CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago police arrested nearly 70 people Saturday for their participation in a pro-Palestinian encampment at the Art Institute of Chicago, officials said.
The encampment, which included several tents, went up Saturday morning at about 11 a.m. in the Art Institute’s North Garden, according to a police spokesperson.
After demonstrators barricaded and locked the gates to the garden, police said officers negotiated for a few hours with protesters to clear the area without arrest. An alternate site for the protest was offered to demonstrators but was turned down. At about 3:30 p.m., a police spokesperson said the Art Institute asked Chicago police to clear the site of the protest.
CBS 2 reported that the encampment appeared to be led by students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College.
The police spokesperson said officers ordered those gathered in the garden to leave multiple times and gave demonstrators a final opportunity to leave without being arrested, which some individuals did.
Following the final warning at about 4:30 p.m., police said they arrested dozens of protesters and cleared the area in about 20 minutes.
As the negotiations played out, a larger crowd of about 100 young protesters grew at Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street. Videos posted to social media showed some physical confrontations between police and protesters.
Demonstrators said they were demanding that the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the museum disclose its investments, give amnesty to demonstrators, and divest from those supporting what they call the “occupation of Palestine.”
WBBM’s Brandon Ison contributed to this report.
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