Samad Hakani, Photography Editor

Yale police arrested 47 pro-Palestine student protesters on Monday morning.

Shortly after 6 a.m, officers arrived at Beinecke Plaza, where protesters demanding that Yale divest from military weapons manufacturers had set up tents during the third night of their overnight encampment.  Police detained protesters who refused to vacate the Plaza and had instead locked arms and circled around the flagpole, using zip ties to lead them through the College St. entrance of the Schwarzman Center onto Yale Shuttle buses. 

The protesters were charged with trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor, before being released with a citation and an assigned court date of May 8. Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell ’95 DIV ’09 said they had issued a warning to protesters on the Plaza last night at 11 p.m. and in the morning before 7 a.m. prior to arresting student protesters.

Arrested students will be referred for Yale disciplinary action — which could include reprimand, probation or suspension.

About 250 protesters rallied in support of the arrested individuals, flanking detainees and police officers as they boarded the buses. 

Campbell estimated that 50 to 60 Yale police officers were on site, alongside 15 officers from the New Haven Police Department. Only Yale police officers were involved in arresting protesters, said New Haven police chief  Karl Jacobson. 

 By 7:52 a.m., all remaining protesters on the Plaza had been arrested.

After dispersing and detaining pro-Palestine protesters, police officers and maintenance workers cleared tents, removed activists’ flyers from the plaza walls and power-washed chalk drawings from surfaces. 

The crowd moved from the Schwarzman Center sidewalk shortly after 8 a.m. to form a large protest circle blocking the intersection of Grove and College streets. New Haven police officers diverted traffic away from the intersection, closing streets on three sides of the intersection. 

As arrested students were released, several came to the intersection to join the blockade.

For nearly nine hours, pro-Palestine protesters — both Yale students and New Haven-based organizers — occupied the intersection, until around 5 p.m., when protesters began relocating to Cross Campus as New Haven police requested that the intersection re-open to traffic at 5:30 p.m. 

On Cross, activists affiliated with the student organization Jews for Ceasefire led an outdoor Seder — the ritual meal for the Jewish holiday of Passover — which one organizer opened by saying that they were there to “stand in solidarity with Palestinians, not in spite of [their] Judaism but because of it.” A group later began to pray Maghrib, the sunset Islamic prayer, after the Seder. 

An organizer announced at 10:07 p.m. that programming had concluded for the night, and unlike the Beinecke Plaza encampment over the weekend, organizers asked protesters to leave and continue protesting the following day. 

The police did not have to issue a dispersal warning for the sit-in at  Grove and College Streets, nor did they make use of two chartered commercial coach buses that were parked on Prospect Street — vehicles that would have been used to transport protesters after arrest if they had refused to clear the intersection by 5:30 p.m., according to assistant New Haven police chief David Zannelli.

Monday morning’s arrests took place after negotiations between University administrators and pro-Palestine organizers pushing for divestment broke down Sunday night. According to Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis, on Sunday night, administrators offered protesters a meeting with the chair of the University’s Corporation Committee on Investor Responsibility, no punishment for previous trespassing and a meeting with him — conditions they rejected.

“We told Dean Lewis that a meeting could not be productive without equality of access to information,” Patrick Hayes ’24, an organizer of the encampment, wrote to the News. “We told him we were willing to keep a peaceful encampment as Trustees assessed what, if any commitment could be made to disclosure, and that we understood this could take time. We negotiated in good faith, but with no commitment to even assess disclosure of any kind we could not accept the offer.” 

Recent pro-Palestine demonstrators at other American universities have also faced arrest. At Columbia University, where over 100 pro-Palestine student protesters were arrested last week, classes were canceled for Monday, April 22 and off-campus students were encouraged to stay away from campus. And on Monday evening, New York police forces arrested over 150 pro-Palestine student protesters.

Six police vehicles continued to block the Alexander Walk entrance to Beinecke Plaza around 1 a.m. early Tuesday morning. Police tape still blocked off the Plaza as classes began on Tuesday.

The News followed the day live, as below.

— Giri Viswanathan, Sci-Tech Editor

______________________________________________________________

11:27 p.m.:

There are roughly 20 people left on Cross Campus, though it is quiet and protesters only seem to be talking among themselves. Protesters are also removing some of the art panels they had placed on Cross Campus earlier this afternoon.

At least five people are setting up sleeping bags. 

“The numbers are going to fluctuate,” Ky Miller ENV ’25 told the News. “This is really intended to be an organic, community-centered space, so people are welcome to come and go as they please. We don’t have an exact count [of people intending to camp overnight] right now.”

Barring major developments, this will be the News’s last update for the night.

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter, and Adam McPhail, Sci-Tech Editor

10:25 p.m.:

About 100 protesters remain on Cross Campus drumming and chanting “from the sea to river, Palestine will live forever.”

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

10:07 p.m.:

One speaker shared that the programming is done for the night.

“You can stay on your own volition,” a student leader said. 

Organizers urged protestors to return tomorrow, as they plan to continue protesting.

— Natasha Khazzam, Staff Reporter and Khuan-Yu Hall, City Editor

9:57 p.m.:

“All our officers are tied up with the protest right now,” a receptionist at the Yale Police Department told the News.

There are currently no YPD officers on Cross Campus, though there are five Yale Public Safety cars and at least seven YPD officers on Alexander Walk and Beinecke Plaza.

Protestors announced that quiet hours shifted back to start at 10 p.m. Current university policy states that quiet hours begin at 11 p.m. In accordance with these changes, protestors stated that they plan to leave cross-campus shortly.

— Yolanda Wang and Natasha Khazzam, Staff Reporters

9:09 p.m.:

Organizers have announced that a Yale Law School professor will be speaking to the protesters in about 10 minutes. In addition, they announced plans to move from the grass of Cross Campus towards the plaza, space in front of Sterling Memorial Library. The protestors then chanted, “Palestine will be free, from the sea to the river.”

– Michael Willen, Copy Editor

8:48 p.m.:

An organizer is speaking over a megaphone to the pro-divestment protesters on Cross Campus, whose numbers have grown to around 200. The organizer pointed to the cardboard model missile with “BOOKS NOT BOMBS” painted on its surface.

“The radius of a missile this size would stretch from [Benjamin] Franklin College to Chapel Street,” the organizer said. She also compared the size of the missile, which stands about eight feet tall, to her own height.

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

8:45 p.m.:

YPD Liutenent Halstead told the News that YPD received reports of “tensions running too hot” and confrontations between protesters on Saturday night. To avoid conflicts tonight, Halstead said that YPD officers will be around to observe and respond as necessary. Halstead said there were no current plans for dispersing protesters on Cross Campus.

There are currently no officers stationed outside of Sterling or around Cross Campus. 

– Khuan-Yu Hall, City Editor

8:35 p.m.:

Organizers have started to lead chants on Cross Campus again. Around 125 people are chanting  “Say it loud, say it clear, liberation is here” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest” as well as some chants in Arabic. 

There are currently four Yale police officers standing in front of Sterling Memorial Library.

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

7:45 p.m.:

About 40 people have started to pray Maghrib on the upper half of Cross Campus. Around 100 more people are sitting on the lawn and looking on, though it is again difficult to discern whether they are protesters or passersby.

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

7:37 p.m.:

Yale Police Lieutenant Chris Halstead told the News that YPD does not have any plans to disperse the crowd on Cross Campus at this time. He told the News to refer to a 5:38 p.m. email from Vice President for University Life Kimberly Goff-Crews for more information on how the University would respond in the case that protesters set up another encampment or other structures on Cross Campus. 

There are currently seven YPD officers standing in front of Sterling Memorial Library. 

After the morning arrests and clearing of the Plaza, YPD officers gathered and removed the belongings left by protesters.

Halstead explained that there was a chance non-arrested protesters who retrieved their belongings from YPD could have their names recorded.

“Let’s say you’ve lost your phone,” Halstead said. “I take your phone, I write a report on it. I don’t know whose it is, but then you come and you claim it. Then because I documented the fact that I recovered it, I’m going to say that you came and picked it up, basically closing the loop and making sure it’s returned to the correct person.”

Halstead also said that he did not know whether YPD and University administrators would use cataloged information from non-arrestees who retrieved their belongings or video footage of protesters to identify and take disciplinary action against protesters.

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

7:34 p.m.:

On Monday, Yale College Council Vice President Maya Fonkeu ’25 and President Julian Suh-Toma ’25 wrote an op-ed in the News calling on administrators to recognize that “no amount of technicalities can justify silencing student voices.”

In the op-ed, they wrote that they have remained publicly silent for “far too long.”

“We sit here and humbly admit that, in this regard, we have failed, and we are sorry,” Suh-Toma and Fonkeu wrote in the op-ed. 

On Monday night, Fonkeu further emphasized their support for free expression to the News. 

“Throughout the course of this week students expressed themselves in more ways than one,” Fonkeu said. “Alongside the peaceful protests on Beinecke Plaza and on the Grove Street intersection, over 200 letters were sent to the Yale administration and the Board of Trustees. The students’ message is clear: they want Yale to do better.”

— Kaitlyn Pohly, Staff Reporter 

Correction, 12:32 a.m.: This update has been amended to accurately reflect the views that Suh-Toma and Fonkeu articulated in their op-ed.

7:24 p.m.:

On Cross Campus, Shades of Yale began singing “We Shall Overcome” surrounded by seated protesters. It is quiet now relative to the full day of protest chants at the intersection of College and Grove streets. 

–Zoë Halaban, WKND Editor

7:10 p.m.:

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker released a statement affirming the students’ right to protest, but cautioning that the protest must be respectful of New Haven residents. 

“Grove Street and College Street is one of New Haven’s busiest intersections, and it was important to have the area open and cleared in time for New Haveners’ evening rush hour commute and for first responders to be able to utilize those key corridors in responding to 9-1-1 emergencies across the city,” Elicker wrote. 

Elicker commended the NHPD for their role in clearing the intersection safely without having to make arrests. 

— Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporter

6:52 p.m.:

There are currently five Yale Police officers standing in front of Sterling Memorial Library while another patrols the paved area between Sterling Library and the Cross Campus lawn. A seventh Yale Police officer is patrolling the lower area of Cross Campus, closer to College Street.

— Yolanda Wang and Emily Khym, Staff Reporters

6:42 p.m.:

The Seder has ended, and organizers are distributing leftover food. Attendees of the Seder remain on Cross Campus and are especially concentrated around a model rocket made of cardboard with the message “BOOKS NOT BOMBS” painted on it. The rocket was erected shortly after the Seder began.

— Emily Khym and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporters

6:40 p.m.:

Various student communities are responding to recent protests, as Yale Students for Christ will hold a prayer at 9 p.m. tonight at Dwight Hall. According to an email written by Kwaku Acquah ’23, a current student intern for Yale Students for Christ, a space for collective praying and processing is essential given the “recent escalation of events.” 

“As followers of Christ, we believe it is important for us to gather together in times of uncertainty and difficulty, to pray for each other, for others around us, and for those across the globe who are suffering and in conflict,” wrote Acquah in an email to YSC students. “Tonight we’ll be gathering in Dwight Library from 9-10pm to pray, while also creating a space for us to process our own thoughts and feelings.” 

– Jane Park, Staff Reporter

6:22 p.m.: 

The incoming first-year counselors of all 14 residential colleges have drafted a preliminary “Letter of Support” for student protesters. The letter is addressed to Dean Lewis, Dean Lafargue, Dean Peck and Dean Boyd and demands that the Yale administration “fully and immediately disclose its investments and divest from any and all weapons manufacturing.”

In it, the writers “fully and unequivocally condemn the University administration’s decision to authorize the arrest of at least 47 peaceful student protesters on the morning of April 22, 2024.” 

The protesters were charged with Class A Misdemeanors, which is the highest class of misdemeanors in Connecticut. 

The letter cites the given responsibilities of first-year counselors by Yale College. FroCos wrote that they object to the arrests of protesters and found “this action fundamentally incompatible with what it means to be a student at Yale.”

The letter also cited the Guidance Regarding Free Expression and Peaceable Assembly at Yale, writing that the arrests go against the University’s commitment to free expression. 

The incoming first-year counselors demanded “that Yale drop any and all misdemeanor or criminal charges and refrain from disciplinary action against peaceful student protesters and that the University substantively and sincerely engage with student protesters’ demands.”

Over 40 first year counselors across 12 colleges have signed the letter so far.

Update, 1:01 a.m.: A previous version of this live blog did not clarify that the letter incoming FroCos wrote was a preliminary draft. That draft has been evolving, and the 40 listed signatories did not necessarily sign on to the version the News obtained.

– Asuka Koda, Karla Cortes and Kenisha Mahajan, Staff Reporters

6:13 p.m.:

There are currently around 125 people gathered for the Jews for Ceasefire protest Seder — a dinner for the Jewish holiday of Passover — on Cross Campus, though it is difficult to tell who is part of the pro-divestment protests and who is a passerby. 

The people gathered for the seder have finished pouring the first cup of wine and are now passing around foods that are part of the ritual, such as zeroa, beitza and charoset.

The protester leading the Seder asked the crowd to reflect on the Ten Plagues and asked “what is plaguing Yale university and the world this Passover?” 

The crowd responded with “the policing of New Haven,” “bombs,” “Zionism” and “man-made famine.”

— Yolanda Wang and Emily Khym, Staff Reporters

5:56 p.m.:

According to Jimmy Lê ’25, one of the protesters who was arrested earlier this morning, there has been no news regarding the academic disciplinary action that arrested protesters will face. Upon arrest, protesters’ Yale IDs were collected by the YPD, said Lê. 

When YPD entered the plaza in the early morning, only half of the protesters were awake. Marshals awoke and alerted protesters through a speakerphone. After YPD officers closed on Beinecke Plaza with their police cars, Lê said that officers gave protesters 60 seconds to evacuate the premises or face arrest. Arrest took much longer, however, as Lê estimates that it took ten to fifteen minutes. 

While Lê gave his phone away to a friend, there are some arrested protesters whose phones got confiscated and still has not received theirs back, according to Lê. 

– Jane Park, Staff Reporter

5:55 p.m.:

Officer Halstead told the News that the police are monitoring the scene to ensure that protesters remain safe and do not put up structures in violation of a 5:38 p.m. email sent to the Yale community by Kimberly Goff-Crews. The email reiterates that Yale policy bars students from placing structures on university outdoor spaces without pre-approval.

There are currently two Yale police officers on Cross Campus, and Halstead said that there are no plans to change that number unless the nature of the protest changes. He said that there are no plans to disperse the crowd.

-Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

5:53 p.m.:

As of 5:53 p.m., students have begun the Passover Seder. The crowd is sitting circled around a banner that reads “Jews for a free Palestine” and a painting of a seder plate. An organizer started the ritual by saying that they are here to “stand in solidarity with Palestinians, not in spite of [their] Judaism but because of it.”

Members of the Yale community are also holding banners that say “Another Jew for a Free Palestine” around the crowd. An online pamphlet titled “Freedom For All Seder” is being distributed. 

– Emily Khym, Staff Reporter 

5:48 p.m:

As of 5:37 p.m., Harvard College has recently suspended the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee — one of several student organizations to stage a rally on Harvard Yard on Friday—according to a Harvard Crimson article. 

This comes after the news that Harvard Yard will be closed to the public until Friday to “stay ahead of potential issues with non-Harvard recognized groups,” an announcement following large student protests at Columbia and Yale. 

— Jane Park, Staff Reporter

5:36 p.m.:

Kimberly Goff-Crews, Yale’s secretary and vice president for university life, sent out an email echoing Salovey’s previous message, which called for compassion. 

The email linked and summarized three University policies — relating to outdoor spaces, chalking and postering and structures. 

The policy on structures mandates that students must obtain permission from appropriate administrators to set up any “structure, wall, barrier, tent, sculpture, artwork or other object” on university outdoor space. Structures that do not follow this policy will be taken down. 

— Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporter

5:30 p.m.:

As of 5:30 p.m., there are around nine police officers stationed inside of Schwarzman Center, according to YPD officer Jay Jones. He told the News that officers are “wrapping up for the night” after a “long day.”

— Emily Khym and Jane Park, Staff Reporters

5:10 p.m.:

At a press conference outside the Schwarzman Center, Jacobson shared details of NHPD’s involvement. 

According to Jacobson, 15 NHPD officers were deployed to the scene at YPD’s request this morning. He clarified that the YPD officers were the only ones arresting protesters this morning and NHPD officers were stationed on streets around the Schwarzman Center. 

Jacobson said that he appreciated the organizers talking with NHPD so that the streets could be cleared for rush-hour traffic without arrests. 

“We appreciate the cooperation,” Jacobson said. 

— Yurii Stasiuk and Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporters

5:08 p.m.:

Protesters have moved from Schwarzman to Cross Campus. A total of 150 people, including both protesters and students already on Cross Campus, are on the grass. The protesters have taken up chants, including “Two, four, six, eight, Israel is a terror state” and “From the sea to river, Palestine will live forever.”

“We don’t need to be disrupting New Haven residents today, especially during rush hour. We need to be disrupting Yale today at a moment when the University is trying to scapegoat New Haven residents as inciters of violence, as ‘aggressors,’ per President Salovey’s email this afternoon,” a protest organizer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said to the News.

— Jane Park, Emily Khym and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

5:06 p.m.:

Officer David Zannelli, Assistant Chief of NHPD, told the News that they were pleased that the protesters moved peacefully to Cross Campus. Prior to the peaceful relocation, police were prepared with crowd control police and had chartered commercial coach buses to bring protesters who refused to move to detainment facilities. 

– Zoë Halaban, WKND Editor, Giri Viswanathan, Sci-Tech Editor

5:05 p.m.:

Police officers have reopened College and Grove Streets to traffic. Most of the protesters have now cleared out of the intersection and moved to Cross Campus. 

— Yolanda Wang and Asuka Koda, Staff Reporters, and Evan Gorelick, Print Managing Editor

4:50 p.m.:

Protesters are now relocating to Cross Campus from the intersection of College Street and Grove Street, which has been blocked to traffic by New Haven police since this morning.

Jacobson told the News that NHPD has been in conversation with protesters the entire day and wants to have the intersection clear for traffic by 5:30 p.m.

Jacobson noted that, despite the illegality of the protest, NHPD aims to protect protesters’ first amendment rights.

“We have to clean this up. … Let’s prove to people that we can be respectful and also say ‘Fuck Yale,’” an organizer announced to the crowd with a megaphone. The crowd yelled “Fuck Yale” in response.

The dispersal and subsequent move come after University President Peter Salovey sent a University-wide email describing the blocked intersection as a hazard. Since the protest is taking place on public property, it is under the jurisdiction of the NHPD. 

“Today, a crowd—again, including our students and people not affiliated with Yale—assembled and blocked New Haven city streets,” Salovey wrote. “This is a safety violation and a disruption to the operation of the City of New Haven.”

NHPD Public Information Officer Bruckhart told the News that NHPD will not issue a dispersal warning because protesters are already vacating the intersection.

– Kenisha Mahajan, Staff Reporter, Zoë Halaban, WKND editor, Evan Gorelick, Print Managing Editor, and Giri Viswanathan, Sci-Tech Editor

4:05 p.m.:

University President Peter Salovey wrote an email to the University addressing today’s arrests and threatening disciplinary actions against protesters who remain at the intersection of College and Grove streets. Read more from the News here.

When an organizer, who stood in the center of the intersection, announced the email, protestors responded by booing. The organizer mentioned the insinuation of violence at the protest and affirmed that the protests are peaceful, stating, “This protest is and always has been committed to safety and care.” 

Protesters cheered at the mention of peaceful protesting. 

The organizer also described Salovey’s note as one employing “very dangerous rhetoric” towards members of the New Haven community, adding that Salovey’s message “painted these community members as dangerous and violent.”

— Zoë Halaban, WKND Editor, and Chris Tillen and Yurii Stasiuk, Staff Reporters

4:04 p.m.: 

Lewis wrote to the News regarding an email he sent to colleagues this morning at 9:59 a.m. which was circulated on social media. In the email, which was obtained by the News in full, Lewis attributed “greatly increased danger at recent protests” to “non-Yale protesters with a known history of violent confrontation with the police.”

“My email regarding the protest at Grove and Prospect was mistaken and I apologize for the suggestion that the protesters might turn violent,” Lewis wrote to the News. “I was repeating speculation I had overheard and I should not have done so.”

In the email, which was posted on the Occupy Beinecke Instagram account, Lewis attributed “greatly increased danger at recent protests” to “non-Yale protesters with a known history of violent confrontation with the police.”

“I hope that anyone who can do so will use their influence to encourage students to separate themselves from this outside group,” Lewis wrote in the email to colleagues.

The pro-Palestine protests, which started on April 15, have largely remained peaceful throughout the week, including the three nights since protesters erected an encampment on Beinecke Plaza.

– Sarah Cook, University Editor, and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

3:34 p.m.: 

The News obtained a message sent to protesters who were arrested this morning on where to claim their belongings that were cleared off of Beinecke Plaza throughout the morning by Yale police and maintenance workers.

Yale police will hold “valuable items” — including medication, wallets and electronics — at 101 Ashmun St. for the next three to five days. After that time, all items will be transferred to New Haven police. 

The message also says that “non-valuable items” can be picked up at the Office of Facilities at 150 York St. beginning in 24 hours. An organizer of the encampment, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns, told the News that tents, sleeping bags and blankets are non-valuable items. 

Earlier in the day, the News spoke to two arrested protesters at 101 Ashmun St. — Nika Zarazvand ’20 and Chisato Kimura YLS ’25 — who described the process for claiming their valuables as frustrating and confusing.  

— Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

3:23 p.m.:

Yale police officers are still blocking the pedestrian entrance points to Beinecke Plaza via Alexander Walk. Eight police officers and two police cars block the opening at the southeast entrance across from William L. Harkness Hall. Another police car is parked directly on the walkway. No police cars remain on the northeast entrance by the Sterling Law Building but four Yale officers block the entrance. One officer told the News pedestrians are only permitted to enter the plaza if they have an appointment at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. 

– Zoë Halaban, WKND Editor

3:00 p.m.:

Yale Gospel Choir has begun singing in the middle of the intersection. Twenty-one singers wear masks as they perform “This Little Light of Mine” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” At the choir’s request, the crowd has all stood for “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 

– Zoë Halaban, WKND Editor and Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

2:30 p.m.:

A woman encouraged the crowd to sign up to testify at the ceasefire resolution hearing on May 1 at the New Haven Board of Alders. She told the crowd that New Haven police were directly related to the IDF, which makes passing the ceasefire resolution a New Haven issue. 

According to the website of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America — or JINSA — former NHPD Chief Dean Esserman attended JINSA’s Homeland Security Program, an exchange program between “U.S. law enforcement community and expert Israeli counterterrorism practitioners,” in 2013. 

Current YPD Chief Anthony Campbell attended an Anti-Defamation League–sponsored seminar titled “Leadership Seminar in Israel:  Resilience and Counterterrorism” in which “U.S. law enforcement officials receive counterterrorism training from members of the Israeli National Police,” per an article from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. 

In the same article, Campbell told the Arts Council that the seminar he attended was “by far one of the most profound and life changing experiences [he has] ever had.” 

Campbell also previously served as the chief of NHPD from 1998 to 2019.

Last December, pro-Palestine organizer Chloe Miller LAW ’25 proposed a ceasefire resolution to the Board of Alders. After a months long advocacy campaign, which included the disruption of the mayor’s state of the city address, alders moved the resolution to a committee in March, making a first step in the adoption process. Public hearing on it, scheduled for May 1, will be conducted over Zoom.

—Lily Belle Poling and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporters

2:28 p.m.:

The News obtained an email from Rep. Rosa DeLauro with a statement on the protests. 

DeLauro, who represents New Haven in Congress, wrote “People have a right to protest. We’re a democracy and freedom of speech is our founding principle. But inciting hatred and violence toward Jewish students and community members, as we have seen at other universities, is completely unacceptable and those responsible for violence must be held accountable. I am thankful that for the most part the protests at Yale have been peaceful.”

She continued by saying,“I am calling for an immediate ceasefire of at least six weeks, and I hope more after that, so we can free hostages and move additional humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

—Lily Belle Poling and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporters

2:22 p.m.:

Justin Farmer, a former Hamden Town Councilor and local activist, is on-site in support of protesters’ demands. He told the News that he is angry with how Yale police shutting down the encampment on Beinecke Plaza has shifted the cost of the protest onto the city. 

Farmer listed police overtime and accrued benefits as two costs the city would have to pay. Policing city streets, like the ones protesters are occupying, is the jurisdiction of NHPD, not YPD. Farmer also said that students are less physically safe in the intersection than they were in the plaza.

When asked how New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker should handle policing costs, Farmer suggested he bill Yale.

“I’d write a bill to the University and say ‘Okay, listen, this is a political issue that is costing the city money,” Farmer said. “You’re costing the city money because you won’t have legitimate dialogues with your students about your investments, which are supposed to be for education.”

Farmer also said he found it ironic that Yale recently apologized for its role in slavery but is pushing the costs of the protest onto a majority Black and Brown city.

– Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

2:21 p.m.:

Marshals have surrounded the counter-protester in an effort to keep him back from the main circle. “Are you a provocateur?” a marshal asks. “I could be,” responded the counter-protester, who is accompanied by a small dog. Marshals are attempting to engage him in controlled, quiet dialogue. 

– Miranda Wollen, University Editor

2:11 p.m.: 

Four students performed tinikling — a traditional Filipino dance — in the middle of the protest circle, as the sole counter-protester heckled the dancers saying, “Idiots on the street. Do it right. Kill yourself.”

The crowd then chanted, “From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine.”

The counter-protester replied with, “You can’t shut me up.”

The crowd drowned out his heckling with chants of “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine.”

— Lily Belle Poling and Yurii Stasiuk, Staff Reporters

1:58 p.m.:

A man in a yarmulke and an Israel Defense Forces zip-up has begun a small counter-protest in front of the Schwarzman Center. He has a personal microphone and is chanting, “Stop attacking Israel,” and repeating “evil, evil!” and “stop supporting terrorism!” The central protest has picked up in response to drown him out. The protest remains peaceful.

– Miranda Wollen, University Editor

1:56 p.m:

According to an article published by The Harvard Crimson, Harvard Yard is closed to the public until Friday, to “stay ahead of potential issues with non-Harvard recognized groups.” This follows large student protests at Columbia and Yale. 

— Jane Park, Staff Reporter

1:37 p.m.:

At 11:56 a.m., Pauli Murray Head of College Tina Lu sent an email to her students regarding the protest. Lu said that she visited Beinecke Plaza several times in the past days, where she was able to share “some conversation, some hugs, and support” with students. In this email, Lu expressed her support for students and urged them to reach out. 

“I am more sorry than I can say that things have come to the pass they have,” wrote Lu in an email to students in Pauli Murray. “I know every HoC shares my sadness. We know how profoundly distressing this time has been for the whole community.” 

– Jane Park, Staff Reporter

1:33 p.m.:

Workers appear to be power washing the ground in Beinecke Plaza, which police officers have sealed off with tape. During the three-day encampment, pro-Palestine protesters wrote messages with chalk throughout the plaza. 

The University’s postering and chalking policy states that “chalk may be used only on outdoor walkways that are open to the sky and the weather.” The policy also states that “chalk messages must use temporary materials … and may not exceed four feet by four feet.”

Organizers are currently encouraging protesters at the Grove Street and College Street intersection to continue drawing on the road with chalk and to expand the chalk drawings beyond the intersection. 

— Yolanda Wang and Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporters 

1:15 p.m.: 

New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson is standing at the center of the intersection. He told the News that there are between 10 and 15 New Haven officers stationed near the intersection. 

As of 1:15 p.m., he said New Haven police had received no reports of violence from the protest today or at any point during the encampment. 

He added that officers have not used riot gear but do have it accessible. At 10 p.m. on Friday, while over 400 people gathered on the Beinecke Plaza, the News reported that at least six New Haven police officers standing inside the Schwarzman Center were wearing riot gear. 

For now, he said there are no plans to disperse the crowd unless protesters begin to set up tents. If tents are set up, Jacobson said, New Haven police will “immediately” disperse the entire crowd. 

“I’d rather work with everybody here, not against,” he told the News. 

– Sophie Sonnenfeld, Print Managing Editor

12:22 p.m.:

The female counter-protester approached the middle of the circle, chanting, “I am proud!” In response, protesters began singing and chanting, drowning the woman out. The two counter-protesters receded down Grove Street.

— Chris Tillen, Staff Reporter, and Miranda Wollen, University Editor

12:08 p.m. 

New Haven community members share to the crowds of protesters various Jewish poems and pro-Palestinian chants. 

Zachary Herring, a local Jewish New Haven activist, told the News that “It’s not just about divestment, it’s about investment as well and recognizing that Yale could have a huge role in revitalizing this city but instead folks are investing their money into weapons.” 

At 7:06 a.m., 13 people had been arrested according to a Yale Police officer who told the News that at least some of the people arrested were students.

Herring also shared with the News that he was “not quite sure what their goals are by arresting 50 students, but then letting students block traffic in the middle of campus.” Organizers announced their intent to stay at the intersection of College and Groves at 10:50 a.m. and protesters remain here at 12:23 p.m.

— Karla Cortes, Staff Reporter

12:07 p.m

According to New Haven resident Shelly Altman, there will be a Seder to honor Passover held at 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Grove Street and College Street. Altman is a leader with Jewish Voice for Peace who has been involved with protests for a cease-fire throughout the year. Originally, there was a plan to hold a Seder in Beinecke Plaza before the encampment was disbanded. 

“Passover is a story of liberation and goes back thousands of years. But we need to bring the liberation story to our current day and to our current lives … today Grove and College Street are our liberation square,” said Altman. 

— Chris Tillen, Staff Reporter 

12:06 p.m.:

Two pro-Israel counter-protesters have entered the circle, one a man holding a sign that says “I HEART JEWS”, and the other a woman in a hand-decorated t-shirt that says “JEW” on the front and “ISRAEL” on the back. Both are filming the protest silently. Marshalls in yellow vests are attempting to keep the counter-protesters away from the circle’s center. All action remains peaceful.

— Miranda Wollen, University Editor

11:56 a.m.:

According to NHPD Officer Justin Cole, as long as the occupation of the intersection remains peaceful, NHPD has no plans to remove protesters. However, he said that they would have to “reevaluate” if anyone set up tents. 

Cole told the News he was on his way to talk to the organizers of the protest and remind them to not set up tents.

— Khuan-Yu Hall, City Editor

11:52 a.m.:

Gov. Ned Lamont spoke at a press conference this morning regarding the ongoing protests and subsequent arrests on Yale’s campus. Lamont stated that he spoke to State Public Safety Chief Ronnell Higgins and that the situation seems “well managed.” 

In regards to the arrest of approximately 47 students, Lamont seemed less informed. “You’d have to ask about the trespassing involved but if it interferes with other people and private property, that’s probably cause of arrest.” 

Lamont encouraged the protestors to remain non-violent. On Saturday evening, a Jewish Yale made a series of unverified claims that she was jabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag. 

“Abuse of the law, hate speech and violence is wrong and illegal. It hurts your cause. In this instance, however, it is still to be determined whether this was accidental or purposeful”

– Kaitlyn Pohly and Mia Cortés Castro, Staff Reporters

11:48 a.m.:

Yale Hospitality announced in an email to students that “due to continuing protests,” the Schwarzman Center will be closed for dining for the day, including Commons, Elm cafe, the Ivy and the Bow Wow. 

In addition, Trumbull and Grace Hopper dining halls will hold an extended lunch service until 3 p.m. The email did not say when the Schwarzman Center would reopen for dining services.

— Tristan Hernandez and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporters

10:50 a.m.:

The American flag has yet to be raised back up the flagpole on Beinecke plaza. There are currently 25 police officers in the plaza, including one officer with a bomb squad patch on his uniform. 

There are also three Yale Police officers in SSS. 

— Yolanda Wang and Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporters, and Khuan-Yu Hall, City Editor

10:50 a.m.:

At the intersection, organizers announced their intent to stay. 

“We don’t need Beinecke to occupy,” a protester announced. “Let’s get performances going, let’s get speakers going.”

Members of Latin dance group Sabrosura, who canceled their planned performance at Salovey’s farewell dinner on Friday, are slated to perform today and hold a salsa workshop, an organizer announced. 

— Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporter

10:49 a.m.:

Tyerin Gatling, a Yale Hospitality worker, told the News that Yale is “still figuring out what to do with the protesters.” He added that he anticipated that Commons would open in an “hour or two.” 

The News also overheard YPD officers saying that Commons would remain closed  for students but would open to feed officers.  

— Yolanda Wang and Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter, and Khuan-Yu Hall, City Editor

10:47 a.m.:

According to a group of faculty representing Faculty for Justice in Palestine, the movement represents a learning experience for students. 

“One of Yale’s slogans is ‘It’s your Yale,’ and students are demonstrating what that actually means. And we are proud to support this lesson in true belonging and community,” said four involved professors, to whom the News granted anonymity because of livelihood concerns. “There’s a great amount of research that has gone into this. This is a product of learning and scholarship. These students are fighting for Gaza but also fighting for the future of the university.”

— Jane Park, Staff Reporter

10:46 a.m.:

A protester on the Plaza this morning provided the News with an account of police activity in the hour leading up to arrests. They were granted anonymity due to safety concerns. 

The protester said that police officers began to gather inside the Schwarzman Center rotunda around 6 a.m. and then moved onto the plaza and taped off all exits at 6:15 a.m. without giving any warnings. According to the protester, police entered and blocked off the encampment around 6:30 a.m., still without making warnings. At this point, YPD officers denied both reporters from the News and protesters trying to retrieve their belongings entry to the Plaza.

It was not until 6:40 a.m. that the protesters said police, numbering about 30 in total, made a warning to the crowd to disperse. At this point, upwards of 45 protesters gathered around the flagpole and were arrested for trespassing.

– Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

10:33 a.m.:

Among protesters, many are forgoing schoolwork to attend the protest circle. Second-year master’s student Jiwoong Choi ’24 told the News that this protest comes before academics.

“Right now my master’s thesis is due in a week, basically. You know, fuck that. At the end of the day, what the fuck is a degree to a fucking people’s movement globally? Same with the faculty members who are attending this protest with us, same with advance Ph.D. students. They are putting so much more on the line than I am. So all I can do is just show up and say these chants and be part of this unified voice.”

— Jane Park, Staff Reporter

10:30 a.m.:

A protester is waving a Palestinian flag outside of a window on a top floor of Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall, a building overlooking the intersection.

— Josie Reich and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporters

10:26 a.m.:

“We’re going to be here all fucking day,” an organizer in the center of the circle told protesters through a megaphone.

 — Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

10:25 a.m.:

New Haven police have blocked off traffic at the intersections of Wall and College Street, Prospect and Trumbull Street, and Grove Street and Hillhouse Avenue  — the three intersections surrounding the protest where traffic could approach the protest circle. Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell ’95 DIV ’09 told the News earlier on Monday that streets are the jurisdiction of NHPD, not YPD.

— Nora Moses, Staff Reporter, and Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

10:05 a.m.:

Protesters have written and drawn with chalk in the Grove Street and College Street intersection. Messages include “disclose, divest,” “The people united will never be defeated” and “Black solidarity with Palestine.” 

Protesters continue to shout chants, such as, “Salovey, you can’t hide, you’re funding genocide” and, “One, we are the people; two, we won’t be silenced; three, stop the violence now, now, now.” They also have begun to fill the intersection of Grove and College streets with writings in chalk calling for the University to “disclose and divest.”

In a speech to protesters, one organizer said,“We’ve got food, we’ve got coffee, we’ve got water and we are going to be here for a while.”

— Nora Moses, Staff Reporter, and Adam McPhail, Sci-Tech Editor

9:57 a.m.:

Patrick Hayes ’24, an organizer of the encampment, wrote to the News with a response to Lewis’ account of them refusing an offer of meetings with trustees, including one on the Corporation Committee on Investor Responsibility.

“With regard to negotiations, we told Dean Lewis that a meeting could not be productive without equality of access to information,” Hayes wrote. “We told him we were willing to keep a peaceful encampment as Trustees assessed what, if any commitment could be made to disclosure, and that we understood this could take time. We negotiated in good faith, but with no commitment to even assess disclosure of any kind we could not accept the offer. 

– Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

9:44 a.m.: 

The four NHPD motorcycles stations on Grove St. have departed. The road is still blocked by an NHPD car at the intersection of Temple and Grove. 

Halstead told the News that there are no firm plans to proceed with the protestors occupying the intersection. He added that if or when the Schwarzman Center will be open is unclear, as its opening will be dependent on how the protest is handled. 

– Khuan-Yu Hall, City Editor

9:41 a.m.: 

When asked why the University cannot disclose investments, Lewis wrote that the University has a “number of contractual obligations”  that prevent disclosure. 

“I have no doubt that the students acted in good faith, but I think their leaders gave them bad advice,” Lewis wrote. 

– Sarah Cook, University Editor

9:41 a.m.:

A University spokesperson told the News that 47 students have been arrested, based on the most recent report from Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell. The spokesperson added that the students will be referred for Yale disciplinary action — which could include reprimand, probation or suspension.

“The university made the decision to arrest those individuals who would not leave the Plaza with the safety and security of the entire Yale community in mind and to allow access to university facilities by all members of our community,” the spokesperson wrote. 

The spokesperson added that Yale provided detailed guidance on free expression, peaceable assembly and requesting the use of outdoor spaces and said that throughout yesterday’s negotiations, administrators offered protesters not only of meetings with the ACIR and trustees, but also opportunities “to avoid arrest if they left the plaza by the end of the weekend.”

The spokesperson also wrote that early this morning, the university again asked protestors to leave and remove belongings and had notified protestors numerous times that if they continued to violate Undergraduate Regulations, they could face both law enforcement and disciplinary action. 

“Since the protest started, the university and the Yale Police Department worked to reduce the likelihood of confrontations and arrests,” the spokesperson wrote. 

The university also spent several hours in discussion with student protesters yesterday, offering them the opportunity to meet with trustees, including the chair of the Corporation Committee on Investor Responsibility and to avoid arrest if they left the plaza by the end of the weekend. They declined this offer and continued to occupy the plaza. The university extended the deadline for a response to their offer to meet with the CCIR and trustees several times, with negotiations concluding unsuccessfully at 11:30 p.m.

– Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters, and Sarah Cook, University Editor

9:37 a.m.: 

Lewis wrote to the News that he does not know what discipline students who were arrested might face but added that the Executive Committee normally administers reprimands, probation or suspension – “Or in extreme cases expulsion.”

– Sarah Cook, University Editor

9:37 a.m.:

Currently, officers at Rose Center cannot confirm how long confiscated property will be held. They instructed protestors to pick up “valuables” from YPD, while tents and blankets could be picked up from 150 York St. Officers described “valuable” items as those of considerable monetary value, such as “iPads and laptops.”

According to officers, they were able to seize and examine protesters’ personal belongings under the “Community Care Taking Function,” an exception to a search warrant, according to Officer Loesche. In this process, they looked through each bag, and the belongings were currently being logged.

Chisato Kimura YLS ’25, one of the protesters arrested, told the News that protesters have been receiving conflicting information about the process of finding personal belongings, leaving him frustrated.

“They dumped them into bags, now it seems like the cops and administration lost them because they have no idea where the belongings are. And that means medication is missing, people can’t reach out to parents, their families,” Kimura told the News. “The cops and administration had no plan. It’s so clear that they had no plans, they currently have no plans. It’s abysmal. I think it shows a complete lack of coordination and complete lack of care for students.” 

— Jane Park and Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporters 

9:22 a.m.:

New Haven Police Officer Christian Bruckhart told the News that police currently have no plans to make arrests of protesters blocking the intersection. 

“As long as there is no violence or threats or anything like that, the plan is to not make arrests,” Bruckhart said. 

However, Lumisa Bista ’25, one of the protesters, told the News that Yale administrators had told protesters otherwise.

“A Yale administrator came to students advising that we clear the intersection because NHPD had planned to make arrests if the intersection was not cleared,” Lumisa Bista ’25 told the News. 

Bista added that no time was given by which protesters must clear out. 

“As far as I know, there are no plans to leave the intersection,” Bista said. 

— Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor, and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

9:21 a.m.: 

Organizers and protesters are chanting about the policing relationship between the University and New Haven.

 “[Police] try to keep Yale students safe from the residents of the city,” they chanted. 

The protesters continued chanting “Ain’t no power like the power of the people cause the power of the people don’t stop.”

— Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporter

9:19 a.m.:

Officers stationed around the entrances to Beinecke Plaza have again closed off entrances with yellow caution tape tied to lampposts. They motioned to pedestrians to keep walking.

— Mia Cortés Castro, Staff Reporter

9:19 a.m.:

Yale police officer Halstead told a student that the tents inside and outside of Beinecke will all be disposed of after removal.

He said that all items on the Plaza were put into trash bags to be discarded, but have not been discarded yet.

More expensive items like laptops have been tagged and separated from the other items.

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

9:15 a.m.:

At the YPD substation at Rose Center on 101 Ashum Street , three protesters who were arrested are speaking to YPD officers about the seizing of their belongings. According to the protesters, some of the belongings were essential items, including medication, wallets, cell phones and IDs.  Protesters on the plaza were told that they could speak to Chief Campbell if they went to the Yale Police Department headquarters. 

According to Nika Zarazvand ’20, one of the arrested protesters, officers refused to escort her to retrieve her personal belongings from the tent — which included her cell phone and bag of medications. Zarazvand told the News that she needed to take her medication this morning to avoid negative side effects. The last time she took her medication was yesterday morning. 

— Jane Park and Lily Belle-Poling, Staff Reporters 

9:10 a.m.:

A protester who was arrested this morning and asked to remain anonymous was charged with “criminal trespass” in the first degree with a May 8 summons date, according to their citation, which was obtained by the News. This citation has the same charge and summons date as the one Craig Birckhead-Morton ’24, another protester who was arrested, received. 

— Nora Moses, Staff Reporter, and Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor 

9:10 a.m.:

There are 11 officers stationed at the entrance to Beinecke Plaza from Alexander Walk, though there is little pedestrian traffic.

— Mia Cortés Castro, Staff Reporter

9:09 a.m.:

Marshals and organizers have begun to give bread and fruit out to protesters in the circle. 

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

9:08 a.m.:

Maintenance workers are returning all chairs and tables to their usual spot on the plaza, which has now been completely cleared of tents, signs, flags and banners.

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

9:05 a.m.:

Broadcast news outlets have arrived to cover the protest at the intersection. Reporters from NBC Connecticut, Fox 61, Channel 8 and Channel 3 are present on the scene.

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

9:04 a.m.:

At least 350 pro-Palestine protesters calling for military weapons divestment are still sitting in a circle blocking the intersection to College and Grove Streets. At least 40 protesters, organizers say 48, were arrested by Yale Police on Beinecke Plaza this morning and are being charged with trespassing in the first degree, a Class A misdemeanor. The protesters are currently chanting “We will free Palestine within our lifetime” and “Books not bombs.”

– Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

9:03 am.:

The yellow caution tape has fallen down in front of Beinecke Plaza at the Alexander Walk entrance, but two Yale police cars and officers remain stationed at the entrance and continue to restrict entry onto the Paza. Faculty and students heading to Beinecke Library are entering through an underground accessway. 

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

9:02 a.m.:

Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis wrote to the News that after over five hours of negotiations yesterday, he extended the deadline multiple times but “could not go past midnight.” 

When asked what the deadline was for, he said, “the entire deal.” The final deal, he added, included a meeting with the chair of the CCIR, no punishment for previous trespassing, and a meeting with him. After rejecting this final offer, organizers were ultimately given until 6 a.m. this morning to leave without being arrested. 

“There would have been [no] arrests and no disciplinary action except for instances of violence, threats, harassment, or intimidation,” Lewis wrote. 

This offer was made after the offer of a meeting with two Yale Corporation members, which was made “early in the night,” per Lewis. He emphasized that this was the third night that administrators offered students the opportunity to de-escalate. 

– Sarah Cook, University Editor

9:01 a.m.:

A group of around five demonstrators walking on Alexander Walk shouted “shame on you” and “useless pigs” to two police officers standing in front of Beinecke Plaza. 

“Thank you,” one officer responded.

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

9:01 a.m.:

Staff and students at the Beinecke Library are entering the library through a tunnel underground, as the entrance through Beinecke Plaza is still restricted by police officers.

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:57 a.m.:

Protesters are now taping a poster reading “a united Korea for a free Palestine” to one of the columns of Schwarzman Center on its College Street side. 

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter 

8:57 a.m.:

Yale Police Department officers inside the Schwarzman Center said that Commons is closed and they don’t know when it will open. Students and workers alike are not currently being allowed inside. The News saw at least one hospitality worker enter the Schwarzman Center.

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

8:53 a.m.:

Organizers have begun to move signs that were originally set up on Beinecke Plaza around the Schwarzman Center to the intersection at College Street.

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

8:52 a.m.:

Four police officers have left their post in front of Beinecke Paza on Alexander Walk. Two officers remain, alongside two police cars. 

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:50 a.m.:

An apparent counter-protester is in the middle of the circle, raising a small sign with a picture of an Israeli hostage. She is shouting “Am Israel Chai” but is drowned out by the protesters’ chants. 

Marshals have been using keffiyehs to block her from the other protesters. 

— Nora Moses and Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporters 

8:48 a.m.:

A maintenance worker on the Plaza confirmed they are not throwing out any personal belongings being picked up and placed into trash bags. All belongings will be stored and returned, they said. 

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:46 a.m.:

Birckhead-Morton addressed the crowd sitting down in the College and Grove Street intersection.

“I was arrested by the Yale Police Department. Because of your support they couldn’t even take me out the back door. We have changed the landscape of the city and the country.”

After his speech, protesters chanted “disclose, divest. we will not stop, we will not rest.” 

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

8:44 a.m.:

Craig Birckhead-Morton ’24, who was arrested at the flagpole on Beinecke Plaza this morning, said he was processed around 8 a.m. at a “secondary site” on Amistad Street near the School of Medicine and then was released. He was charged with trespassing in the first degree. He said his court date is May 8. 

Birckhead-Morton was back on the sidewalk on College Street in front of the Schwarzman Center as of 8:40 a.m.

— Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

8:42 a.m.:

The final standing tent in front of the Schwarzman Center has been taken down. The Plaza is now completely clear except for a couple of bookshelves. 

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:41 a.m.:

There are currently more than 350 protesters blocking the intersection of Grove and College Streets. 

Most protesters have now sat down on the road. A protester is playing the drums in the center of the circle while some others dance. 

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

8:40 a.m.:

All signs, posters and banners have been removed from in front of the Schwarzman Center. All that remains on Beinecke Plaza are three tents and a couple of bookshelves, which workers are in the process of bringing into the Schwarzman Center.

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:39 a.m.:

Organizers wrote in their group chat that they are headed to where arrested protesters are being held to pick them up in cars.

Organizers also wrote that cops are inventorying the protesters’ belongings and they would have to call the police department to retrieve them.

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

8:33 a.m.:

All but four of the tents in front of the Schwarzman Center have been taken down by maintenance workers. There were more than 40 on the Plaza as of last night

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter, and Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

8:32 a.m.:

Two protesters who were arrested this morning after camping on Beinecke Plaza overnight told the News that they were taken by YPD officers in the first bus of arrested protesters to a mobile processing unit where they were charged with criminal trespassing to the first degree, then released 20 minutes later.

The two protesters requested anonymity due to concerns about retaliation.

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

8:25 a.m.:

Four New Haven Police officers on motorcycles are blocking off Grove Street at its intersection with Hillhouse Avenue and are directing traffic to turn onto Hillhouse.  

Meanwhile, protesters at the intersection sing “from Yale to Columbia, we shall not be moved.” More than 100 pro-Palestine protesters have been arrested at Columbia over the past week.

There were more than 40 officers on the scene; they have now almost all entered the Schwarzman Center rotunda and are not allowing students inside.

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters, and Anika Arora Seth, Editor in Chief & President

8:23 a.m.:

NHPD Chief Karl Jacobson told the News that he spoke with University administration about removing protesters on Beinecke Plaza and said that NHPD was not given a set time until late last night or early this morning. 

Jacobson also said that arrested students were, to his knowledge, being held at a park outside the Yale Law School. 

– Jane Park, Staff Reporter, and Anika Arora Seth, Editor in Chief & President

8:22 a.m.:

A Yale police officer told the News he doesn’t expect Beinecke to be open “anytime soon,” but refused to provide an exact time.

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:22 a.m.:

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker told the News that 15 to 20 officers from the New Haven Police Department are currently at the scene. The Yale Police Department requested support from NHPD ahead of today. 

“People have a right to protest, but it has to be done in a safe way, by the rules of the law,” Elicker told the News in a phone call. “Our focus is on safety.” 

Elicker said that he called President Peter Salovey last night to speak about the protest. He said that Salovey told him the city has been supportive. Elicker clarified that YPD, not the University, had reached out requesting support from NHPD. 

— Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporter

8:20 a.m.:

Maintenance workers are beginning to take down individual tents and drag them off to the ground in front of the Schwarzman Center. Only maintenance workers and police officers are being allowed on the Plaza right now.

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:19 a.m.: 

As police officers showed up on Grove Street on motorcycles, organizers instructed protesters in the street to link arms in the circle. The protesters are singing “We shall not be moved.”

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter 

8:18 a.m.:

Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell told the News that somewhere between 40 to 45 total protesters have been arrested and charged with trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor. He declined to tell the News where they have been taken for processing but said they would be released once processed.

He said they had issued a warning to protesters on the plaza last night at 11:00 p.m. and another this morning shortly before 7:00 a.m. before moving in for arrests.

Campbell estimated he had 50 to 60 officers on the scene, and said New Haven Police had a contingent as well.

When asked about the over 250 protesters blocking the intersection of College and Grove Streets, Campbell said that streets, and the decision of what to do with the protesters, fell under NHPD jurisdiction. NHPD Chief Karl Jacobson had previously said YPD was in charge. When informed of this difference, Campbell said he would talk to Jacobson.

— Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor, and Josie Reich, Staff Reporer

8:16 a.m.:

Around nine of the arrested protesters have been released and have joined the protesters blocking the street. 

A protester at the center of the circle criticized the police over a megaphone for “coming at 6 a.m. when [protesters] were most vulnerable.”

“They knew we had power in our numbers,” the protester said.

She also said that 48 people in total were arrested and that “everyone is being released.”

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

8:16 a.m.:

When reporters asked police officers standing on the steps of the Schwarzman Center about protesters being charged with class A misdemeanors, officers said to reach out to the Office of Public Affairs. The Office has not responded to inquires from the News today. The News first called at 7:32 a.m.

— Jane Park and Josie Reich, Staff Reporters, and Anika Arora Seth, Editor in Chief & President 

8:16 a.m.:

Maintenance workers have begun to take down all banners, flags and signs in front of the Schwarzman Center. 

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:13 a.m.:

A team of around 15 maintenance workers is picking up trash around the tent encampments in front of the Schwartzman Center but has avoided touching tents, banners or flags thus far.

— Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

8:13 a.m.:

“It’s imperative that we block every single fucking street,” a protester said over megaphone. 

A Yale Alert that came out at 8:12 a.m. said that police are responding to “an incident in the area of Grove St & Prospect St… due to protestors who are blocking the street.”

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

8:10 a.m.:

Police officers are instructing cars on Grove Street to back up from the circle of protesters in the intersection. They are backing them up to Hillhouse Avenue and diverting them that way. 

– Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

8:09 a.m.:

There are at least 30 officers gathered around the College Street entrance to the Schwarzman Center.

At least five additional police officers have been sent across College Street to the sidewalk in front.

– Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

8:09 a.m.: 

Organizers blocking the intersection of Grove and College Streets announce that people arrested are being charged with Class A misdemeanors. “Do we look like criminals?,” they have asked the crowd of over 200.

– Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

8:07 a.m.:

Protesters encircling the College Grove intersection have locked arms and are chanting “get up, get down, we’re anti-war in this town.”

– Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor

8:05 a.m.:

Protesters have circled around the intersection of College and Grove streets. No cars can pass through. 

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

8:03 a.m.:

More than 250 protesters on the College Street side of Schwarzman Center have now moved to block the intersection of Grove and College Streets. 

Marshals in yellow vests are directing the crowd to create a large circle in the intersection in front of Schwarzman and instructing people to stay on the sidewalk. Protesters are chanting “whose streets, our streets.” 

— Yolanda Wang, Josie Reich, Nora Moses and Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporters

8:00 a.m.:

A fifth shuttle has just left Schwarzman Center and driven west on Grove Street. According to legal observers, at least seven arrested protesters were in the shuttle. 

Organizers and legal observers said that protesters are being arrested on Grove Street, by the facilities entrance to Schwarzman. The crowd marched from College Street to Grove Street to “observe.”

— Yolanda Wang, Nora Moses and Josie Reich, Staff Reporters

7:59 a.m: 

The 200 protesters gathered around the College and Grove side of the Schwartzman Center are now moving around the building to a side door on Grove Street.  

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

7:57 a.m.:

“We will continue to show up. We will continue to disrupt,” an organizer announced to the crowd after all protesters on the Plaza had been arrested.

Protesters on Alexander Walk are moving to the front of the Schwarzman Center on Grove Street. 

— Lily Belle Poling and Jane Park, Staff Reporters

7:56 a.m.:

On Alexander Walk, Ezra Stiles Head of College Alicia Comacho is talking to protesters from behind the police line. 

Protesters are asking to retrieve their belongings from the encampments, but the police are not allowing them to do so. 

Comacho told the News that she arrived at the plaza before 7 a.m., after police had already moved in. She does not know where police vehicles are transporting students. 

 —  Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporter

7:54 a.m.: 

Posters continue to be removed from walls within Beinecke Plaza. 

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

7:53 a.m.:

Protesters on the northeast side of Schwarzman Center are now chanting “YPD or KKK, IDF they’re all the same,” “Arab blood is not cheap, for the martyrs we will speak” and “Free free Palestine, free free free Palestine”

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

7:52 a.m.:

Remaining protesters remaining on the Plaza have been arrested. No students are left on the Plaza.

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

7:51 a.m.: 

The circle of protesters on the Plaza has disbanded. Only three are still there. 

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

7:50 a.m.:

A fourth shuttle has arrived at Schwarzman Center on College Street. At least 15 more protesters have been arrested and are boarding the shuttle. 

— Yolanda Wang, Josie Reich and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

7:48 a.m.:

 Four more students were arrested at the Beinecke entrance to the Schwarzman Center.

– Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

7:47 a.m.:

Yale security members are picking up flyers and other materials off of the plaza and throwing them into trash bags. 

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter 

7:45 a.m.:

Police officers picked up a tent and walked it into Commons. They are continuing to pick up tents and walk them into Commons via the side door. Yale employees are taking flyers off of the plaza walls.

Protesters on Alexander Walk began chanting “Salovey, Salovey you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide” and “YPD, you can’t hide, you’re protecting genocide.”

– Lily Belle Poling and Ariela Lopez, Staff Reporters

7:41 a.m.:

 Another shuttle has just left from Schwarzman Center and drove west on Grove Street. At least three arrested protesters are inside. 

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

7:35 a.m.:

Police removed two more protesters from the circle around the flagpole on Beinecke. Officers continue to disassemble tents on the plaza. 

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

7:35 a.m.:

Yale Police officer Reech told three students that every officer has an active body camera.

On the Beinecke side of Schwarzman, protesters are chanting officers’ names and saying “you’re on the wrong side of history.” 

— Josie Reich, Staff Reporter

7:34 a.m.:

Police officers have taken at least four more of the protesters circled around the flag pole into custody. The News counts approximately 10 people still circled around the flagpole but is not being allowed on Beinecke Plaza right now by Yale Police; cops earlier today threatened to News staffers and issued three warnings in less than two minutes.

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

7:33 a.m.:

At the corner of College and Grove Streets, protesters are now chanting “Free our prisoners, free them all, Zionism must-fall” and “Look your students in the eyes, you’re supporting genocide.” 

There are at least four legal observers present from the National Lawyers Guild.

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

7:30 a.m.:

There are about 200 protesters on the side of Schwarzman Center facing the intersection of College and Grove Streets. They are chanting “One, we are the people. Two, we won’t be silenced. Three, stop the violence now, now, now, now” and “resistance is justified, when people are occupied.” 

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

7:28 a.m.:

Yale Police Lieutenant Roosevelt Martinez told the News that students were arrested for trespassing. 

He did not say how many were arrested and refused to say where protesters had been taken in Yale shuttles. Martinez said they were going somewhere for “processing.”

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter, and Nathaniel Rosenberg, City Editor 

7:22 a.m.:

Multiple police are disassembling tents on Beinecke Plaza.

— Lily Belle Poling, Staff Reporter

7:20 a.m.:

The second van containing approximately six arrested protesters has driven away from Schwarzman Center and south up College Street. Sixteen total arrests have been made.

Lt. Vacino of the Yale Police Department, who drove the second van, confirmed to the News that the protesters were going to be written up and released. 

— Yolanda Wang and Nora Moses, Staff Reporters

7:16 a.m.:

About 150 protesters continue to stand with arms interlocked on the side of Schwarzman Center facing College and Prospect Streets. They are now chanting “YPD or KKK, I don’t know, they’re all the same” and “Officer, officer, can’t you see? You’re on the wrong side of history.”

On the other side of Schwarzman, on Beinecke Plaza, several heads of colleges have been seen, including the heads of Timothy Dwight, Trumbull and Branford Colleges. 

— Yolanda Wang, Staff Reporter

7:07 a.m.:

Now, 13 people have been arrested, according to a Yale police office. 

7:06 a.m.:

Eleven people have been arrested according to a Yale police officer. Organizers told the News that at least some of the people arrested have been students.

— Nora Moses, Staff Reporter

6:55 a.m.:

Six officers just told the six students — including two members of the News — who are perched on the Plaza wall that if they did not move immediately, they would also be arrested. An officer issued members of the News three warnings of arrest in less than two minutes.

— Anika Arora Seth, Editor in Chief & President

6:50 a.m.:

Of the roughly 16 cops inside the Plaza, it seems that two are flipping up the entrances to the tents. 

— Anika Arora Seth, Editor in Chief & President

6:49 a.m.:

About 40 protesters are walking toward the Plaza’s main exit, which is taped off. About 30 are still around the flagpole. Some officers are approaching the encampment’s tents.

— Anika Arora Seth, Editor in Chief & President

6:43 a.m.:

Cops have gathered at Beinecke Plaza, where pro-Palestine protesters urging Yale to divest from military weapons manufacturers set up tents overnight — the third night of their ongoing encampment. More than 12 police officers have blocked off entrances to the Plaza.

— Anika Arora Seth, Editor in Chief & President