Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley, a self-identified socialist and supporter of Palestine, is calling on authorities to drop all charges against 11 University of Minnesota students arrested during a protest on campus Monday.
The protesters, who barricaded themselves inside the university’s Morrill Hall, were demanding that the university divest from Israel and support an academic boycott of Israeli institutions because of the war in Gaza.
“We should not be giving college students criminal charges for engaging in nonviolent protest,” Wonsley wrote. The students were booked on various charges, including riot, trespassing, and damage to property. According to a statement by the university, some staff members were trapped inside during the protest.
“Once inside the building, protesters began spray painting, including covering lenses of all internal security cameras, breaking interior windows, and barricading the building’s entrance and exit points. The full extent of the damage is unknown. A number of staff were working in the building at the time, and several people were not able to exit, with some being unable to exit the building for an extended period of time,” the university said.
Yesterday UMPD arrested students engaged in nonviolent protest. Campus activism is an important part of our history & has helped advance crucial social movements. I urge the U to drop all charges & work with students to accomplish their goals.
Read more: https://t.co/dTTu5PPFPy pic.twitter.com/29kZi4alwG
— Robin Wonsley – Minneapolis Ward 2 (@MplsWard2) October 22, 2024
In a letter addressed to University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham, University Police Chief Matthew Clark, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, and Minneapolis City Attorney Kristyn Anderson, Wonsley condemned the arrests and urged officials to release the students without further legal action.
“I urge the University of Minnesota Police Department to drop all charges against these students. I urge the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and Office of the City Attorney to not pursue any charges,” she wrote.
Wonsley drew parallels between the recent protest and demonstrations from the 1970s that called for divestment from South Africa. “Many of the social movements we now celebrate and uplift were criminalized and repressed when they used nonviolent protest to advance their goals,” Wonsley wrote.
Monday’s protest escalated when students moved into Morrill Hall, where they barricaded entrances with furniture and damaged property, including spray-painting over security cameras.
UMPD intervened, arresting 11 individuals on charges ranging from trespassing to property damage. The arrested students, aged 18 to 26, were booked into the Hennepin County Jail on various charges but had not been formally charged as of Tuesday. Jail records indicate that most of the students were released from custody Wednesday.
“Repression and punishment of student activists is ineffective at preventing protest, contradicts our city and University’s stated values, undermines democratic norms, and often falls on the wrong side of history,” Wonsley wrote.
In August, the University of Minnesota declined to divest from Israel, instead adopting a policy of “institutional neutrality.” The policy was not satisfactory to activists who have continued to protest on campus.
An investigation into the protest is ongoing, according to the university. Imran Ali, general counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, urged Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty to press charges against the protesters. “Consequences provide accountability,” Ali said in a statement, calling on the county attorney to uphold the law in the face of political pressure.
Update: According to the Associated Press, one of the arrested individuals has been charged with fourth-degree assault.
“Our office received 11 case submissions Wednesday morning related to the arrests at the University of Minnesota earlier this week and immediately authorized release from custody pending case review,” the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office told the outlet. “After review, decisions on felony-level charges in 10 cases have been deferred pending additional routine investigation, including any information connecting specific individuals to specific acts, damages, and costs.”
Eight of the individuals arrested are current students and three are alumni, the outlet reported.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
