20 | JUNE 13 • 2024
J
N
L
eaders of the
Jewish community
commended Wayne
State University administrators
for understanding the serious
threat posed to its campus
by a weeklong encampment.
The encampment popped
up on May 23, days after the
University of Michigan forcibly
removed an encampment on
May 21, which lasted 30 days.
In addition to the
threatening tone toward
Jews, the WSU encampment
was also an impediment to
students who had enrolled in
summer courses. Parents and
students took to social media
complaining they could not
participate in the courses they
had paid for, especially classes
that required laboratory or
in-clinic hours.
The rise and fall of what
most described as an “anti-
Israel” encampment followed a
swift timeline.
THE TIMELINE
On Thursday, May 23, about a
dozen tents popped up outside
of State Hall, according to a
statement released to the JN
by WSU communications
officials.
“The encampment
presented legal, health and
safety, and operational
challenges for our community,”
read the statement from
WSU’s Matthew Lockwood.
“University leadership
repeatedly engaged with
occupants of the encampment
… In each conversation, we
reiterated that the occupants
were trespassing on university
property, and we asked that
the encampment be removed.
“No individual or group is
permitted to claim campus
property for their own use
and deny others access to that
property.”
Among protesters’ demands
were to divest financial
holdings with companies
doing business in Israel, cut
ties between WSU Police and
the training they receive in
Israel, protect pro-Palestinian
students, conduct a formal
inquiry into the harassment
they experience and honor the
city of Detroit’s passage of a
ceasefire resolution.
On Monday May 27, WSU
officials again visited the
camp and offered a May 28
meeting with WSU President
Kimberly Andrews Espy if the
encampment were cleared out.
In her daily emails com-
municating the situation to
the WSU community, Espy
wrote: “Occupants removed
and relocated fencing, traffic
safety equipment, and other
materials from construction
sites and roadways, creating
multiple public safety hazards.
We cannot confirm how many
of the occupants may be our
students, but it appears that
many in the group are not
affiliated with WSU.”
On Tuesday, May 28,
WSU suspended in-person
classes and encouraged
staff to work remotely to
avoid any problems with the
encampment.
In the early morning hours
of May 30, WSU Police, after
giving several warnings,
shut down the encampment.
According to a statement
released by WSU, most of the
30 participants left peacefully.
Police arrested about 12
protesters, six of whom were
students. They were later all
released. The statement said
there will be an enhanced
security presence on campus
in the coming weeks.
In an emailed statement to
the community on May 30,
Espy maintained the rights
of free speech on campus but
wrote that WSU “will not
allow actions or conduct that
limit access to our campus,
Within one week, the university
cleared out the protesters.
The Rise
and Fall of
Wayne State’s
Anti-Israel
Encampment
continued on page 22
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
The WSU anti-Israel
encampment on
campus May 23-30
HILLEL OF METRO DETROIT