Dozens of demonstrators who were arrested over the weekend in a pro-Palestine protest outside the Art Institute of Chicago have been slapped with charges of criminal trespass.
In total, 68 demonstrators associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), the museum’s affiliated teaching institution, and Columbia College Chicago were arrested on Saturday and charged by Monday, the museum confirmed. SAIC will not academically sanction any of the protesters who attend the school and the museum will drop the trespassing charges against SAIC students who were arrested.
“We will be releasing a press release soon. Please stay tuned and patient as we heal and move forward from the violence and suffering brought onto our arrested and injured students and community members,” organizers of Saturday’s protest said in a May 6 Instagram story.
The protest began around 11 a.m. on May 4 as demonstrators set up an encampment at the North Garden on the museum’s property while barricading and locking the gates with keys stolen from a museum security officer, the Chicago Police Department said on social media. (The encampment follows a April 26 rally that saw students from SAIC, as well as the University of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, and Roosevelt University, march down the city’s Michigan Ave in support of Palestinians.)
Chicago police arrest protesters outside of the Art Institute during a demonstration in support of Gaza. Photo courtesy of Chicago Police Department
The museum offered protesters an alternative site on the SAIC campus, located across Michigan Avenue, to continue their action, a spokesperson for the museum said in an email. The museum told demonstrators that the location change would enhance safety for everyone involved, including visitors to the museum, but they did not accept the offer.
“During multiple rounds of negotiations, SAIC student protesters were promised amnesty from academic sanction and trespassing charges if they agreed to relocate,” the museum spokesperson said.
SAIC officials also met with a student group to discuss their demands, but an agreement with the protesters could not be reached after five hours of negotiations. Authorities said police also spent two hours negotiating to clear the area without making arrests.
By 3:30 p.m., the school requested that police end the Art Institute protest “to remove those illegally occupying the property,” police said. Still, the Art Institute “respects a group’s right to peacefully protest without harming staff and visitors,” the museum spokesperson said.
Police issued a formal warning for the protesters to disperse at 4:11 p.m. and a second warning about 10 minutes later.
Police take demonstrators into custody on the campus of the Art Institute of Chicago after students established a protest encampment on the grounds on May 4, 2024. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images.
“The third and final warning was issued at 4:30 p.m. The demonstrators were given another opportunity to leave without arrest, which several did,” police said. “Following these warnings, dozens of demonstrators were arrested for criminal trespass to property. Within 20 minutes of the final warning, the area was cleared.”
The arrests come as pro-Palestine protests have erupted on U.S. college campuses in recent weeks, joined by artists and art students. Museums have been struggling to respond to public protests and staff demands calling for support of Palestine.