University of Arizona media and campus police officials warned students early Monday that if they stayed in the college mall to have their voices heard past restricted hours at a pro-Palestinian protest, they would be arrested.
Before the 10:30 p.m. deadline, protest organizers announced they would leave the UA mall. Despite heavy police presence, no arrests were made. Some organizers vowed to resume the protest Tuesday.
Harlow Parkin, a freshman at the UA and one of the protest organizers, said they are determined to continue an extended call.
“We are not going to back down. The administration should be afraid. We are going to come back stronger than ever.”
Kerrick Wolf was staked out on the UA mall until about 10 p.m. with a group called the Revolutionary Communists of America.
“I do think it’s clear that divesting from genocide is an easy answer for the University of Arizona,” he said.
The Tucson encampment comes after campuses across the country — at Columbia University in New York, University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University and elsewhere — have witnessed escalating tension as increasingly vocal calls to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been met with mass arrests and aggressive police tactics against students, faculty and news media reporting on the protests.
Almost immediately after protesters left the UA campus Monday night, street cleaners arrived to wipe chalk messages off the ground as crews installed metal barricades around the grass on the mall.
Arizona Luminaria asked UA communications officials early Monday whether the campus mall closes during certain hours, and if that’s the case, what are those hours and where is the UA policy published for the public’s awareness. A reporter also asked if campus police routinely enforce removing students from the mall, whether police have previously arrested students for not leaving the mall area, why such a policy exists and UA’s stance on the protest movement.
A UA spokesperson warned of arrests in an emailed statement.
“The University of Arizona is committed to respecting and protecting the free speech rights of our students and the university. We are monitoring today’s event and are engaging in active conversations with the participants. University policy provides that non-academic activity on the mall and across the campus must conclude by 10:30 p.m. The university expects students, staff, and campus visitors to adhere to university policies. Those who do not disperse when requested will be subject to arrest.”
The University of Arizona Police Department emailed the same statement in response to Arizona Luminaria asking if people will be arrested if they stay at the mall past 10 p.m. and how police plan to ensure the safety of students and others if arrests do take place.
The UA policy outlines nighttime use of facilities, stating that “in order to protect public health and safety, no part of the campus, including the Mall and Park Student Union outdoor space, is generally available for organized activities after 10:30 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m., except for Official University Activities or Authorized Activities.”
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