Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from by UMN SDS.
On the second day of the Halimy Hall suspension hearings there were three big takeaways.
Witnesses inside Halimy hall state they would like to see Halimy hall arrestees participate in restorative justice. When asked about restorative justice for the students, witnesses from inside Halimy Hall said they would be interested in seeing the students have a restorative justice option as opposed to further punitive punishment. This contrasts the university's multiple denials of a restorative justice proposal by the legal team, in which they claim restorative justice is exclusively used for academic cases, refusing to consider the social and historical context behind this case and firmly placing it among cases of sexual misconduct in how it can be handled.
Chicago, IL – In the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, February 28, around 150 students walked out of Sullivan High School to protest against ICE. The students, with support of community groups, were able to have a successful walkout and add to the visible resistance in Chicago.
The Immigrants’ Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC – CAARPR) played a big supporting role in this walkout, helping students with flyering-materials, posters, banners, megaphone, etc. The IRWC met the students outside, alongside other community groups like Rad Rogers Park, Kabataan Alliance, and New Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Illinois Chicago (New SDS at UIC).
New York, NY – On February 27, the New York University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and picket outside the NYU Kimmel center to demand that the university senate refuse to comply with Donald Trump’s executive orders, and to commit to protecting its students from any attacks that may come in the future.
New York, NY – On February 25, over 20 NYU students, faculty and workers picketed the board of trustees meeting demanding they disclose and divest from all companies supplying Israel in its genocidal occupation of Palestine.
Tallahassee, FL – On Friday, February 28, students and other groups held a protest against the arrival of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk on FSU.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, is known for his reactionary statements about LGBTQ people and Black Americans, insisting that the Civil Rights Act of 1965 was a mistake and should be repealed, while calling Martin Luther King Jr. an “awful person.” He has spoken at several universities as part of his “American Comeback” speaking tour.
Detroit, MI – On Wednesday, February 26, over 30 students, faculty, and community members marched at Wayne State University to defend DEI institutions and demand ICE is kicked off campus. The protest was planned in the wake of a series of emails sent by Wayne State administration, where they did not promise to protect students if ICE appeared on campus, and they stated that they would comply with Donald Trump’s executive orders regarding diversity, equity and inclusion.
Baton Rouge, LA – On Friday February 21, a group of students at Louisiana State University (LSU) disrupted a board of supervisors meeting in order to present demands to administration. The students had four demands they wanted to bring to the board of supervisors: reinstate Professor Ken Levy, make LSU a sanctuary campus, stop tuition hikes, and disclose and divest investments with Israel.
New Orleans, LA – On Monday February 24, 25 students representing eight student organizations gathered at the office of Loyola University’s President, Dr. Xavier Cole, to deliver a letter that included demands to stop an impending tuition hike, divest from Israeli apartheid, and safeguard the right to free speech. President Cole greeted the students as each representative lined up outside his office and presented him with copies.
