On Friday afternoon, a group of about 25 students protesting outside the Board of Trustees meeting at The Hotel at Oberlin were met with police and pepper spray. Students wearing face coverings and keffiyehs gathered around the Hotel, banging pots, pans, and drums, blowing whistles, and chanting calls for divestment from Israel. When protesters attempted to enter the building and push signs against the windows, they were physically confronted by officers. This included the use of pepper spray in at least one instance. The protesters dispersed shortly after additional officers from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene. About a dozen uniformed officers responded, making this the most significant police response to a protest in recent years.
The protest started around 2 p.m. when students gathered near the back of the Hotel. Protesters pushed signs against the windows of the Hotel and attempted to enter the building, leading officers to intervene and push students away from the glass. Several students were shoved to the ground, with one student taken to the hospital afterward, where they were diagnosed with a concussion.
The protest then moved to the front entrance, where students managed to enter the first set of doors of the Hotel. Once inside, they were confronted by Oberlin police officers who attempted to physically remove students from the building. One officer released pepper spray at student’s faces and over their heads. Around five or six students were seen outside the building washing irritants from their faces and eyes.
Once the protesters had left the building, they were blocked from reentering by six Oberlin Police and Campus Safety officers who stood in the doorway. Students continued chanting and making noise around the entrance as a crowd of visiting alumni, students, and other passersby gathered, some clapping in support. A Campus Safety officer told one student the demonstration would have to move away from the entryway, an action that protesters did not immediately take.
Shortly before 3 p.m., officers from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene, at which point the group of students moved first to the entrance of the Admissions Office connected to the hotel and then to the building’s back entrance. Police followed the students, though no direct confrontations occurred. Within 15 minutes, the protesters marched toward Tappan Square, where they disbanded.
Director of Media Relations Andrea Simakis described the police response in a statement to the Review.
“On Friday afternoon, a small group of protesters outside The Hotel at Oberlin attempted to force their way past Oberlin police at the hotel entrance,” she wrote. “Police repeatedly asked them to stop. When protesters refused and continually pushed and shoved the officers, police used pepper spray and the group eventually dispersed. It is regrettable that the situation escalated to this point and that police were required to take action.”
Though this is the most significant police presence at an Oberlin protest in recent years, this is not the first time police have responded to a demonstration at a Board of Trustees meeting. During the Board’s meeting last December, student protesters filled the lobby of the Hotel and tried to gain access to the second floor where the Board was meeting. They were stopped by Campus Safety officers, leading to a few physical confrontations. Shortly after, a few Oberlin police officers arrived, and the crowd dispersed quickly without conflict. At the Board meeting last March, student protesters entered the Admissions Office building connected to the Hotel and were dispersed by Oberlin Police.
“The safety of our campus and community is our highest priority,” Simakis wrote. “We also respect our students’ right to express their views through peaceful protest. However, when demonstrations escalate into physical confrontation, that crosses a line.”
This protest comes after the Board of Trustees considered and rejected two student-initiated proposals for divestment. The first proposal, submitted in spring 2024, proposed divestment from 130 companies involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories or in acts considered genocide by scholars and jurists. A second proposal submitted last spring proposed divestment from companies invested in armament production in general.
The Oberlin Police Department said they were unable to comment about any actions taken by their officers during the protest at this time.
