Following arrests Thursday and Saturday of pro-Palestinian protesters staging an encampment in Dunn Meadow, local and state politicians released statements addressing the university and Indiana State Police’s actions.
State Rep. Matt Pierce
State Rep. Matt Pierce D-Bloomington, who is also a senior lecturer in the Media School, released a statement Friday condemning IU’s role in the arrest of protesters in Dunn Meadow on Thursday.
"It's ironic that University leaders who continually use the excuse of potential violence to suppress speech it opposes invited onto campus state police with military-style weapons that included what appeared to be snipers stationed on rooftops to force a physical confrontation with protesters,” his statement read. “This reckless decision is indefensible. Does President Whitten not remember Kent State?”
At a 1970 protest at Kent State University against the U.S. expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, the Ohio National Guard killed four unarmed college students and injured nine others.
Pierce said IU President Pamela Whitten should request all criminal charges against those arrested be dropped and rescind any year-long bans from campus.
"It's time for President Whitten to put an end to her amateurish handling of campus protests before someone gets seriously hurt,” the statement read.
State Sen. Shelli Yoder
State Sen. Shelli Yoder and Bloomington City Council member Sydney Zulich were in Dunn Meadow when ISP and IU Police Department officers moved in on the encampment Saturday.
“I hear the concern that students feel unheard,” Yoder said in an interview with the IDS after the encampment was fully cleared. “I want to say I stand with students, stand for the protection of free speech. I also want to say, look at what they are doing. They are affecting change throughout this country. So, it is a powerful statement, and we must support the freedom of speech and their ability to assemble and proclaim what they are demanding. We heard about it because it’s what you are hearing be cried out campus to campus, street to street throughout this country.”
Yoder said she learned that IU administration asked Bloomington Police Department to not involve itself in clearing the encampment so state police could handle it. State troopers on the scene told IDS reporters that IU called for ISP support to remove the tents.
“That action certainly elevated and escalated the response,” Yoder said. “So here we have this — it is terrifying to see. And I cannot imagine how students feel seeing this on their campus right now.”
Bloomington City Councilmember Sydney Zulich
Zulich, who was in Dunn Meadow with Yoder on Saturday, released a statement the same day on social media.
“The First Amendment was never meant to only protect the elite,” the statement read. “Passing an overnight bill to target specific groups for exercising their rights is unacceptable.”
“The Ad Hoc Committee” decided Wednesday night, the night before the protests began, to rule against temporary or permanent structures on campus without advanced approval, overturning a 1969 decision to allow the use of temporary structures in Dunn Meadow without prior approval, forbidding them from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
An ad hoc committee is a temporary committee designed for a specific purpose.
Zulich, who represents portions of IU’s campus, said the university failed its students, faculty and staff by changing the structure policy. She said anyone who has been banned from campus can reach out to her for legal aid and housing.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson released a video on Facebook on Saturday saying Bloomington residents should be able to express themselves freely, but she also alluded to alleged outside influence in the protests. She also clarified that the Bloomington Police Department was not involved with clearing the encampments on either day.
“What is happening in Dunn Meadow is part of a national movement on college campuses, and it has attracted some who are believed to have an outside agenda, and indeed, be from outside of our community,” she said. “These agendas are known to be less than peaceful.”
Thomson did not provide any evidence of outside influence with the protests.
She said she was supportive of the protesters and their ability to express themselves, but not of unauthorized encampments or violence. She said the university said protesters will be "welcome” to stay in Dunn Meadow, but unauthorized encampments will continue to be removed.
Thomson then released a press release Sunday to clarify her remarks in the video.
According to the press release, when Thomson had said not all routes to de-escalation were met, she was not talking about BPD but instead was referring to the ISP.
“The purpose of my message yesterday was really intended to stand with the peaceful protesters and be clear that our police department – the Bloomington Police Department – would not be involved in advancing on the protesters,” the press release read. “In fact, they advised against any such action.”
Thomson said in the release that she met with students involved in organizing the group for the protest and values their insights.
“I hope that in the future, there will be greater communication and collaboration with our team when Indiana University undertakes actions that affect all of Bloomington, not just campus,” the release reads. “As I said yesterday, I stand with the protestors’ right to free speech, their right to assemble, and I ask that any future police involvement happens only when all de-escalation paths have been exhausted.”
Former Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton
Former Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton walked around the exterior of the encampment in Dunn Meadow on Monday speaking to protesters.
“I wanted to make clear that I support the right of people to protest, of course, and express their views,” Hamilton said in an interview with the IDS. “I also wanted to express support for the strong hope that the administration of the university — that cooler heads will prevail and fix what has been done.”
He said the university’s decision to change long-standing policy to ban unapproved structures without prior approval the night before the IU Divestment Coalition set up their encampment Thursday was “inadvisable at best, and unconstitutional probably.”
Hamilton also expressed shock at the use of Indiana State Police to arrest protesters and those protesters’ subsequent bans from campus.
“The bringing out of the very radical show of police force with the state police and heavily armed was not necessary in my view,” Hamilton said. “But even more specifically to me, I have never heard of banning — banishment — from campus for numbers of people who were peacefully protesting.”
Hamilton said he thanked students banned from campus for expressing themselves and apologized on behalf of the Bloomington community. However, he said it will be up to administration and the IU Board of Trustees to improve the situation. .
Hamilton said the Dunn Meadow encampment will play a part in what happens in Gaza.
“There are hundreds of views on what ought to happen in the Middle East, and it’s a terrible cycle of violence that needs to be hopefully remedied, but no doubt what happened here is part of that process.”
Bloomington City Councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith
Bloomington City Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith released a statement on social media condemning IU for changing its policy Wednesday, the day before the encampment began, to ban structures in Dunn Meadow without prior approval. She also condemned ISP’s use of force in the arrests.
“These actions constitute a clear violation of first amendment rights,” the statement read.
Bloomington City Council
The Bloomington City Council sent an open letter to President Whitten and Provost Shrivastav demanding the university drop criminal charges and bans from campus brought against the 56 arrested protesters.
The letter, signed by all eight councilmembers, expressed the council’s concern with the IU administration’s response to the demonstration and encampments in Dunn Meadow. Specifically, the letter mentions how IU changed its policy on the use of temporary structures in Dunn Meadow to ban the use of structures without prior approval the day before the IU Divestment Coalition set up its encampment April 25.
“The context under which the new policy was instituted indicates that the new rules were meant to directly target the April 25 rally and its subject matter, violating Bloomington residents’ First Amendment rights,” the letter said. “We denounce these actions and demand that the new policy be immediately rescinded.”
The letter also describes the Indiana State Police response as “far in excess of what was necessary" to enforce IU’s new policy.
“The large number of police officers, the weapons displayed and used by the officers, and their forceful actions to arrest protesters only served to escalate the situation,” the letter read. “Their violent response to peaceful protest is unacceptable.”
The council demanded IU immediately revoke any bans or disciplinary charges against the protesters. According to an email from Rick Van Kooten, executive dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, those who received a campus ban can appeal by contacting IUPD administration on their website or by emailing at iupsadmn@iu.edu. When an appeal is submitted, individuals will receive the appeal's outcome within 15 business days. Van Kooten said the trespass bans will be suspended in the appeals process in most cases.
Some protesters who were banned from campus have struggled to contact IU about the appeals process. One protester told the IDS on Sunday that the process has been slow and frustrating.
“We swore an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, including the First Amendment,” the letter said. “The actions of IU President Whitten’s administration in recent days have been harmful to our community. We expect better. Bloomington deserves better.”
Indiana Senate Democrats
The Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus released a statement Sunday in response to “heavy police presence during peaceful demonstrations” at IU.
“What we are seeing on the news and hearing from firsthand accounts gives us great concern that First Amendment Rights and even personal safety could be at risk on the Indiana University Campus,” the statement read. “While we understand this is a fluid situation we still worry about the sheer amount of police in riot gear, including snipers, called in to manage what has been reported as a peaceful protest.”
The statement also said they are concerned for the safety of students, faculty and staff and their rights to free speech. The caucus also said they are concerned about the decision to ban structures in Dunn Meadow without prior approval, which they said has protected free speech at IU during the Vietnam War, South African apartheid and the Gulf War.
“In the meantime, we call on Indiana University to immediately deescalate the situation and ask all police to leave room for peaceful protesting,” the statement read. “The wellbeing and rights of all students, faculty and staff must be protected."
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb
Niki Kelly from the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported on X that Holcomb spoke to reporters Friday about ISP’s arrests of students Thursday.
"The Indiana State Police will of course continue to do their job,” Holcomb said, according to Kelly. “And that is to serve and protect all and make sure that protests can occur and the freedom to speak out for and against issues that may be emotional in nature. But there will be law and order.”
On Thursday, an ISP trooper announced to protesters that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb was aware of the situation. On Saturday, ISP troopers told protesters and IDS reporters that IU had called for ISP support to remove the tents.
Local and state Democrats
The Monroe County Democratic Party released a list Wednesday of local and state Democrats who have condemned the arrests in Dunn Meadow and IU's response.
The release said it will be updated as more officials, caucuses and candidates make statements.
UPDATE: This article has been updated to include statements from Bloomington City Council, former Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton and a link from the Monroe County Democratic Party.
