Northwest police arrest four educators, months after pro-Palestinian camp

Northwestern University police arrested and charged four faculty members in late April for allegedly obstructing law enforcement at the Palestinian solidarity camp on the Evanston campus.

The minor misdemeanor charge came months after the camp was cleared following an agreement between protesters and university administration.

“It’s a pretty overwhelming experience when your employer sends their own police after you to arrest you at your workplace,” said Alithia Zamantakis, assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing – and one of the faculty members charged.

University spokesman Jon Yates defended the arrests.

“While the university allows peaceful demonstrations, it does not permit activities that disrupt university operations, violate the law, or involve intimidation or harassment of members of the community,” Yates said in an email.

Yates said the university would not discuss individual cases. The charges were filed with the Cook County District Attorney. A representative of that office said it could not comment on pending litigation.

Members of the campus chapter of Educators for Justice in Palestine said that among the four people arrested and released by campus police earlier this month were two professors, an alumnus and a librarian.

Yates said they are charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to one year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

“The job of every faculty member … is to support the ongoing development of research and teaching on this campus. And … I felt like I was being told this is not a place of education, but a place where people should listen and follow instructions,” Zamantakis said.

The university did not provide details about the incident that led to the arrests.

Josh Honn, a Northwestern University librarian who also faced charges, said the charges date back to the first day of the camp on April 25, when faculty members and other staff formed a line of defense between student organizers and campus police.

Honn said he was knocked down by a police officer during the altercation. The altercation ended when police retreated.

“I wanted to go out and support the students, defend their rights, support them, exercise my academic freedom and, most importantly, stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people,” Honn said. “I hope the charges are dropped… I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

The charges against the educators list April 25 as the date of the alleged crimes. Honn said his next hearing in the case will be Aug. 15.

Honn and Zamantakis said they received calls two weeks ago from Northwestern police officers asking them to come to the station to fill out paperwork. They said officers declined to provide further details, citing privacy concerns, but also said none of them were legally required to do so.

“When (campus police) showed up at my office the next day, they just used their key card to get right in. They didn’t knock or anything and then they detained me in the room,” Honn said. “So, ‘paperwork’ was tantamount to an arrest.”

Yates, the Northwestern University spokesman, and Northwestern University police declined to release arrest records for the four people or comment on when charges will be filed.

“It looks like Northwestern waited over two months to make these arrests and file these charges under the cover of summer when students aren’t here and people aren’t as alert,” Honn said. “The timing makes it seem like Northwestern wants to do something but doesn’t want to take responsibility for its actions.”

Rebecca Zorach, professor of art history at the university, believes that the decision and the timing of its implementation are due to increasing pressure from trustees, donors and Members of Congress The Northwestern administration should punish the faculty and students involved in the camp.

“A lot of people have been screaming for blood, saying, ‘You need a tougher approach than the one you’ve taken,'” said Zorach, who serves on the executive committee of Northwestern University’s Faculty Senate. “And maybe this is an attempt to quietly appease some of those people.”

At a hearing in May, a Republican-led congressional committee sharply criticized Northwestern University President Michael Schill for making a deal with the camp’s pro-Palestinian organizers.

Many faculty and college leaders praised the agreement as a model for negotiating with protesting students and promoting free speech on campus. However, three Jewish organizations called for Schill’s resignation.

Regardless of the university’s motives, the arrests are an attack on the civil liberties of teachers, Zorach said.

“I don’t think they should be allowed to go quietly,” Zorach said. “From my perspective as a faculty member, I think it’s very important that campus remains a place where there is vibrant political expression and where we know that disagreement with the status quo will not lead to disciplinary action.”

Lisa Kurian Philip reports on higher education for WBEZ, in collaboration with Open CampusFollow her on Twitter @LAPhilip.