The live updates on day ten of the sit-in have concluded. Follow ongoing live updates here. See previous coverage of days one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.
This story is breaking and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
As the sun rises on a Cannon Green covered with blankets, tarps, and lawn chairs — yet noticeably lacking in people — the second week of the sit-in is underway. It’s been ten days since the “Gaza solidarity encampment” was first established in McCosh Courtyard and five days since the demonstration resettled in Cannon Green after a brief occupation of Clio Hall.
Yesterday, 17 undergraduate protesters began a hunger strike, aiming to bring the University to the table for discussion of protest demands. At a brief town hall meeting, held at the sit-in, David Chmielewski ’24, one of the strike’s organizers said, “[I]f [President Christopher Eisgruber ’83] wants to sit in Nassau Hall and watch us starve on his lawn, then that’s what we’ll do.” Those participating are also calling on the University to drop both criminal and disciplinary charges for those arrested during Monday’s occupation of Clio Hall.
On Friday night, a letter from faculty to University administration was published calling for the resignation of Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun and urges the end of the “criminalization, gross mischaracterization, and harassment of non-violent student protesters.” Over 120 faculty signed the letter.
An email from Calhoun to the campus community on Tuesday called the occupation of Clio Hall the day prior “unlawful behavior that created a dangerous situation.”
“This is a lie negated by the eyewitness account of the faculty observer who entered the building with the student protesters,” the faculty letter states, referencing the statement from African American Studies professor Ruha Benjamin, who has claimed to be present as a faculty observer.
President Eisgruber has defended VP Calhoun's response, writing in a statement to the Daily Princetonian that, “Some commentary on this week’s incident at Clio Hall has veered into attacks on VP Calhoun that are false and unfair. I have unwavering confidence in her leadership and her judgment.”
Poster ripped off tree and stolen by two suspects — May 5, 12:48 a.m.
At approximately 12:08 a.m., two individuals stole a poster that read “Hunger Strike for Palestine” from a tree on the east side of Cannon Green. The suspects, one male in a blue coat and one female in a black coat, approached the edge of the Cannon Green before the male suspect dashed into the encampment to tear the poster off of the tree. He grabbed onto the poster, tearing it in half and taking that half out of the encampment. Both suspects then fled the scene in the direction of McCosh courtyard.
PSAFE officers were alerted by witnesses to the action, and some officers began to search the area. The officers took statements from witnesses and filed a report, but individuals at the encampment have chosen not to press charges at this time.
Rain continues into the night, makeshift tarp covering set up — 11:23 p.m.
To protect from the rain, protestors have hung a tarp over a rope suspended between two trees on the southeast corner of Cannon Green, supported below by a broom in a paint bucket. Below, another tarp covers the ground with a makeshift lantern lighting the area. The set-up resembles the camp of an Outdoor Action (OA) trip. The structure first went up around 10:35 p.m.
Around 6 PSAFE officers remain in the area. The ‘Prince’ observed no interactions between officers and the protestors setting up the tarp.
The rain is set to continue into the night, until around 4 a.m.. Across the rest of the green, more tarps cover food and supplies. The writing on many signs across the sit-in has run due to the rain.
MESIJ release statement — May 4, 8:42 p.m.
About 150 protesters are present this evening, including children seen playing soccer on Cannon Green. In general, significantly more children have been seen present at the protest this evening than have been seen over past days.
At 8:08 p.m., organizers announced that they canceled the film screening, scheduled for 9:00 p.m. due to rain.
At 6:00 p.m., the Muslim Engineers for Social Impact and Justice (MESIJ) released an email statement supporting the protest and criticizing the University for arresting protesters who entered Clio Hall.
Part of the statement reads, “We acknowledge that technological innovation has not always been used for the good of humanity. Among these include technologies of surveillance and those of targeted weaponry which have been salient to Israel’s recent military campaign, impacting thousands of civilians.”
The statement requests that the University “make directed efforts to support Muslim students, Palestinian students, and all marginalized communities on campus.”
Yesterday at 10:52 p.m., the Princeton Association of Black Women released a statement “to explicitly address, condemn, and criticize the University and its upper administrative officials for their response to the recent events transpiring on Princeton’s campus.”
The letter referenced the 13 students arrested for the Clio Hall sit-in, stating, “These individuals were denied any opportunity to engage in dialogue regarding the demands of divestment. The silence of our University, their complicity in the collective punishment and genocide of Palestine and its people, is loud and clear.”
Speakers remember Kent State — May 4, 1:00 p.m.
To a crowd of less than three dozen, three students spoke about the anniversary of the 1970 shooting at Kent State University. 54 years ago, National Guardsmen fired into a crowd of students protesting the Vietnam War, wounding nine and killing four.
“In the same way that students at Kent State brought attention to America’s immoral involvement in Vietnam, students today are rising up to support the people of Palestine, as Israeli forces continue with genocide on Gaza,” said Meredith Gallagher ’24, reading from a statement issued by Kent State’s May 4 Task Force, a student-led group that raises awareness about the shootings.
“In being here, we join in a line of centuries of protesters who have given up themselves because we believe that love is stronger than any human ideology that places power, money, control, or supremacy at its heart,” said Richard Pryor, a student at the Princeton Theological Seminary.
“We are not agitators or radicals. We are just for peace. And we will be like our predecessors before us, when this all goes down, on the right side of history — and we invite President Eisgruber and President Biden to join us there,” he added.
Some protesters have begun to prepare for rain, covering the food tables with tarps.
“Even if it rains, we will not be deterred,” a protester said during a mic check.
Day ten begins for a small group of students — May 4, 7:44 a.m.
Fewer than 10 students are on Cannon Green this morning, after another quiet night at the sit-in. Today marks the tenth day of the encampment, which is expected to have cooler temperatures than previous days this week, with a high of 62 degrees and a low of 47. Rain is also expected to begin late this afternoon and continue into tomorrow.
Most of the supplies on the lawn are currently covered with tarps or blankets, as this location offers no shelter from rain.
At least seven PSafe officers are visible around the encampment, where they have been taking shifts throughout the day and night.
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