About 100 tents remained on Deering Meadow as of 4 p.m. Friday afternoon despite heavy rain and counterprotests as the “Northwestern Liberation Zone” encampment continued into its second day.
Several hundred students slept on the lawn Thursday night despite a threat from the University to “move forward with other options to protect the safety of the community and the continued operations of the Evanston campus” after demonstrators declined to remove their tents and stop using bullhorns at the request of University administrators.
Sprinklers on the Meadow began spraying just after midnight, and demonstrators relocated their tents to avoid the shower. Just before 2 a.m., a University Police officer told The Daily the sprinklers had been turned off by NU Facilities.
Demonstrators awoke around 5 a.m. in anticipation of University Police potentially returning to the lawn to make arrests or issue citations, but the anticipated 6 a.m. deadline went by without police presence.
Several University administrators — including Vice President of Student Affairs Susan Davis and University spokesperson Eliza Larson — were present throughout the day to oversee the protest.
A small group of counterprotesters began heckling demonstrators around noon, with a brief aggressive encounter breaking out between the two groups around 12:30 p.m. Counterprotesters had a continued presence throughout the afternoon, with demonstrators repeatedly forming a line with their backs to the group.
Imam Omar Suleiman led a group of demonstrators in afternoon prayer around 1:30 p.m., delivering the khutba, a sermon, in solidarity with the protests.
Northwestern Divestment Coalition also posted a GoFundMe Thursday morning to fundraise for “food, supplies, legal aid” and other resources for protesters at the encampment. As of Friday afternoon, the organization has raised more than $12,000.
The group also put out a call for student groups to set up programming and performances at the encampment. A media liaison told The Daily demonstrators expect a poetry open mic Friday night and are hoping for dance performances.
Around 3:30 p.m., organizers said they were in talks with the Board of Trustees, as well as University President Michael Schill and Provost Kathleen Hagerty. University spokesperson Jon Yates told The Daily the University remains “in active discussions with the demonstrators to ensure the safety of members of the Northwestern community while also providing a space for free expression.”
Organizers said they intend to stay on the Meadow through Friday night once again.
“Admin thinks the rain is going to clear us out,” said Summer, a demonstration organizer. Protesters responded in unison: “No.”
— Beatrice Villaflor, William Tong, Nicole Markus, Jacob Wendler, Lexi Goldstein, Pavan Acharya
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— Northwestern student activists set up encampment on Deering Meadow
