The Pigs Can Try, But They’ll Never Stop Us: On the Police Raid of UMich’s Gaza Encampment

Report on the defense and eviction of the encampment at the University of Michigan in solidarity with Palestine. Originally published on Black Ink.

After 30 days and multiple sweep alarms that did not materialize, University of Michigan PD finally evicted the Ann Arbor encampment at U-M between 5–6 a.m. on May 21st, 2024. Unlike the credible sweep threat last week (for which dozens of community members mobilized to the encampment), no material police force buildup was observed by scouts at key logistical sites as late as 4 a.m. Similarly, there were no clear tell-tale signs of a sweep on scanners.

However, about two dozen people were awake and willing to push back against police when they finally did attack. Eight minutes into a 10-minute dispersal order, about 20–30 UMPD cops with riot helmets and batons attacked in unison with the “move back” chant, excessively pepper-spraying the frontliners. Protesters pushed back with whatever tools were at their disposal: mostly putting their bodies as well as objects such as camp chairs in the way of the advancing police lines. At least one protester had goggles for protection against pepper-spray, but other than that, protesters had little protective gear and were generally not dressed in attire that could improve anonymity and protect their skin from chemical weapons. Despite the lack of protective gear, protestors consistently supported one another in flushing eyes and returning to engage with the police, with many protestors returning to be sprayed multiple times. De-arrest tactics were employed with mixed results. Some objects were thrown in the police’s direction to keep them at bay. Three people were taken to ER, were discharged, and are currently in good condition. Four people were arrested and released around 1 p.m. to a large cheering crowd doing jail support and picketing outside the jail.

During the raid, other police units shut down all access points to the central campus plaza with vehicles and caution tape. At one access point, people who arrived at the scene after the raid had begun started protesting without crossing the line. The cops, who wielded batons and displayed a line of handcuff zip ties, pushed the protesters onto the street. The protesters then marched on the streets of downtown, closely tracked by several Ann Arbor Police Department patrol vehicles.

The cops left the encampment in ruins. Facility workers were deployed to clean up the mess. Later that morning, U-Hauls, municipal garbage trucks, and a crawler dozer were spotted moving the remains of the encampment into a dumpster. UM police confiscated the campers’ personal belongings (including clothes and prescription glasses), books and zines from the Liberation Library, and prayer rugs, among many other items. The day after the raid (May 22), UM police confirmed that they trashed the large amount of non-perishable foods they took from the encampment, at a time when there is so much hunger and homelessness in Washtenaw County. This fits the pattern of UM police’s activities, which are dedicated to criminalizing poverty and removing people the university deems “undesirable” from public space. The story is the same—police only exist to protect property, not people.

Members of the student coalition TAHRIR as well as other anti-genocide protesters acted quickly to go to the Washtenaw County Jail on Hogback Road to support the four people arrested. Under a blazing sun, dozens of community members picketed in front of the jail, refusing to leave until their comrades were released. Food, water, sunscreen, banners, and drums came with community members to replace materials trashed by the cops. This impromptu mobilization demonstrates people’s willingness to defend each other, while also notably moving students off campus to confront Washtenaw County’s broader carceral landscape. We hope to see more demonstrations of solidarity at the jail, not just with student protestors, but with all people caught up in WashCo’s racist and patriarchal carceral system.

Despite the raid, morale is high and people are eager to continue fighting. This may take many forms yet unseen in Ann Arbor, but it also includes dedicated anti-repression organizing, such as packing the courts for arraignments and hearings. We also recognize the need to generalize unrest and escalate in and beyond campus in order to stop the US-backed genocide in Gaza.

We write this as the zionist attacks on Palestine escalate, and as liberals applaud the recognition of the Palestinian Authority as well as ineffectual “steps towards divestment” in exchange for the demobilization of various student anti-genocide groups. We write this as the resistance in Palestine escalates on their own terms as well. We know that all repression by the police and courts on stolen land here rhymes with the settler violence by the state of Israel. None of us are free until Palestine is free. We are against all cops, all zionists, and we are against this fascist, white supremacist, capitalist world. They swept the camp but they cannot sweep our visions of liberation, nor can they sweep the affinities, alliances, and relationships we built together on the Diag. Long live the encampment! Free Palestine!