From the beginning of genocide in Palestine University of Michigan, the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan
wielded power to disenfranchise and repress the pro-Palestine movement. The regents refused to meet with advocates of
divestment, cancelled campus-wide divestment votes, and repeatedly summoned university police (UMPD) to assault and
silence protestors. Since 2023, the violent repression of UMPD has resulted in physical and psychological injuries,
criminal charges, student disciplinary charges, and retribution against staff. Shamefully, the regents, Attorney General
Dana Nessel, the Office of Student Life, the Office of Student Conflict Resolution repeatedly lie, asserting pro-Palestine
protesters were "violent" and "threatening."
But evidence demonstrates the University of Michigan Police Department,
exclusively, turned to violence. Officers initiated physical contact with protesters, used pretextual reasons to make
arrests, and consistently escalated conflict. Police broke protesters' arms, slammed people to the ground while cuffed,
caused concussions, sprayed "Deep Freeze" at point-blank range, snatched megaphones and signs out of protesters hands,
tackled protesters, pushed barricades and bicycles into protesters, choked protesters, and more.
Yet it was the victims of the police violence and brutality who were criminally charged under Eli Savit and AG Dana
Nessel. Then, the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) and the Office of Student Accountability (OSA) charged
the students with disciplinary violations. The false allegations are part of a repertoire of repressive tactics by which
the University breaks its own rules and violates its own values.
November 17, 2023
While the death toll in Gaza increases daily, students urge the University to divest from weapons manufacturers. As President Santa Ono ignores students’ requests to meet, peaceful protesters enter the administration building seeking an audience with him. They stage a sit-in in his third floor office while more activists rally downstairs in rotunda. UMPD and nine other area police departments respond in force, arresting 40 and issuing building and campus bans. Their actions result in at least 76 reports of violent police misconduct.
UMPD uses excessive force to throw student on floor and rip off her hijab.
A student with a hijab was facing the exit of Ruthven, attempting to pass through crowd at entrance. Even though she was making meaningful attempts to get through the crowd, the UMPD officer throws the student to the floor and rips off their hijab.
February 15, 2024
Students rally outside a Board of Regents meeting, calling for divestment. University police raise barricades and push them into students, shoving multiple people to the ground at the south parking area of the Ruthven Administration Building.
UMPD tramples students with metal barricade.
Without issuing a dispersal notice or give students time to comply, UMPD Officers lift up a metal barricade and shove it in the face of students caused them to fall over and be trampled.
May 3, 2024
Protestors chant and hold signs outside of the U-M Museum of Art (UMMA), where Regents attend an awards dinner. UMPD and MSP officers respond with escalating violence, repeatedly slamming barricades into protesters and lifting bicycles and shoving them into people, knocking students over. UMPD Sergeant Ryan Cavanaugh pepper sprays the crowd, and 4 protestors are detained, arrested, and given trespass warnings. Over a year later in the summer of 2025, six students are disciplined for the protest.
UMPD threatens and violates rights of legal observer
A legal observer is lawfully observing UMPD conduct with hands up. UMPD yells at the legal observer to back up and threatens to take the legal observe to jail. When the legal observer asserts that it lawful for them to observe the cops, the cop says no it’s not. UMPD cops have no ideas what the law is or how to execute it.
UMPD shoves heavy bike at students’ heads
A bicycle cop raises is bike and yells “move back.” Without giving the crowd any time to comply the cop immediately shoves the heavy bike at the faces and head of the peaceful and unarmed crowd.
May 21, 2024
Officers in riot gear raid and destroy the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at 5:38am, pepper spraying campers, arresting four and sending four to the hospital with injuries including a broken arm and concussions. They destroy everyone’s personal belongings. When a Muslim student goes to the police station to retrieve prayer mats and a Quran, UMPD give them a campus ban.
UMPD pepper spray trapped students
UMPD officers in full riot gear back peaceful student protestors against a wall of tents without any pathways for students to leave. Then without proving any dispersal notice, they spray a chemical agent directly into the faces of students.
August 26, 2024
Protestors stage a “die-in” during Festifall, a welcome-back-to-school event. UMPD charge into the crowd and assault protesters, arresting four, one of whom is a minor. Two protesters require medical treatment and one requires overnight hospitalization.
UMPD uses tackles people to arrest someone without explanation.
A crowd of a dozen armed and dangerous UMPD officers confront people lawfully assembled in a public forum where other people are also gathered and standing. A senior officer instructs two other officers to go after a black protestor, singling out that protestor without any explanation as to why. Note that the white senior officer instructs black officers to target the black protester. UMPD cops charge at protesters using their full body and gear to tackle people. They arrest the singled-out protestor without informing anyone the reason or probable cause for arrest.
October 7, 2024
U-M students stage a walkout to remember one year of genocide in Gaza. Deputy Chief Paul DeRidder lunges into the crowd and grabs a student using a megaphone. Three other cops pull the student out of the crowd and arrest them for using a megaphone. The crowd protests this arbitrary and violent arrest; Deputy Chief Melissa Overton pepper sprays protesters and orders officers to do the same. Over 70 people are affected and 29 reports of violent police misconduct are later submitted in an incident response form.
UMPD discriminately and violently arrests without explanation
An armed and dangerous UMPD cop targets a student walking in front of the cop. Two cops chase down the student and violently pull at the student’s arms to arrest the student. The cops never explain why they are detaining the student. The student is acting lawfully.