Twelve Emerson students and one non-Emerson student participated. arrested Friday afternoon outside the Cutler Majestic Theater where President Jay Bernhardt was inaugurated.
Prior to the arrest, Emerson Students for Justice Palestine (SJP), along with Emerson Democratic Socialist Association (DSA), Rally and revolutionary breakfast 10 a.m. at Uncommon Stage on Boston Common. According to Emerson SJP, the rally protested university tuition hikes, the repression of students and faculty, and the silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Instagram post.
“Emerson lied and failed to protect his students,” Emerson SJP said in a statement. statement About the arrest on Instagram. “The university is directly responsible for what happened today and for the past six months of genocide in Gaza.”
About 50 students gathered outside the theater at the start of the demonstration's opening ceremony, according to an email announcement from the university sent to the Emerson community Friday night. Thirteen people were arrested after several protesters “failed to comply with multiple requests by police,” the email said. Police reports indicate the students were arrested for “disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct,” according to the latest email.
“We support the right of individuals to express dissenting opinions and viewpoints, but do so in a manner that is consistent with our policies and community standards. This ensures that our community can learn safely and You will be able to live and work,” the email said. “We care deeply about our students and know there are many strong and conflicting feelings. As a community, we are committed to working together toward a common understanding. Masu.”
The Emerson College Police Department (ECPD) did not respond to The Beacon's request for comment. The Boston Police Department (BPD) told a Beacon reporter that ECPD will use BPD facilities to arrest and process students, while ECPD will handle potential charges and hearings.
In response to Beacon's initial request for comment, the university notified Beacon of an email update to the community.
Community members raised bail money through Venmo to support the 13 students who were arrested. Of those, he had 11 students of color. Friday around 2pm, Emerson SJP announced On Instagram, they reported that they had reached their goal and that 2 out of 13 students had been released at that time. The remaining funds will be donated to Gaza's GoFundMe page, Emerson SJP said in a post.
“Thank you so much for all the support,” Emerson SJP said in an Instagram post. “We will never forget the unity and community you showed us.”
Friday at approximately 6:47 p.m., Boston Chapter of the Socialist Liberation Party, Emerson College Student Union (ECSU), Emerson SJP I posted a video He posted on Instagram about the students who had been released, but said some were still being detained.
“We have people power and we will never surrender,” Emerson SJP said in the post. “We support the Emerson 13 and will always fight for each other.”
According to Emerson SJP's Instagram story, all remaining students were released around 9 p.m.
After the students were released from detention, Emerson SJP said in an Instagram post that the students were not receiving support from the university. Christie Anglade, associate dean of campus life, said in a post that restrictions have been put in place to limit the movement and activities of 12 Emerson students on campus.
Anglade did not immediately respond to Beacon's request for comment.
The meeting at Boston Common 26 academic hearings Emerson SJP and ECSU received them this semester, 10 of them in the past week leading up to the protests. Emerson SJP said the hearing was “baseless and fabricated”. Emerson SJP and ECSU have not disclosed what these hearings were about or which university officials were involved in each hearing.
According to Emerson SJP's Instagram post, Vice President and Director of Campus Life Jim Hoppe contacted members of both groups and asked for a meeting. SJP Emerson said in the post that he requested a meeting with Bernhardt, which he had requested since the fall semester. Because of the delay in responding, Hoppe initially declined the request, then accepted it at the last minute, but did not set up a meeting before the ceremony, Emerson SJP said in the post.
Hoppe did not immediately respond to The Beacon's request for comment.
In a university email sent to the Emerson community on March 21, Bernhardt acknowledged that students planned to protest during the ceremony, but the university said the inauguration event would bring the community together. He said he hopes to do so.
“With all due respect, we would like to remind everyone in attendance that the University has the following policy: freedom of expression and protest“Peaceful protests are permitted immediately outside the building or venue as long as the doors are not blocked,” Bernhardt wrote in an email. “Our policies prohibit protests and disruptions in buildings, including the Cutler Majestic Theater, and those who ignore our policies will be held accountable.”
Emerson SJP said on Instagram that several bystanders chimed in that there was a clear path in and out of the building, but the students were still arrested.
The March 21 email also said the university “supports and believes in you.” [the] The community has the right to hold and express its opinions, and everyone is expected to follow University policies regarding how they do so. ”
“We have established these guidelines to allow our community to engage in open discussion while preventing disruption to activities to continue operations essential to the University’s mission,” the email said. It is listed.
in Instagram post Bernhardt's March 21 post about the inauguration week celebrations was flooded with comments from students expressing support for the 13 people arrested. As of March 23, there were 95 comments related to the arrest and the university's March 22 statement regarding the incident. A similar comment was also left on the university's official Instagram. Latest post created 300.
Some campus organizations: student government association, Alliance Emerson Asian Students, Mercutio's troupe, musical theater association, Bluejay Theater Collective, Emerson Froese, MShakes Theater Companyand musical theater against the grainhas since posted a statement on Instagram in solidarity with the 13 students who were arrested and condemning student oppression on campus.
