Opinion: I Was Present at the UMass Police Action and It Was Disgraceful
Free library at the UMass student encampment. Photo: Art Keene
Here is my personal account of yesterday’s police intervention at UMass.
I arrived at the UMass encampment for Palestine around 4 p.m. yesterday (5/7). At that time, there was a group of students, faculty, and community members clustered around a small tent encampment built between two trees. There was a lot of chanting, drumming, and dancing. There were many children present as well as babies, and dogs. At one point, an 11 year old boy wearing a Palestinian flag as a cape led the group in spirited chants inspiring everyone. There was a medic table, food tables, many signs, and a “people’s library” set up.
The students were in negotiations with the Chancellor’s staff around this time with respect to their demands that include UMass divestment from Israel and dropping the charges against the UMass 57.
While negotiations proceeded, the administration was summoning state police and UMass police who began to assemble outside the Whitmore Administration building.
When the students came back to report on their negotiations, they said that Chancellor Reyes had indicated that he could do nothing on any of their demands, and that if they did not take the encampment down, they would be trespassing and risking arrest. One of the students, a Palestinian woman, said that someone on UMass’ negotiating team had actually referred to her as “sweetheart” and a student of color indicated that he was constantly interrupted/not allowed to speak compared to his white counterparts on the team.
Soon after receiving the report from the negotiating team, a university representative arrived with a bullhorn to deliver the order to disperse from the university, both orally and in writing. It had essentially the same message: take the encampment down and leave, or you will be arrested.
Most people stayed but also distributed themselves on the lawn according to their risk tolerance. There was a call for everyone to call and email Chancellor Reyes to ask him to meet the student demands and not arrest people, which many did. Organizers asked participants to contact their friends, family, and community members to come to support the encampment, which we all did.
Around 7:15 p.m. the police negotiated with the protestors’ police liaison and the police said they would make their formal dispersal order at 7:25, which they did.
Arrests began at approximately 7:40 with a phalanx of state police in riot gear and UMass police marching into the encampment, zip tying and arresting students, faculty, and community members.
I left around 8 p.m, but returned later at 10:30 p.m. and arrests were still in progress. By this time all the police brutality that was amply documented on social media was in full swing and the group of protesters still in the encampment was very small and completely isolated from the rest of us supporters by a police line (still 100s despite the late hour). University facilities staff were called in and they tore down the encampment and loaded it into the trucks/trash cans. They took a single solitary Palestinian flag and trashed it to loud booing from the crowd.
We stayed till the bitter end until every arrest was made, chanting our love and support for the arrested protestors and chanting support for Gaza and calling for an end to the genocide. Common chants were : “45,000 people dead, you’re arresting us instead!” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!”
I saw some students there who appeared to have just come across the protests (were not a part of them) and were shocked to see their fellow students violently arrested.
Four fellow moms I know in the community were arrested in the protest, two of Palestinian descent.
I am totally disgusted with Chancellor Reyes on the university’s response and I agree that Reyes should step down for calling a violent police assault on a peaceful, beautiful, communal protest. They are the ones who are violent, not us. Many people gather on campus lawns on a beautiful spring day, but only the ones peacefully engaging in political speech are violently displaced and arrested. This is an attack on free speech and academic freedom, at our public institution of higher learning. It is a total disgrace.
Amber Cano Martin is a resident of Amherst’s District 2 and was a candidate for Amherst Town Council in the November election.
As a parent of a student at UMass Amherst, I was aghast at the images of police in riot gear aggressively forcing students to the ground, pushing faces into the grass and kneeling on their backs. This level of brutality was and remains completely unacceptable. I understand the frustration with the Chancellor however it is the Leadership of the involved “Police” that must be held immediately accountable for this excessive and disproportionate violence.
The UMass Amherst Chief of Campus Police is listed as: Chief of Police Tyrone Parham umpd@admin.umass.edu phone: (413) 545-2125
The town of Amherst Chief of Police is listed as: Gabriel Ting police@amherstma.gov phone 413-259-3014
The Massachusetts Troop Northampton Troop B leadership is unclear. This would be the barracks that responding State Police would likely have been activated through. The phone is: (413) 584-3000
To submit a complaint regarding the actions of Massachusetts State Troopers, the following link is provided: https://policecomplaints.mass.gov/complaint
I’m told that Police badges were covered and that body-cam equipment was not present or not activated; I can’t confirm that this is accurate but if so; what does that say about the intention of those involved?
You don’t need to choose a side regarding the issues in the Middle East to be outraged by the actions of “Police” in Middle Massachusetts. Contact your (our) Congressional Leadership and Massachusetts State Governor Maura Healy and express your concerns. Change only takes place when lucid and balanced discussion of serious issues are brought to the attention of the leaders of those responsible.
Thank you for writing this, Amber. I was with you and confirm every word of what you have written. I am an Amherst resident and UMass alumna who responded to the call to come down to campus late last night to support the students and bear witness to what the police were doing. It was shocking and infuriating to see so many armed police officers, many in riot gear and some with their weapons in hand, from the State Police, UMass, Hadley, and our own town of Amherst, out in such force to haul away a small group of peaceful protestors—students, faculty, and Amherst community members, including mothers of small children. The numbers of police and their level of ferocity were extremely disproportionate and completely unnecessary. The new chancellor of UMass Amherst has a lot to answer for, and so does Amherst’s new police chief and town manager. I object to my municipal and state tax dollars being used to pay for the police to brutalize our children and fellow townspeople. Amherst’s Town Manager claims that the Amherst officers were only there “on the perimeter” as “backup,” but there was neither a disturbance of the peace, nor a clear and present danger. I hope that Amherst will conduct an investigation into this matter. Our town’s consent and contribution to this disproportionate display of force adds insult to injury when it has so recently passed a resolution in support of a ceasefire in Gaza. What an irony, to see our own police force moving in on our local people just as the Israeli Defense Forces were moving in on the defenseless people of Rafah. Shame!
i believe some of the state police had body cams turned on- and i believe their badge numbers were on the backs of their helmets- cant confirm whether their front numbers were covered- i did see some names as well.
thank you for sharing the contacts for various complaint/chiefs. i think this is an important way community members from UMASS and Amherst could support the students and those who were arrested who might not be able to file complaints on their own