The university’s new expressive activity policy came into effect Thursday. Police said they’ll clear the remaining items from the meadow, and protesters said they don’t plan to stop them.
(Ethan Sandweiss, WTIU)
Thursday was the 99th day of the pro-Gaza Dunn Meadow encampment organizers call the Liberated Zone. Tomorrow will be the last.
Police said they’ll clear the remaining items from the meadow, and protesters said they don’t plan to stop them.
The university’s new expressive activity policy came into effect Thursday, banning unapproved tents on campus. The university put up signs announcing the policy around the meadow, and IU police walked through the camp telling protesters they’ll remove the remaining structures.
At its peak, the Liberated Zone contained around two dozen tents. Protesters now say they're shifting organizing to other fronts. (Ethan Sandweiss, WTIU)
A student who referred to themselves as Squid stood beside a small garden protesters had planted, a splash of color in the mostly empty meadow.
Squid said when police do come, organizers will watch but they won’t interfere.
“Our plans are to let them,” they said. “We don't have enough people to defend it, and we also don't want to incur more injuries like we did last time from the Indiana State Police.”
Much of the camp has already been cleared, and only a few tents remain.
An IUPD officer asks organizers if they'll be removing their things. (Ethan Sandweiss, WTIU)
As I spoke with Squid, an IUPD officer came up and asked protesters what they wanted to do with the remaining items in the meadow.
“Are you wanting to collect things and remove them, or do you want to leave them here to be collected by IU employees at a later date?” he asked a group of students. “Didn’t know what the plan was.”
“Are you guys doing a storm delay, or are you coming through in this?” one protester asked. Drops of rain fell from storm clouds overhead.
“I guarantee I’m not doing this,” the officer replied.
Protest organizer Bryce Greene said on the social media site X that protesters have “decided to shift their organizing to other fronts.”
Unfortunately, the University's board of trustees just voted in a new policy that would justify enormous levels of violence against students.
So we've decided to shift our organizing to other fronts as police and facilities try to clear the camp today.
“We’re going to be focused on tabling around campus, trying to educate at least 100 people to speak knowledgeably and intelligently about Palestine,” Squid said.
Protesters planted the Sabiyah and Bassam Abu Rahman memorial garden in memory of a Palestinian boy killed by IDF tear gas. (Ethan Sandweiss, WTIU)
The camp divided sentiments on campus. Some hailed it as an example of successful organizing for a humanitarian cause, while critics characterized it as a safety risk and accused protesters of making antisemitic comments.
At its peak, the camp contained around two dozen of tents and hosted teach-ins, movie nights and lectures. It also served as the base for protests that spread through campus.
Organizers erected the camp on April 25, saying they would remain there until IU met its goals: complete divestment from Israel, the end of IU’s partnership with the Crane naval base and the removal of IU president Pamela Whitten and provost Rahul Shrivastav.
A sign put up by the university near Dunn Meadow. (Sophie Kaelble, WTIU)
A committee assembled by IU administrators changed campus policy the night before in an attempt to prevent the encampment. That led to 57 arrests over two days, but protesters reestablished the camp both nights.
Squid reflected on how IU has changed since then.
“I feel like among faculty and staff it’s led to a higher degree of mistrust for Pamela Whitten. I think that we have encouraged a lot of people to change their views on Palestine,” they said. “As for admin, it's made them more authoritarian.”
