Denver police officers arrest a pro-Palestinian protester outside the Tivoli Student Union on CU Denver’s campus on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
After a day of arrests, clashes with police and tense protests, pro-Palestinian demonstrators are settling into a rainy second night camped on CU Denver’s quad. About 40 people were arrested and charged with municipal offenses like trespassing and interference, according to an Auraria Campus statement.
Police in riot gear encircled a pro-Palestine protest encampment at the Tivoli quad on the Auraria Campus, which houses the University of Colorado Denver, Metro State and the Community College of Denver, just after 12:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. Protesters were warned earlier that they would be ticketed or arrested if the encampment stayed, but locked arms around the outer edge of the encampment in an effort to prolong the demonstration in its initial stages.
At least four different law enforcement agencies responded to the protest with dozens of officers and vehicles. All inbound traffic to the Auraria Campus closed early Friday afternoon, according to an emergency alert. Due to “civil unrest,” another alert urged people to avoid the area.
“This is the largest police presence I’ve ever seen on the Auriaria Campus,” Savannah Brooks, the student president-elect at CU Denver, said. “I can’t say this is the kind of response that I would like to see for this protest. I would love to see all of our students in a safe environment that they feel comfortable [to share] their voices.”
The protest became more intense as the afternoon went on. Protesters encircled police officers who pushed out toward the crowd. Officers yelled at protesters to back up or move out of the way as onlookers and members of the media looked on.
According to a bystander, more than a dozen protesters had been arrested by 2 p.m., with law enforcement pushing past crowds of people as they dragged demonstrators to vans parked nearby.
Z Williams, a representative of the Bread and Roses legal fund, said they saw people receive injuries from batons, pushing and stampeding during the early afternoon clash.
After the police had arrested more than 40 protesters, before 3 p.m., they began to withdraw. The crowd advanced on police officers as they attempted to leave the campus and some demonstrators said they moved to the Denver County jail to follow the people who had been arrested.
Around 4 p.m. on Friday, demonstrators had almost fully rebuilt their encampment and many had not left the quad.
A group of progressive state lawmakers, Denver city officials and CU Regent Wanda James wrote an open letter to Denver and Auraria police calling for the “immediate and unconditional immunity” of the protesters who had been arrested.
A protester waving a Palestinian flag stands in front of Denver law enforcement on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
Hours after protesters and police clashed in the quad, law enforcement arrived again just after 5 p.m. Auraria Campus Chief of Police Jason Mollendor told protesters they had 15 minutes to leave the area. However, an hour went by as protesters continued chanting and police took no action.
Some demonstrators were informed that if they gave up their tents, they would be allowed to stay. Shortly afterward, a number of Muslim men and women set out a tarp to pray on in front of the line of police.
Just before 7 p.m., Denver Mayor Mike Johnson arrived at the Tivoli Student Union, escorted by Denver Sheriff’s deputies.
As it began to rain, the dozens of law enforcement officers all withdrew into the student union. Many protesters cheered and advanced as police filed into the building.
Mayor Johnson told protesters that if they took their tents down within 30 minutes, they would be safely stored and the protest could continue. He spoke with protesters for no more than a minute and was met with a hostile crowd.
No tents were taken down in the encampment, although there were fewer demonstrators on the quad late in the evening,
“[Mayor Johnson] wants us to go back to something that you’re able to ignore,” protest organizer Khalid Hamu told the CU Independent.
“We fully support the right of students to assemble peacefully. Still, it’s essential to note that Auraria Campus policy prohibits camping on the premises because of health, safety, and security considerations. Participants set up an encampment and were repeatedly notified that they did not comply with the policy,” a statement from the Auraria Campus read.
The campus published an updated statement at 9 p.m.
“This action occurred only after exhaustive efforts to engage the protesters again and understand their perspectives, and explain campus safety policies. After the crowd and safety concerns grew, it became increasingly clear that our duty to protect students and the rest of our community was paramount,” it read.
A spokesperson for the University of Colorado did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
A police officer at a pro-Palestine protest at CU Denver on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
After Johnson left, the rainfall that drove police inside increased in intensity and the temperature dropped. Police motorcycles, vans and squad cars left the area in large numbers until only a small number of law enforcement remained on the scene just before 10 p.m. Friday evening.
As for the protesters, they plan to stick out the rain and cold for the foreseeable future.
“The plan is to pretty much keep doing the same thing,” Hamu said. “Keep the encampment up until our demands get met.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Contact CU Independent Special Investigations Editor Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Kiara DeMare at kiara.demare@colorado.edu.
