DENVER — Pro-Palestinian protesters have abandoned their three-week-old encampment at Auraria Campus.
On Friday, organizer Khalid Hamu told 9NEWS the camp would be dismantled that night or Saturday. Auraria Campus spokesperson Devra Ashby issued a statement Saturday afternoon that reads, in part, "The encampment has been abandoned, and cleanup efforts have begun on the Auraria Campus Tivoli Quad."
Organizers of the Auraria Campus protest called their protest at Tivoli Quad "a massive success." It partially achieved one of its stated demands, getting MSU Denver to disclose its investments.
> Video above aired Friday, May 17
Protesters did not achieve their other goals: getting the three colleges on the campus to divest from companies connected to Israel and the US military, a condemnation of Israel, and amnesty for protesters who were arrested.
Organizers said their protest will shift to "a new iteration of exhibitions throughout campus."
On Friday, Auraria Campus leaders announced all buildings would be locked Friday night until further notice, all on-campus events are canceled, and that classes would go remote. Ashby's statement Saturday says access to buildings is still restricted to "critical personnel and operations" for the safety of campus and community members, and that the Tivoli Quad and other green spaces will also close due to property repairs.
Last month, a pro-Palestine group organized an encampment on the Auraria Campus near downtown Denver. On Tuesday, Auraria Campus Police cited 12 protesters for trespassing, interference and disturbing the peace – arrests that come after campus police arrested 10 more protesters Monday for the same reasons.
Before Tuesday’s arrests, Ashby said it appeared more than half the people arrested or ticketed since the protest started appear not to be students.
Demonstrators have organized on more than 100 campuses across the country protesting Israel's attacks on Gaza and demanding their schools' divestment from companies linked to Israel's military campaign.
The full statement issued Saturday by Ashby on behalf of Auraria Campus reads as follows:
The encampment has been abandoned, and cleanup efforts have begun on the Auraria Campus Tivoli Quad today, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all students, staff, faculty, and community members, the Auraria Campus remains on a modified building access restricted to critical personnel and operations.
To expedite the restoration of the Campus, the Tivoli Quad and all other green spaces on the Auraria Campus will be closed until further notice for property repairs and other work that needs to be done to return to normal operations.
Since the encampment began on April 25, campus leaders have been unified in using a comprehensive approach to manage this situation and safeguard everyone involved. Leaders have worked diligently towards finding a peaceful resolution. We hope this will end more than three weeks of unauthorized occupation that has increasingly escalated into dangerous activities, taken significant time, resources, and dialogue with student protesters to resolve, and has pulled us away from our academic mission and goals.
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