Minneapolis City Council members backed a resolution on Tuesday demanding all criminal charges and academic discipline be dropped against the student protesters who occupied Morrill Hall in October. About 50 activists packed the room to show support for the resolution.
Members of the Committee of the Whole voted 7 to 5 in favor of the resolution, which also called for the university to work with activists to achieve their goals of divestment from Israel and an academic boycott of Israeli institutions.
In January, the council passed a measure calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. military funding for Israel.
“I firmly believe that these actions will place the university, the county and the city on the right side of history,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley, who introduced the resolution. She represents Minneapolis’ Second Ward, which includes neighborhoods surrounding the University of Minnesota.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, University of Minnesota officials submitted a letter to council members emphasizing the damage caused by the Oct. 21 takeover of Morrill Hall and the stress of staff members trapped in the building that day.
Eleven people were arrested after the takeover of the building by members of the campus chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The action came after university regents voted down a request to divest from companies involved in Israel’s war in Gaza.
Of those arrested, eight are current students and three are recent graduates. Criminal charges were dropped against all but one, a recent grad who faces fourth-degree assault.
Last week, the University suspended seven of the eight students. Suspensions ranked from one to five semesters, during which students won’t have access to their transcripts. Students are also required to pay more than $5,600 each to cover damages which the university says will cost more than $67,000 to repair.
“We have seen many peaceful protests this fall. However, what happened in Morrill Hall yesterday was not a form of legitimate protest,” President Rebecca Cunningham said in an Oct. 22 letter to students, faculty and staff.
She added: “These actions crossed the line into illegal activity when they actively threatened the emotional and physical safety of our employees, prevented their free movement, disrupted building operations and destroyed campus property.”
To be readmitted, students will have to complete 20 hours of community service and write an essay about the difference between vandalism and protest. Students plan to appeal the decision.
“None of the charges were justified by citing evidence of individual actions at all,” said Annie Russell-Pribnow, an alum and SDS member who was arrested during the occupation of Morrill Hall.
A second City Council vote will take place on Thursday, and if adopted, the resolution will go to the mayor’s office. Student protestors and faculty expect Mayor Jacob Frey to veto the resolution. Nine city council members will need to support the resolution to override his veto.
For University of Minnesota student and SDS member Juliet Murphy, this first vote on the resolution is a huge win.
“This is a very important resolution because I think it will determine what we see in the future in terms of the protest repression,” said Murphy, who fears that suspensions will become the norm.
“It also must be stated, as we are going to a Trump presidency, we are likely going to see increased criminalisation and repression of protests,” said Wonsley. “It has [been] disappointing to see the University of Minnesota appear to comply with this alarming approach by also passing stronger anti-protest policies and arresting students.”
When presenting the resolution, Wonsley also stressed the legacy of campus activism and nonviolent protests that were first criminalized and are now celebrated for achieving social change.
“Decades from now the University of Minnesota community will look back and honor students who protested for Palestinian human rights in 2024,” she said. “But we don’t have to wait 30 years to acknowledge those who are protesting against genocide.”
