ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Students running the encampment on the Diag at the University of Michigan took credit for showing up in the early morning hours at the homes of two university regents.
In a video posted to X/Twitter, the students are seen in a group of about 30 chanting and yelling around 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday (May 15) and putting tents on her lawn, red spray-painted sheets, and stuffed animals.
🧵This morning at 5:54 a.m. a group of approximately 30 individuals representing protestors from the University of Michigan’s campus entered my property, erected three tents and left behind a variety of toys, sheets and other items. https://t.co/3v3aIvZFAI
— Sarah Hubbard, Regent @umich (@RegentHubbard) May 15, 2024
They put a list of demands in the door and took off when police arrived at her Meridian Township home.
Regent Jordan Acker posted a picture of a masked man on his doorstep around 4:40 a.m., putting that same list of demands on his door. In a statement, the university says this is a dangerous escalation of the protests.
Hubbard took to X/Twitter to show pictures of the protesters on her property. She said when the police arrived, they took off.
Around 4:40 A.M., a masked intruder came to the door of my family's home with a list of demands, including defunding the police. My three daughters were asleep in their beds, and thankfully unaware of what transpired.
— Jordan Acker (@JordanAckerMI) May 15, 2024
Alex Sepulveda, a University of Michigan junior and one of the media contacts at the encampment, confirmed this was done under their direction.
They claim Hubbard has been unresponsive to them.
“She saw all of us protesting, she was inside, she knew exactly what we’re asking for, and she looked us right in the eyes and laughed at us,” Sepulveda said.
The regents have made it clear divesting from Israel is a non-starter. Students say they intend to stay in their encampment until the university agrees to divest.
“The tactics used today represent a significant and dangerous escalation in the protests that have been occurring on campus. Going to an individual’s private residence is intimidating behavior and, in this conduct, is not protected speech; it’s dangerous and unacceptable.”