USF tent encampment removed - by protesters and campus
SAN FRANCISCO - Work crews at the University of San Francisco removed the remaining tents Monday belonging to a pro-Palestinian group, angering protesters who say some of those tents were still being used.
Susu Steyteyieh, a student organizer of the protest said she was, "Angry, frustrated and hurt, upset. Just thrown off."
She said the campus gave no notice before crews started removing tents at their encampment.
The students were already planning to leave, but she says that doesn’t make it right.
"Once they came in they just started breaking stuff down, no warning, no consent, no like, ‘Oh hey where’s this?’ They just took everything down, they shoved the tent, they shoved everybody’s personal belongings," Steyteyieh said.
USF said most students had already left the camp and that the majority of the 50 tents had been abandoned.
The tents have been on campus since the end of April.
Protesters, in line with the campus’ tagline, "Change the world from here," have been hoping to spearhead change, drawing attention to the plight of Palestinians half a world away and at USF.
First-year law student Hannah Beauchamp-Pope says the administration’s actions is an affront to the private Jesuit university’s stated mission.
"I literally woke up from that tent this morning. All of my belongings are in there. My computer is in there, all of my blankets are in there, my keys to my house are in there," Beauchamp-Pope said.
Assistant professor Nour Al-Muhtasib, who’s been monitoring the students’ safety and welfare said, "I just feel like it was an escalation that was unnecessary."
She added, "The fact that we told them we want to make sure everyone gets their belongings and we don’t let things go to waste, and we actually want to donate a lot of it to our unhoused comrades."
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Those at the camp say protesters had been working with the university to find some kind of middle ground. What happened Monday, they say, calls all that into question.
"Any kind of bridge that they were building before, they’ve harmed it now," Al-Muhtasib said.
In a statement, the university said in part, "USF is grateful to all who have participated in charting a peaceful path forward and prioritizing safety and respect for all members of the community."
Henry Lee is a KTVU reporter. Email Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
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