After the IU Divestment Coalition’s second encampment Friday lasted overnight into Saturday, Indiana State Police and IU Police Department forcibly arrested 23 protesters starting around 12:38 p.m.
Police and IU employees deconstructed the encampment and stood off with protesters until leaving around 1:20 p.m.
At around 12:20 p.m., an IUPD officer gave a warning to protesters that those arrested would be charged with trespassing and banned from campus, many of whom stayed in the meadow overnight, to immediately remove and vacate all tents within ten minutes. State troopers told protesters and IDS reporters that IU had called for ISP support to remove the tents.
IUPD public information officer Hannah Skibba said in a statement that police gave several warnings to protesters to remove the structures and those who did not comply were detained and removed.
IU spokesperson Mark Bode did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the administration’s role in the protesters’ removal.
Protesters linked arms with each other to form a barricade between themselves and at least 60 Indiana State Police troopers armed with shields, batons and other riot gear. One ISP officer had an Explosive Ordnance Detection canine, used to detect explosive compounds, including ammunition and firearms.
Five minutes later, state police troopers began moving toward the encampment. When reaching the line, troopers began pulling and tackling those who did not move. 23 protesters were arrested, including one of the group's leaders -- graduate student Bryce Greene.
The encounter was markedly more aggressive than Thursday’s nearly ten-minute clash. Troopers aggressively moved through the line and established a perimeter in a few minutes, compared to a relative back and forth with protesters on Thursday.
Those arrested were loaded onto an IU bus and moved to Harry Gladstein fieldhouse before being taken to the Monroe County Jail.
IUPD and ISP created a perimeter around the campsite and IU staff and grounds crew began to remove articles from the campsite, including dumping water jugs and throwing away other food items. A police vehicle was seen driving over protesters’ belongings during the camp’s clearing.
ISP troopers began backing away from the scene at 1:20 p.m. and boarded an IU bus.
A state trooper said officers left because they had “accomplished everything [they] set out to do.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
