DETROIT (WXYZ) — Early Thursday morning, Wayne State University police and the Detroit Police Department raided a pro-Palestinian encampment at the university.
It comes after Wayne State University transitioned to remote classes earlier this week "until further notice."
A university spokesman tells 7 News Detroit that university administration has asked demonstrators to remove their tents several times.
We're told 12 people were arrested in the raid, according to Wayne State University officials. Now, protesters have moved to the Detroit Detention Center on Mound Rd. to protest outside of the detention center.
WATCH: Police tear down the encampment at Wayne State University:
Hear from protesters who spoke after the raid below
"I believe that students have the right to protest. They were protesting peacefully. They have always been peaceful," Morhaf Alachkar, a Wayne State associate professor in the school of medicine, said.
Ali Hassan, who represents WSU Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), told us earlier this week he believes the university's shift to remote learning means the administration is taking notice.
"What happened today was honestly really exhausting and disturbing. I feel extremely unsafe," Dania A, with Wayne State SJP, said at the protest. "They came at us with riot gear. We all had just woken up, we were all in pajamas, we were all extremely tired."
“The reason that they went remote is because we have put pressure on them," he said.
VIDEO: Earlier report about protesters setting up encampment at Wayne State, calling for divestment of funds to Israel:
The protesters are demanding for university administration call to divest from weapons-manufacturing companies, publish a full disclosure of investments, and for the university to issue a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Wayne State posted the following statement regarding this raid, from President Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy.
Dear Wayne State faculty, students, and staff,
The encampment at Wayne State University was removed this morning. After ongoing consultation with the Board of Governors, university leadership, and leaders in the community – and after many good-faith efforts to reach a different conclusion – this was the right time to take this necessary step.
Starting at approximately 5:30 a.m., officers from the Wayne State University Police Department made repeated amplified announcements to allow everyone time to gather their belongings and leave. Many people left. Final cleanup of the area is ongoing, and campus operations will remain remote for today. We will announce tomorrow’s operations later today.
At Wayne State, we live by an unwavering set of values – including collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion – as well as a commitment to safety, security and equity for our entire campus community. As president, I have a responsibility to uphold these values for all to live, learn and work.
Since the encampment was established on May 23, it presented legal, health and safety, and operational challenges for our community. University leadership repeatedly engaged with occupants of the encampment; descriptions of our actions and videos of these interactions are archived publicly here.
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.
The encampment created multiple legal, health, and safety challenges that disrupted our operations and required us to shift to remote operations this week. The encampment also created an environment of exclusion – one in which some members of our campus community felt unwelcome and unable to fully participate in campus life.
Wayne State University has a proud history of supporting freedom of speech, religion, and the right to peacefully protest, while respecting the voices of our students, faculty, staff, and community. When actions violate the law, threaten health and safety, or impair the ability of our campus community to conduct the work of the university, however, we must act.
Meanwhile, we remain more committed than ever to our mission of creating and advancing knowledge, preparing a diverse student body to thrive, and positively impacting local and global communities.
Thank you for your continued support of Wayne State’s mission and values.
This is a developing story. 7 News Detroit will provide more info when it becomes readily available.
