In a reversal of philosophy, leaders at the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) have allowed pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel protesters to remain in their encampments at the Tivoli quad. This is in stark contrast to AHEC’s reaction when protesters first arrived on the quad on Thursday, April 25, only to be cleared by police the next day in a sweep that included 44 arrests.
One day after those arrests, Saturday, April 26, many of the protesters returned to their encampments.
AHEC’s change in allowing the protesters to remain on the quad comes in the wake of meetings between campus leaders and the Denver chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, which has been the lead anti-Israel voice on campus.
Protesters staged a sit-in at the Auraria campus executive offices at the Tivoli Student Union at 3:45 p.m. on Monday, May 6.
School officials say the protesters refused to leave after multiple requests.
“Campus leaders, ACPD officers and other law enforcement agents led a conversation that resulted in protestors agreeing to meet at a future time,” AHEC said in a statement.
“The protestors left the offices and returned to the encampment on the Tivoli quad a little after 5 p.m.
“We believe we can both keep our campus safe and have peaceful protests. As we continue to keep the students and faculty of Auraria Campus safe, Auraria Campus Police and Denver Police are in alignment with responding to the demonstrations moving forward.
“There is no tolerance for those who break the law, engage in any violent acts, and willingly disrupt the safety of our campus.
“We will continue to seek the path forward that centers on the safety and continuity of our mission. This situation is complex and evolving daily.
“We value the support of DPD and all of our law enforcement partners and hope that our community will work collaboratively with us to move forward peacefully and amicably.”
At press time, the IJN learned that just before noon on May 7, protesters entered the Tivoli Student Union and disrupted campus operations during a meeting between Dr. Angie Paccione, who oversees the Colorado Dept. of Higher Education, and protest leaders.
During the meeting, protesters demonstrated on the first and second floors inside the Tivoli Student Union.
This disruption occurred while Dr. Paccione listened to the protesters’ concerns. Protesters made their demands known, threatening to disrupt commencement ceremonies if the demands were unmet.
The IJN has asked AHEC repeatedly to explain why the campus has allowed for the encampments to stay on the quad, with no response.
On May 3, Denver Chief of Police Ron Thomas appeared at Denver’s Citizen Oversight Board and said DPD refused a second request from Auraria to clear the camp, saying that law enforcement “has no legal way” to perform that duty.
The end of the semester at CU Denver is Saturday, May 11.
MSU ended its spring semester on April 30.
The last day at the Community College of Denver was May 6.
On May 3, a large area was cordoned off around the Golda Meir House Museum on the Auraria Campus as local Jews and Jewish supporters met for a solidarity rally.
Among the speakers were David Rones, an MSU junior and tour guide at the Golda Meir House Museum.
Rones said he uses the latter role to engage students and visitors about the former prime minister and the story of Israel.
Other speakers were Eldad Malka of Israeli American Council, Miri Kornfeld of StandWithUs, Rabbi Yisrael and Aura Ort of Chabad of Auraria Campus and their son Shmuel, and a member of JLaws.
Some students from CU Boulder traveled to Denver to participate in the event.
The speakers thanked local law enforcement for their support, with Rabbi Ort sharing with the audience that campus police joined the first student Shabbat dinner held on campus post-Oct. 7.
Kornfeld praised the students, saying that it “is an act of courage to be a proud Jew.
“Why we’re going to be OK,” said Kornfeld, “is because I love being a Jew more than you can hate me for it.”
Shana Goldberg contributed to this story.
© IJN 2024
