Daywatch: Northwestern’s deal with pro-Palestinian protesters

Good morning, Chicago.

Students at the University of Chicago set up an encampment yesterday that they say they plan to occupy until administrators heed their concerns and divest from companies with ties to Israel, including weapons manufacturers supplying arms to Israel’s military.

About 20 miles north, Northwestern University officials announced that they have reached an agreement with students and faculty protesting against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, outlining a plan intended to allow demonstrations to continue while preventing the chaos and occasional violence that has engulfed other campuses across the country.

The deal — believed to be the first between a major U.S. university and Pro-Palestinian protesters —comes five days after demonstrators established an encampment in Deering Meadow, a popular common area on the Evanston campus.

Universities across the U.S. are grappling with how to clear out encampments as commencement ceremonies approach, with some continuing negotiations and others turning to force and ultimatums that have resulted in clashes with police. Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah, Virginia and New Jersey, while Columbia said hours before the takeover of Hamilton Hall that it had started suspending students.

Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University in New York early this morning, barricading the entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag out of a window in the latest escalation of demonstrations.

An honor guard carries the casket out after the funeral for Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca on April 29, 2024, at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)[/caption]

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