May 16

May 16 DePaul U Aftermath

Chicago, Demonstrations, Protest, Public Declarations

“Jewish people are here. Anti-Semetism is not.”

— One demonstrator asked me to print this as she walked through the gas station across from DePaul University's Fullerton Avenue Quad following the closure of the Gaza Solidarity encampment on May 16, 2024

“Jewish Safety Cannot be Achieved Until Palestine is Free”

— From a sign affixed to the permanent fence adjacent to the DePaul University Gaza Solidarity encampment

““My son is a freshman at DePaul and lives in the dorms. I’m reaching out to you because my son is no longer feeling safe at DePaul as a Jewish student. He participated in a pro-Israel gathering on Sunday. He shared how peaceful and welcoming the gathering was until he and a fellow student were walking back to his dorm. He told me that he and his female friend were encircled by an another group of masked students chanting, yelling and pushing while not allowing them to escape. My son resorted to physically pushing his way out of the circle and ran away from the verbal threats and antisemitic rhetoric. No police were present on the scene. This was clearly traumatic for him and his friend and vicariously traumatic for me, his mother as it would be to any concerned parent of any of your student body.””

— One of the complaints received by DePaul University precipitating the removal of the Gaza Solidarity encampment on May 16, 2024

At 5:30 AM today, the Chicago Police Department arrived on DePaul University’s campus. Unlike the University of Chicago, DePaul does not have its own police force, so somewhere around 100 CPD police officers were tasked with clearing the university’s Fullerton Avenue Quad (the “Quad”), the site of the Gaza Solidarity encampment that students erected 17 days earlier.

Two hours later, a private company installed temporary fences, thereby denying access to the Quad. The DePaulia, a student newspaper, reports that no one in the encampment was arrested, but that two people were detained for obstructing traffic on Belden Avenue.

The university issued what it terms Leadership Notes detailing the Threats to Safety and Disruption of Campus Operations. Over the course of 17 days, it received more than 625 registered complaints from neighbors and community members, and 435 registered complaints from students, faculty, staff, and parents. According to the university, buildings and doors were spray painted, dumpsters were used to block building entrances and exits, safety grates were removed, library doors were chained, and glass windows were defaced with etchings. The university estimates that repair costs will be $180,000. While many encampers presumably acted responsibly, there were some who acted inappropriately, exceeding any notion of permitted free expression.

Shockingly, the university also included photographs of signs that read “Kill UR Local Billionaire,” “Globalize the Intifada,” and “Jewish Safety Cannot be Achieved Until Palestine is Free.” Even more shocking are the photographs of weaponry that was discovered in the encampment—knives, a pellet gun, “boards on ground with long nails/screws sticking out as traps along the Fullerton fence,” and a concealed bowling ball.

**DePaul University Supplied Photograph of Knives and a Pellet Gun Recovered From the Encampment.**

**University Supplied Photograph of Boards on the Ground With Long Nails/Screws Sticking Out As Traps Along the Fullerton Fence.**

I arrived at DePaul shortly after 9:00 PM. By then, the temporary fencing was in place, most of the encampment had been dismantled, and the encampers had relocated across the street from the Quad, occupying the sidewalk and a portion of a Mobil gas station. A line of bicycle cops kept the students and other demonstrators on the sidewalk and out of the street. The Quad and all campus green spaces are closed until further notice.

The demonstrators located on the gas station’s property effectively prevented motorists from using the pumps closest to the street. One person told me that the owner of the gas station was not happy, but that he had agreed to allow the demonstrators to occupy the area surrounding the first line of pumps. Probably a good decision given the increase in insurance premiums that would surely follow should a disgruntled demonstrator who didn’t get his or her way decide to vandalize the station. Despite all the commotion, drivers did continue to fill gas tanks using the gas pumps further back on the property. The drivers were largely unfazed.

Once again, the demonstrators did not acquit themselves well. Specifically, people in the college encampments have listed a series of grievances that go far beyond the long-running conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Income inequality is high on the list. So here we have someone who is running a small business—not Amazon, nor a large auto dealership, nor a Fortune 500 company. Yet his effort to eek out a living, including paying employees, apparently was of no concern to the demonstrators.

I also learned new information from several photojournalists about how the encampers have treated other photojournalists and videographers. Several journalists expressed irritation, noting that some encampers were openly hostile to the media during the encampment’s 17-day run. Several photographers reported being threatened or limited in what they could photograph.

Apparently, the students are fearful about future job prospects and being doxxed. But as one seasoned photojournalist told me, paraphrasing, “Rule Number One. You are in public. If you don’t want your face shown, either skip the event or wear a mask and cover your tattoos.” Some of the encampers are quick to assert their First Amendment rights, but they are more than willing to step all over the First Amendment rights of others when the exercise of those rights proves inconvenient.

The demonstrators were quite vocal in expressing their anger about the university’s decision to close the encampment, laying blame at the feet of DePaul University President Robert L. Manuel. Anticipating that anger, the university released several statements, including the one referenced earlier.

In a second statement entitled After the Encampment, the university lists the demands from the student Divestment Coalition, as well as the university’s efforts to negotiate an agreement with the encampers. One thing is clear from this document: the students’ negotiation posture was uncompromising. For example, the students demanded that the university “acknowledge the ongoing genocide and scholasticide in Gaza.” The university refused to do this because it is not in a position to make that determination, and the statement then further notes that the “question of genocide is a question of international law and fact. The international community is debating this very issue in a variety of forums.” The university apparently took a page out of the University of Chicago’s Chicago Principles.

The students also naively demanded divesture. The university correctly pointed out that it does not “invest in any securities (stocks and bonds) directly. In fact, given the size of our endowment (and not unlike similarly situated peers), our endowment is invested in co-mingled funds managed by independent third-party fund managers.” As I have previously noted, modern endowment investment practices make it virtually impossible to divest. Moreover, countless studies have shown that past divestment campaigns have had little practical impact.

As for other demands, the university made the following offers:

Trustee Engagement: We agree that within the next six months, no later than December 11, 2024, we will host a dialogue between Board of Trustees leadership and the coalition leadership (not to exceed six students). The agenda for the meeting will be set by mutual agreement. To be clear, this meeting is informational only. This meeting does not mean that the board will consider the idea of divesting from companies doing business with Israel. The coalition's demand, “Divest[ing] from companies that advance Palestinian suffering and profit off the occupation," will not be placed on any formal agenda for the board to consider.
INVEST Committee: We were moved by the idea that we think of the future of this dialogue in positive terms. We believe that this notion is the most Vincentian response to this moment. For this reason, the Office of the President agrees to establish a formal committee called the INVEST Committee. This committee, open to all members of our community, will be created following established shared governance processes. The committee will examine ways the university can invest in programming and educational moments that promote positive outcomes for the region. The timing of such meetings, and the agendas will be set by the group's membership. The INVEST Committee will adhere to all university policies relating to conduct, behavior, and safety.
Cabinet Engagement: We agree to establish two meetings for representatives of the DePaul Divestment Coalition (not to exceed 8 students) to engage the members of the President's Cabinet at DePaul University with the goal of continuing the dialogue with university leaders before the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. We will also establish similar opportunities for other student groups through the SGA shared governance process.

The students apparently rejected these offers. In my view, the students vastly over-estimate their importance in the governance of a university. The students are not fiduciaries. Their viewpoint is single-minded. It does not balance the needs of any number of constituencies, nor the fiduciary or other duties that the trustees owe those constituencies. While the administration and the trustees must take the long-term into account, the students are short-timers. Despite that fact, the university’s offer gave the students increased input. Uncompromising—this is what is coming to a workplace near you. In fact, the university’s published timeline of events indicates that the students refused to meet with university officials on several occasions.

As for my time on the street: There were probably somewhere between 75 and 100 demonstrators across from the Quad. They recited many of the usual chants. In some cases, there were DePaul-specific chants, although some were just variations on a familiar theme. At one point, two leaders from the Palestinian community arrived, bringing more flags and wooden sticks for the flags. They helped the demonstrators attach the flags to the sticks. I saw one of them leave shortly before I left.

I saw no incidents involving the police. Nor did I see any counter protesters. At times, Fullerton was filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic. More than a few drivers honked their horns showing support.

Shortly after 12:00 PM, I left. The sky was clouding over, with rain likely. I assumed that if it started raining, the demonstrators would move on.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]