(C) Verite News New Orleans This story was originally published by Verite News New Orleans and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Tulane encampment protesters released from jail; some report injuries from raid [1] ['Katie Jane Fernelius', 'More Katie Jane Fernelius', 'Verite News', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2024-05-01 Early Wednesday (May 1), officers from the Tulane University Police Department, New Orleans Police Department and Louisiana State Police — clad in tactical gear — forcibly cleared an encampment set up earlier this week by pro-Palestinian protesters on the Tulane campus, arresting 14 individuals. NOPD has yet to confirm the charges, but court records for several arrestees show misdemeanor trespassing charges. At least one person is facing an additional charge of resisting arrest, also a misdemeanor. And at least two other protesters present during the raid, who were not arrested, sustained injuries that sent them to the hospital, including a concussion in one case. Kristin Hamilton, a Tulane graduate student who participated in the encampment and was suspended by the university as a result, was not arrested but suffered an injury to their shoulder during the raid. “Over 100 officers put the safety of students and community members at great risk by brutally arresting 14 unarmed individuals, including three bystanders, using riot gear, assault rifles and armored vehicles,” Hamilton said at a Wednesday press conference held outside the city jail, shortly after the arrestees were released. “[We] condemn [Tulane President Michael Fitts] and Tulane’s administration for the excessive, dangerous, and violent action taken against an unarmed, student-led encampment,” Hamilton said. Kristin Hamilton, who said they were injured in the raid, addresses reporters on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Credit: Katie Jane Fernelius / Verite News Protesters say that officers in riot gear swarmed the encampment around 3 a.m. after blocking off traffic on St. Charles Avenue. Video footage from a WDSU journalist appears to be consistent with these accounts, showing a phalanx of officers with riot shields, guns and gas masks advancing on the encampment. Both NOPD and the State Police say that they removed the encampment and its organizers at the request of Tulane University, with NOPD saying it acted at the “urging” of university President Michael Fitts. A statement from Fitts’ office appeared to confirm that the raid was the university’s call, saying that “Tulane University Police Department led [the] coordinated effort.” In addition to the arrests and the suspensions that have already occurred, Tulane plans to pursue further disciplinary action against the student protesters. “Students who participated in this unlawful occupation have also been referred to the Office of Student Conduct for immediate disciplinary action,” Fitts wrote in the statement. “Seven students have been suspended. We are also actively looking into reports of university employees participating in this unlawful demonstration.” The arrests come after both Tulane and Loyola student groups set up a handful of tents on a lawn along St. Charles Avenue directly outside of Gibson Hall at Tulane University. Protesters said they were calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza. Demonstrators also demanded that Tulane provide transparency on its financial investments and commit to divesting from companies that do business with the Israeli government or provide arms, fuel or technology to Israel. Similar campus protests have occurred across the country over the past several weeks, with many ending in multiple arrests. Hours before the Tulane raid, New York Police Department officers conducted a raid on Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, wielding guns and riot shields to enter the building and eventually arresting over one hundred pro-Palestinian protesters. The Columbia Daily Spectator reports that the NYPD shoved and threw protestors in its raid on the building. Tulane administrators appeared to signal as late as Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the raid, that they were going to “contain” the protest rather than order a police action. When the Tulane protest began on Monday, officers with the Tulane Police Department and NOPD arrested six people who were trying to set up tents on the lawn. However, they soon backed down and allowed the encampment to go forward. On Tuesday, the university set up a large digital screen warning that the lawn was private property and violators would be prosecuted. “Everyone must leave this area, immediately,” the sign read. “Entry and continued presence are strictly prohibited.” The university also erected speakers that blared an upbeat lyric-less rock song titled “Good Vibes,” which made it difficult to hear the chants, music and prayers of protesters. Officers with the university police department paced behind the barricades set up around the university buildings. Video by Katie Jane Fernelius/Verite News Over the course of the past several days, the Tulane encampment evolved into its own sustaining operation, with medics, legal observers, bodywork therapists and regular donations of snacks, meals, water and wooden pallets. At its height, approximately 300 people were present at the encampment, many waving Palestinian flags, chanting for a ceasefire or singing and dancing. At times, a number of counter-protesters, many wrapped in Israeli flags, chanted from the neutral ground, observed the encampment and recorded videos. As the sun went down Tuesday, an organizer who said they were in contact with both the NOPD and LSP told Verite News that both agencies gave them no indication that they planned to arrest the protesters. This point of contact also said that the protesters had assured NOPD and LSP of their intention to continue to peacefully protest. However, student reporters at the Loyola Maroon noted that the police were flying drones over the encampment, a tactic that the LSP had used during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. “Drones are a great resource for monitoring large assemblies,” Sgt. Katharine Stegall of the Louisiana State Police’s Public Affairs office told Verite News. “They provide law enforcement with a full-scale view of the event and allow [law enforcement] to utilize the appropriate resources. This tool was used for the events on Tulane’s campus; however, the footage was not recorded.” It was not clear Wednesday whether organizers at Tulane or Loyola are planning another action. By late Wednesday morning, there was no evidence of the encampment left on the lawn: all tents, tables, pallets, signs and flags had been removed. The university expanded the barricades and blocked off lawns. Law enforcement continued to patrol the area, and Tulane’s president has indicated that officers will continue to do so until the end of the semester. “While the protesters have been cleared from campus, police remain to ensure that our university is safe,” Fitts wrote. “Security measures and the visible presence of police will remain at their highest level throughout the remainder of the semester.” Related Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. [END] --- [1] Url: https://veritenews.org/2024/05/01/tulane-protesters-released-from-jail/ Published and (C) by Verite News New Orleans Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 US. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/veritenews/