Providence Police Department and Brown Department of Public Safety officers arrested and booked all 41 students from Brown Divest Coalition who occupied University Hall this afternoon to that President Christina Paxson P鈥�19 P鈥橫D鈥�20 support divestment from 鈥淚sraeli military occupation鈥� and call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Law enforcement first entered University Hall at 5:17 p.m. The Herald received confirmation from BDC Spokesperson Carla Humphris 鈥�24 that the students were booked inside University Hall under trespassing charges.
鈥淭o expedite the process and avoid processing arrests in two locations, Brown DPS arranged with the Providence Police Department to conduct all arrest processing on-site in University Hall,鈥� University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in a statement to The Herald. Students were 鈥減hotographed, fingerprinted and provided their arrest paperwork in lieu of being detained in physical custody.鈥�
鈥淭he disruption to secure buildings is not acceptable, and the University is prepared to escalate the level of criminal charges for future incidents of students occupying secure buildings,鈥� Clark added.
The arrests come just over one month after twenty members of Jews for Ceasefire Now were charged with trespassing after staging a University Hall sit-in calling for divestment and a ceasefire. The charges were later dropped following the shooting of Hisham Awartani 鈥�25 and two other Palestinian students in Burlington, Vermont.
鈥淕iven that this is the second prominent incident in recent weeks of students trespassing in a secure, non-residential building after operating hours, the University fully expects to recommend more significant criminal misdemeanor charges for any future incidents after the Dec. 11 sit-in,鈥� he added.
According to Clark, students were informed of their arrest at 6 p.m. Starting at 6:40 p.m., law enforcement began releasing students already booked from inside University Hall on alternating sides of the building, according to JFCN and BDC members. The crowd of approximately 400, gathered to support demonstrators, split up to greet protestors with cheers and embraces as they were released.
鈥淚t鈥檚 essential to highlight that arresting students is not an action that Brown takes lightly, and it鈥檚 not something the University ever wants to do,鈥� Clark wrote, adding that The University issued repeated warnings to ensure 鈥渢hat the students fully understood that they would not be allowed to remain in the building after normal operating hours for security reasons, and that they could face disciplinary action for violating policies, as well as arrest.鈥�
Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes and other staff members informed the occupying protestors of legal consequences, according to a video shared by BDC.
In a 4 p.m. letter to the protestors reviewed by The Herald, Paxson reiterated the University鈥檚 safety concerns and potential repercussions for students that decided to remain in the building past operating hours.
Brown鈥檚 protest and demonstration states that 鈥減rotest is a necessary and acceptable means of expression,鈥� and that 鈥減rotests or demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others 鈥� or that interfere with the rights of others to make use of or enjoy the facilities or attend the functions of the University cannot be tolerated.鈥�
While waiting for the arrests to begin, the crowd sang songs of solidarity and worship, including 鈥淲here you Go鈥� 鈥� a song from the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible.
Organizers also led the crowd in Arabic chants 鈥� the lyrics of which were distributed via AirDrop to electronic devices in the crowd. Protestors waved their phone flashlights back and forth high in the air.
As the arrests began, students repeatedly shouted 鈥渟hame on Brown, shame on Brown鈥� and continued their calls for divestment and ceasefire.
The members of BDC originally intended to occupy the building until Paxson publicly supported the findings of the 2020 by the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies which recommended Brown divest from 鈥渃ompanies which profit from human rights abuses in Palestine.鈥�
In the letter to the protestors, Paxson wrote that she 鈥渨ill not commit now to forward or recommend鈥� the report, citing her that ACCRIP鈥檚 recommendation failed to meet established standards for 鈥渞igorous analysis鈥� and 鈥渋dentifying specific entities for divestment or鈥� how financial divestment from the entities would address social harm as defined in the committee鈥檚 charge.鈥�
Owen Dahlkamp is a Section Editor overseeing coverage for University 国产偷拍 and Science & Research. Hailing from San Diego, CA, he is concentrating in political science and cognitive neuroscience with an interest in data analytics. In his free time, you can find him making spreadsheets at Dave鈥檚 Coffee.
Anisha Kumar is a section editor covering University Hall. She is a sophomore from Menlo Park, California concentrating in English and Political Science who loves speed-crosswording and rewatching sitcoms.
