. “Our 248 chairs will stay up as long as they have to,” Am Shalom’s senior rabbi writes.
The group the People’s Art Institute accused law enforcement of yanking people’s hair, strangling them, and hitting people with batons and metal fences at the Saturday protest.
Según los informes, en el campus de Lincoln Park de DePaul los contra manifestantes intentaron enfrentarse a los manifestantes, pero los pro palestinos utilizaron tácticas de desescalada para mantener la paz. En todo el país se ha detenido a más de 2,500 manifestantes desde el 18 de abril.
The University of Chicago Faculty for Justice in Palestine on Monday reaffirmed support for the “peaceful, welcoming and educational space” students had created and called on school leadership to return to “good-faith” negotiations.
An official familiar with Israeli thinking says Israeli officials are examining the cease-fire proposal approved by Hamas. But the official warns that the plan “is not the framework Israel proposed.”
Counterprotesters at DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus reportedly tried to clash with pro-Palestinian protesters. Nationwide, more than 2,500 protesters have been arrested since April 18.
Police said the museum asked them to clear the encampment on Saturday, hours after organizers set up tents in the Art Institute’s North Garden which they said were intended to pressure the school regarding the “occupation of Palestine.”
On a mostly peaceful day, tensions briefly bubbled over when counter-protesters confronted the demonstrators at the university’s Edward Levi Hall. An altercation prompted campus police to respond.
Las protestas contra la guerra han invadido los campus universitarios en las últimas semanas. Los estudiantes apoyan a los palestinos en los ataques de Israel contra Gaza, denuncian lo que llaman censura por parte de sus universidades y piden a las instituciones que dejen de invertir en fabricantes de armas y empresas que apoyan a Israel.
Tensions were higher Tuesday when hundreds of New York police officers raided Columbia University and City College of New York while a group of counterprotesters attacked a student encampment at UCLA.
“I remember coming out of my apartment one day and spotting Chicago cops dragging young protesters out of one section of Lincoln Park and shoving them into trucks, while nearby poet Allen Ginsberg was chanting in a circle of peaceful protesters not far away from the radical Abby Hoffman,” remembers Dan Webb, who later became a U.S. attorney.
The endgame for them could be the 2027 draft, not the next two. The JuJu Watkins/MiLaysia Fulwiley/Madison Booker/Mikaylah Williams/Hannah Hidalgo generational, unicorn lottery that will change the trajectory of several WNBA franchises.
