This article will be updated continuously for the most up-to-date coverage on the Pro-Palestine encampment. Updates will also be covered on our Instagram page, @duclarion & @unifyduchapter.
May 16
At 5:50 p.m. members of the encampment began a march toward Driscoll Community Commons. Rally leaders used a bullhorn to share announcements, including how Thursday marks one week since the encampment began and that it will stay until demands are met.
Students chanted, “Jeremy Haefner you can’t hide, DU’s funding Genocide,” as well as other reoccurring chants, including “disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”
Students then made their way to Campus Green in front of Sturm Hall, where they reiterated their demands. Following behind were campus safety Chief Mike Bunker and other Officers. All the while faculty marshals made a perimeter around the students.
Faculty marshals are professors and staff who have volunteered to help keep student protestors safe and, if needed, serve as an intermediary between them and the university administration. They do not chant and do not see themselves as protestors.
At 6:25 p.m., the march made its way back to Carnegie Green, and the students began to celebrate one week of the encampment with cake, as well as dinner provided by Jerusalem restaurant.
Marshals, who have received an increasing number of faculty volunteers across campus, have reported hearing homophobic slurs being levied against students in the encampment.
“None of the faculty marshals have seen anything they believe constitutes anti-semitism,” according to one faculty marshal, Dr. Marie Berry.
Though the encampment remains open to all students, it is no longer open to Chief of Campus Safety, Mike Bunker, who communicates with the encampment via the Faculty Marshals.
At around 8:15 p.m., the Office of the Chancellor released an email stating it had obtained video footage of a professor who made remarks that “crossed a line” while engaged with the protest encampment on campus. This is their first update since Sunday.
The email also said the university is looking into reports of behavior that “may be discriminatory and harassing by encampment and non-encampment participants.”
May 15
Last night, around 8 p.m., students gathered outside the encampment with Israeli flags to hold a memorial for all those lost since October 7. One individual played the guitar while the group sang American pop and rock songs whilst members of the encampment carried on as usual without engaging.
Today, at 6 p.m., Colorado State Representative Iman Jodeh spoke at the encampment to offer her appreciation and support as a Palestinian woman. She spoke briefly on the history of Palestinians since the ‘Nakba’ in 1948.
The United Nations defines the ‘Nakba’ as “the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.”
Hannah, a member of Jewish Voices for Peace, also offered her perspective on the anniversary of the Nakba. Her nuanced perspective comes from her personal experience visiting Palestine in 2017 and as a Jewish person. She emphasized the large role social justice has played in her upbringing and continues to be a tenant of her identity.
CAMPUS SAFETY
Campus safety officers have been monitoring the encampment 24/7 on 12-hour shifts.
Campus Safety’s Chief and Director for Community Engagement, Mike Bunker and Julianne Toce have been hosting weekly coffee hours to meet with students to discuss DU’s safety measures or answer questions about the encampment.
This week’s hours can be found on Campus Safety’s community report on May 7, along with additional information. Community members can email campus.safety@du.edu if they have questions.
May 14
On Tuesday, DU Administration informed two leaders within the pro-Palestine student encampment that they would be receiving disciplinary measures for failing to produce their DU IDs when prompted.
DU4Palestine’s Police Liaison and Camp Organizer Paige* received notice of “location restriction” from Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence, while Caleb*, another organizer, received a final warning for suspension.
**Students did not provide last names
Due to Paige’s location restriction, if she is found anywhere on campus other than buildings where she has classes or her work-study, she may face forced removal and arrest for trespassing.
If Caleb is suspended, DU will revoke his housing, his on-campus job, and his ability to attend classes, even virtually.
In an email from the Chancellor’s Office to the student body on Sunday, the University stated, “ID checks are not being used for punitive measures.”
Members are concerned that if they are identified, they could face potential repercussions in the future, like arrest or other administrative consequences.
The main difference between these consequences is based on the charges they received. Caleb told the administration that he gave his ID to a friend to use the bathroom, which led to his being charged with “falsifying identification.”
DU Campus Safety and administration have been making bi-daily visits to the camp and asking for IDs.
As of right now, protestors are still refusing to show their IDs.
Keep an eye on the DU Clarion Instagram for more updates.
