Student protesters declare victory in deal with UW-Milwaukee, keep door open for more protests
Pro-Palestinian protesters will meet Tuesday with a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Foundation leader and will urge him to "disclose" any investments tied to Israel.
That demand is a notable step down from protesters' calls over the last two weeks for the school's foundation to divest from companies tied to Israel. It was part of an deal reached Sunday between UWM administrators and student protesters to take down the encampment by Tuesday morning.
The encampment outside UWM's Mitchell Hall has included more than 40 tents. Calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, organizers held a series of events on the lawn, such as rallies, teach-ins, religious services and workshops on poetry, painting and music. Organizers said over 100 people were regularly camping overnight.
Although camping on campus property is banned by a state rule, school administrators took a hands-off approach and declined to send in police. They met with protest leaders at least three times.
More: After 12 day-encampment, UW-Madison protesters reached deal. Why? And what's next?
At a news conference Monday, protest leaders said they did not promise never to set up tents again if they were unsatisfied with university administrators and the foundation.
"The struggle is not over. The fight is not over. The fight is to disclose. We're going into this meeting with the intentions (of) full disclosure, and if we don't get that, we're going to keep going," said Audari Tamayo, co-chair of the Students for a Democratic Society.
The students are meeting with the president of the UWM Foundation, David Gilbert. The "bare minimum," Tamayo said, is to transparently disclose the foundation's investments.
More: After 12 day-encampment, UW-Madison protesters reached deal. Why? And what's next?
"If they're not guilty, then they need to prove it," he said.
The students, who are taking final exams this week, said they plan to continue activism into the summer, including protesting at the Republican National Convention.
Protesters see deal as a victory as graduation nears
In response to protesters' demands, the university agreed to review study abroad programming to ensure it aligns with the university's discriminatory conduct policy. It also agreed to forgo citations or conduct violations related to the camping ban. The university called for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the destruction of universities.
In one of the more notable concessions, UWM said it had successfully urged the Water Council, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit focused on water issues, to end its relationships with two Israeli government-owned water companies.
The agreement followed a deal protesters struck with UW-Madison administrators to take down the encampment there. UWM's deal was reached days before commencement, which will be held May 19 at the UWM Panther Arena. Protesters agreed not to disrupt the ceremony.
Ameen Atta, a Palestinian-American student leader, said the swell in community support for the encampment over the last two weeks was "absolutely overwhelming." UWM has a sizeable Palestinian-American population, and many in Milwaukee's broader Muslim community donated meals and supplies to the students. Evening gatherings at the encampment often included children, families and older adults.
"My only focus is putting eyes on Gaza, putting eyes on those who are suffering, and I think we absolutely did that," Atta said. "I think we started an immense change here. We continued an immense movement that was already happening on a national scale, and we did our part here."
More: Why UW campus protesters’ rallying cry to divest from Israel faces resistance
Jewish groups slam chancellor, deal
Some Jewish students on campus have regarded the encampment warily and have tried to avoid it, frustrated with the protesters' rhetoric. Others said they were grateful the campers were peaceful. Still others participated in rallies at the encampment, advocating from an anti-Zionist stance.
Meanwhile, Jewish organizations slammed the agreement in strong terms. The Milwaukee Jewish Federation and Hillel Milwaukee, a Jewish student group, called Chancellor Mark Mone's decision to strike a deal "reprehensible" and "shocking."
"This negotiated settlement is exclusionary, inflammatory, and materially harmful to students," the two groups said in a joint statement.
They said Mone capitulated to protesters and the school is "parroting their false inflammatory narrative."
"We are hearing loudly from the Milwaukee Jewish community today, fielding dozens of calls and emails expressing anger this process was handled so badly," the statement read in part.
Protesters balanced classes, activism
Student organizers like Atta have dedicated hours upon hours of their time in the last two weeks of the semester to running programming. Atta, an information technology management major, said juggling classwork with protest organizing has meant sacrificing sleep.
"It's taken over our lives, and we're proud of that," he said.
Atta had a final exam later Monday for a coding class. Soon, he said, a cleanup crew would be working to take down the tents and the surrounding barricade of scrap wood and overturned folding tables.
"We're happy to do it again, and we're happy with the outcome," he said.
Kelly Meyerhofer of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Contact Sophie Carson at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pro-Palestinian protesters cheer encampment deal with UW-Milwaukee
