In Light of Police Action against the Popular University for Gaza on Library Mall
Posted: 2024-05-01 17:27:07 Expiration: 2034-05-09 17:27:07
Associated Students of Madison
333 East Campus Mall, 4301 Student Activity Center, Madison, WI
Website: asm.wisc.edu Phone: 608/265-4ASM
E-mail: press@asm.wisc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1 May 2024
In Light of Police Action against the Popular University for Gaza on Library Mall
On the morning of May 1st, UWPD, Madison PD, Dane County Sheriffs, and Wisconsin State Patrol were called by university administration to disband the student protest. At 7AM, they administered a 15-minute warning to demonstrators while many were asleep. Once the 15-minutes elapsed, the police began destroying the students’ encampment including their books, food, and medical supplies. Students, staff, faculty, and integral community members were detained and met with physical intimidation and aggression by law enforcement. A total of 34 people were arrested, four of the arrestees are now in Dane County Jail, and a number of demonstrators sustained physical injuries.
ASM deplores any violence against students, especially state-sanctioned violence, and recognizes the immeasurable harm that today’s events have on our community. The decision to use Memorial Union — a space funded in part by our student segregated fees — as a holding space for detainment is the antithesis of the needs of the student body. We urge university administration to leave our students alone. We stand with our students and defend their right to free expression under the first amendment. ASM applauds our students for standing up for what they believe in and advocates for their right to protest peacefully.
ASM calls for amnesty for all students involved in the demonstration. We demand that no protesters be charged or face administrative sanctions for exercising their right to free expression. We call on university instructors to extend academic flexibility to students who wish to participate in protest and those that have been impacted by today’s police intervention.
ASM recognizes our power and privilege within the scope of UW-Madison, and will continue to pursue positive change on this campus through various advocacy efforts. We commit to addressing concerns related to student protest policy. We commit to ensuring that UWPD and their future operations accurately respond to students’ safety concerns without jeopardizing their well-being. We welcome the input of any student that would like to provide feedback and/or hold us accountable in meeting these goals.
We urge students to support one another as we navigate through these final weeks of the semester. Our community is our greatest resource. ASM stands with you.
Signed By Representatives & Officers:
HAIA AL ZEIN
SABEEL ABUHAKMEH
CAMREN LIVERMORE, EQUITY & INCLUSION CHAIR
CHARLOTTE NEUMANN
HANNAH STAHMANN, 30TH SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR
REPRESENTATIVE WESNER
ETHAN JACKOWSKI
CHRISTINA TREACY, 30TH SESSION
FARHIYO ALI
THOMAS NIEPSUJ
ETHAN SANDERS
MEGAN MLADUCKY
AMELIA ALVAREZ
ANNA SCHELLIN
MUAZ SALEM
DOMINIC ZAPPIA
SIDNEY MCDUFFIE
LANDIS VARUGHESE
REED LOKKEN
BEN ROCHE
ALEXIS SMIEZEK
ASHLEY HAGEN
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-- Associated Students of Madison