MI: Wayne State Palestine protest attacked by police

Detroit, MI – Over 40 student protesters, demanding divestment from apartheid Israel and passing of new police accountability policies, entered a Wayne State board of governors meeting Friday April 26. The original aim was to advocate for their resolutions, but after the board of governors failed to even put them on the agenda, students acted.

They disrupted the meeting, locking arms and restating their demands against the board, mentioning the failure to create “proper channels for dialogue” – which those on the board and those in the administration have talked about since the Wayne State student senate passed a divestment resolution back in November.

Almost immediately after the disruption began, the police, without announcing a lawful order, started grabbing students, most of them women wearing hijabs and began brutalizing them. Students were kicked, thrown, grabbed by the neck, pulled by the hair. These and other acts of police brutality culminated in what was described in a Students for Justice in Palestine WSU statement as police having “arrested a member of SDS who happened to be the only Black student at the scene.”

When asked about the incident, one student protester who helped plan the demonstration said, “We never planned for arrests or to even hold the space; we simply wanted a lawful order to leave to expose that they never wanted dialogue but instead they exposed themselves far more than we ever could have thought.”

When Wayne State freshman Lana Kadi was asked how she felt about this brutal assault she said, “I am still processing what happened. [I] genuinely can’t believe this was allowed and we were watched by the [board of governors]. I was dragged aggressively and thrown out the door and pushed with no lawful order given. Just sentences of ‘get out, we need you to leave’ but no actual lawful order.”

Kadi said of the attacks by Wayne State PD “The police just time and time again want to do the opposite of what they are ‘supposed’ to do.” She continued, “I’m sore and don’t feel safe on campus or anywhere to be honest.”

Another Wayne State student who attended the protest stated, “It is truly heartbreaking. It is disgusting. Disgraceful. And most of all, a shame to see President Espy, the board of governors allowing law enforcement putting hands on the us – the youth of this generation – when all we ask is for them to have moral decency. To have a soul.” The student continued, “But if that’s how they’re going to be, then so be it. They can continue being silent. They can continue being complicit. They can continue to act as if nothing is happening. If anything, they are already seen as a joke and disappointment for many of those in the student body compared to the brave faculty members such as from Columbia who walk hand in hand with their students.”

The final part of the day’s events was after the arrest of Luis Rivera and included the immediate jail support and fight for his release. After the arrest, numerous protesters went into action, first exiting the building after the order and then picketing outside while other protesters got the information of where he was being held. Some contacted lawyers, and others shared the news of his arrest with the precinct phone number so people around the country to demand his release.

The protest itself quickly shifted from outside of the board of governors to the precinct and forming a crowd of over 30 people demanding his release. The police continued to threaten and harass the crowd, saying things like the call in demanding his release was stopping police business and they’d start arresting those calling. When told those calls were coming from around the country, the officer insisted he’d arrest people even in places like Arizona.

Yet even with this harassment, Luis Rivera was released within 30 minutes of the crowd’s arrival. Upon his release, as he walked to the crowd from the precinct doors as they cheered and chanted, “The people united can never be defeated!”

Rivera told the crowd, “Me getting arrested is nothing, me arrested is so small compared to anything Palestinians are going through right now. I don’t care I’ll get arrested a million more fucking times. The truth is I’m okay, I’m okay. Thank you for showing up.”

When asked his thoughts afterwords, he stated, “Although the arrest was unjust, it means nothing to me because it is nothing compared to what Palestinians are going through every single day in Gaza, the West Bank, and throughout all of occupied Palestine. They will continue to arrest peaceful protesters as a form of suppression, but it won’t stop us from fighting for a free Palestine. As for the call-ins, I am very grateful to all of the comrades who were quick to call in for a quick release from the station.” He added, “So-called ‘Israel’ was created on borrowed time and on stolen land and I will never stop fighting for a free Palestine.”

Rivera was charged with a misdemeanor disorderly conduct and loitering charges. No one who participated in the protest was sorry for attending and the overall mood after was one of determination for victory.

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