DETROIT (WXYZ) — An open letter was issued Tuesday by Wayne State University faculty and staff members condemning University President Kimberly Espy and the Board of Governors for allegedly remaining silently at a recent meeting where pro-Palestinian students were met with force as they called for divestment.
The incident happened last Friday at the Board of Governors meeting during the public comments section.
VIDEO: Inside the Wayne State Board of Governors meeting
"What was so shocking to me as a faculty member, how immediate and rapid the violence was," said Thomas Pedroni Assistant Professor College of Education, WSU.
"We were never asked over a microphone to stop talking. We just had officers in plain clothes come and attack us," said Bianca Garcia Wayne State Student.
Between the spring semester wrapping up and finals, some of the students and faculty members were able to share their side over Zoom.
They say the cellphone footage shows a large group of mostly Arab, Muslim and Jewish students asking for a Divestment Resolution to be put on the agenda.
Bianca Garcia, who is a Jewish student, says the voting never happened; instead, one person was arrested.
"I was attacked. My ribs still hurt. My arms were shaken up, my shoulders hurt," said Garcia.
"Before I even got a chance to join the crowd, I was the only one to get arrested out of the 40 protestors who were there," said Luis Rivera, a pro-Palestinian Protestor.
7 News Detroit reporter Faraz Javed reached out to the Wayne State police department, but no one was available to comment.
Javed also reached out to the university. A spokesperson confirms that the individual who was arrested, Luis Rivera, was not a WSU student, and was later cited and released.
The university also issued a statement which reads in part - "WSU PD were responding to a developing safety situation that potentially threatened everyone in the room when protesters were removed. They did not violate protocol,"
"This is a public university. These officers are paid by are students... and these students need to be protected," said Kevin Rashid a Staff Member at Wayne State University.
That's why another University staff member, Kevin Rashid, along with over 80 faculty members, are now calling President Espy and the Board of Governors to issue an unequivocal apology to the students. And listen to what the protesters are asking for, which is to stop investing in companies that support the war in Gaza and around the world.
"We know our student body supports us, we know our community supports us. And we know this is, if not the most popular issue in the country right now," said Jackson Roback a student at Wayne State University.
WSU also says there was never a vote planned regarding university investments on the April 26 agenda. And previous meetings were held with students to discuss their concerns. However, students say nothing concrete came out of those meetings.
