Wayne State encampment won't leave after classes go remote

Pro-Palestinian student protestors set up an encampment on Wayne State's campus last week and say they won't leave until the school halts investments to war manufacturing companies promoting Israel.

Driving the news: The university announced the first week of spring/summer classes will be held remotely due to the presence of an encampment, which school officials say has created "an ongoing public safety issue."

State of play: Around two dozen tents were set up inside what protesters called the "Liberated Zone" on Gullen Mall. Community members led some of the occupants in prayer around 9pm Tuesday as rain forced many either inside tents or under cover of nearby lecture halls.

• Wayne State spokesperson Matt Lockwood tells Axios protestors blocked the path of a police vehicle and refused to allow a police officer to enter with a fire marshal.

The other side: "For some in our community, the encampment has created an environment of exclusion — one where some felt unwelcome and unable to fully participate in campus life," president Kimberly Andrews Espy said in an email to the university community.

What they're saying: U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who has been sleeping in a tent inside the encampment, tells Axios it's unclear what safety issues the university is citing. Tlaib said the engagement between Espy's administration and the student demonstrators was disturbing.

• "The sidewalks are clear. There are people doing cleanups and folks who are monitoring the perimeter to make sure there are no outside agitators," Tlaib said. "They learned a lot from the University of Michigan and are making sure that what happened at UCLA is not being repeated here."
• "Look, I know [Espy] is new, but I think she should be reminded this is Detroit , not Texas."

The latest: Espy in a letter to the school says students declined an invitation for an in-person meeting with her, Wayne State Board of Governors chair Shirley Stancato and vice president Patrick Lindsey.

Yes, but: Ridaa Kahn, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, told Lindsey, who came to the encampment Tuesday to try and set up a meeting "right now," that two other members of the group who weren't there at the time would need to be present.

• "We need to be on our terms as well. This isn't the representation we want for a meeting to discuss divestment … It's not going to be just us two," Khan said.
• The interaction between the encampment leaders and Lindsey was captured on video by a Free Press reporter.

What's next: Encampment occupants say they remain committed to meeting with Espy and the board of governors on their terms.