Protesters and police clash as protesters lock Cobb Gate, police arrest three – Chicago Maroon

At a UChicago United for Palestine (UCUP) rally, three protesters were arrested and physical confrontations broke out between protesters and officers. Previously, protesters locked the Cobb Gate with a bicycle lock despite UCPD’s efforts to keep the gate open. Several police officers used pepper spray and batons at the rally. Protesters damaged UCPD vehicles and kicked at least one officer.

The rally, which began with a walkout at 2:30 p.m., turned into a brawl involving at least 200 university and community demonstrators, 20 University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) officers and 30 other demonstrators Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers.

Deans-on-Call told UCPD around 2:15 p.m. that the university had “zero tolerance” for excessive noise before attempting to hand out warning cards at 2:45 p.m. to protest leaders who were using megaphones to lead chants on the place to lead. The cards read: “Final Warning: This card is intended to inform you or your student organization that your conduct violates the policies outlined in the Student Handbook.” The cards also contained four QR codes linked to relevant university policies updated before the start of the academic year. The demonstrators refused to accept the cards.

Chants at the rally included: “We know where your money is going by bombing schools and houses in Gaza” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.” One protest leader said that the university “claims that you We have our safety and well-being at heart, but over the last year these duplicitous administrators have shown their true colors.”

At around 3pm, protesters marched from the center of the square through the Hull and Cobb gates at the north end. After all of the protesters passed through the Cobb Gate, the protesters closed the gate and secured it with a bicycle lock, despite police attempts to stop them. They also hung a banner on the gate that read “Liberate Palestine” and “Hands off Lebanon.”

By this point, the protest had grown to over 150 people and spread to East 57th Street. The protesters left room for cars to pass, but UCPD patrol cars blocked the street at both ends.

Protesters told police: “Pigs are going home” and chanted: “Intifada, Intifada, long live the Intifada.”

At 3:15 p.m., protesters left the Cobb Gate and walked north on S. Ellis Avenue. They stopped in front of the nuclear energy sculpture next to the Regenstein Library, whereupon some protesters threw paint on the statue and painted graffiti around the area that read “Free Gaza” and “Hands off Lebonan.” [sic]and “Fuck the bombs.” CPD officers arrived on scene and joined at least 20 UCPD officers. Some wore riot gear and carried batons and zip ties.

Around 3:30 p.m., the protest moved further north along the street, stopping between the Ratner Athletics Center and the Court Theater. Police searched for, attacked and arrested a protester, who they placed in a patrol car. The demonstrators tried to prevent the arrest by physically confronting the officers. The Maroon could not confirm why this protester was arrested.

Other protesters began chanting “Let him go!” and surrounded the patrol car in which the arrested protester was being held. An officer attempted to drive the UCPD squad car away from the scene but was blocked by the crowd of protesters. Officers and protesters continued to push against each other.

Another protester hit the side mirror of a separate police car several times with what appeared to be a rock and then rejoined the crowd.

As tensions escalated, a third protester kicked a CPD officer in the back of the leg. Officers attempted to arrest the protester by hitting him with a baton. They chased him briefly and caught him halfway down the block, whereupon they arrested him and put him in a patrol car.

Officers used pepper spray on the demonstrators, who then rubbed their eyes and washed them with water. A student told this Maroon that he was pepper-sprayed by an officer who was “harassing students at the camp.” A Maroon A reporter witnessed a UCPD officer accidentally spraying a Chicago Police Department captain with pepper spray, an incident for which the UCPD officer later apologized.

Around 3:45 p.m., protesters began spreading north along South Ellis Avenue, south toward the Quad and through the courtyard of the SMART Museum. A CPD officer remarked to the assembled officers, “That was fun for a while.” Shortly thereafter, CPD and UCPD officers also dispersed. At 4 p.m. the barrier at Cobb Gate was removed and the gate reopened.

By 5 p.m., Facility Services had begun removing the graffiti around the Nuclear Energy sculpture using high-pressure cleaners.

Eman Abdelhadi, assistant professor of comparative human development and member of the Faculty and Staff of Justice in Palestine (formerly Faculty of Justice in Palestine), was present at the protest and spoke to the Maroon in an interview after the protesters dispersed.

“It was a huge escalation,” Abdelhadi said of police officers’ response to the protest. “This was a relatively small rally and demonstration. I understand there was a bit of spray painting or something, but the university upgraded it to assault. The police were extremely brutal… I will never forget having to throw water in a student’s eyes when he said, “I can’t see, I can’t see, I can’t see,” after being pepper sprayed .”

In a statement on MaroonThe university confirmed the arrests of three protesters after demonstrators locked Cobb Gate, vandalized campuses and pushed officers. “On Friday around 3:20 p.m., a group of protesters who had marched from a rally on campus used locks to block access to campus through a gate at number 57Th Street and began spray painting buildings and public art near the corner of Ellis Avenue and 57Th Street. Officers from the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) responded to the scene. Protesters sparked confrontations with police by physically surrounding a police car, destroying and damaging other property, blocking the public road, and striking police officers who responded. UCPD arrested two people – one for criminal damage to property and one for assault on a police officer. Chicago police arrested one person for assault on a police officer.”

According to a university spokesperson, “The University of Chicago is fundamentally committed to upholding the right of protesters to express their opinions on any issue.” At the same time University Guidelines Make it clear that protests must not endanger public safety, disrupt university operations, or involve the destruction of property.”

Today’s protest comes at the end of the National Students for Justice in Palestine’s “Week of Rage,” which commemorates the anniversary of the start of the Israel-Hamas war and includes the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7. Sunset on Friday also marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the end of the Jewish holiday High Holidays.

At the time of publication, UCPD had not responded to a request for comment and CPD could not be reached for comment. UCUP had not yet commented.

– Eva McCord, associate editor; Anu Vashist, Editor-in-Chief; Zachary Leiter, deputy editor-in-chief; Tiffany Li and Katherine Weaver, news editors; Sabrina Chang, deputy news editor, Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, senior news reporter