Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon

UCPD on the quad.

The University of Chicago has reduced the presence of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) on the main quad as a part of preconditions for negotiations with encampment organizers, according to UChicago United for Palestine (UCUP). 

In a statement to the Maroon this morning, the group wrote, “UCUP demanded UCPD off the quad as a precondition for negotiating. [The] administration has only partially complied with this agreement by an apparent reduction of UCPD on and around the quad at certain times.”

For most of Saturday evening, there was no consistent UCPD presence on the quad, 57th Street, or 58th Street, with at most one officer intermittently present. University safety ambassadors from Allied Security continued to maintain a robust presence in the area.

In a statement released late Sunday afternoon, the University said it had not agreed to reduce UCPD’s presence on the quad.

“UCPD presence on the Quad has fluctuated based on needs and circumstances and at no point did we reduce – or agree to reduce – the security presence based on negotiations,” the statement said.

The lack of a consistent UCPD presence has been a departure from the state of the quad since the encampment began on Monday. Throughout the week, officers have responded to a number of situations on the quad, including numerous confrontations between counterprotesters, the encampment, and University staff. 

UCUP, the student group leading the encampment, has been meeting with University administrators since at least Wednesday, with both sides confirming on Saturday evening that negotiations were ongoing.

When asked whether the reduced UCPD presence was a result of a request from encampment organizers, the University referred the Maroon to its Saturday evening statement that read, “This is an update regarding ending the encampment. Substantive discussions between the University and protesters are ongoing.” In a written statement to the Maroon, Maroons for Israel expressed concern about the reduced police presence, saying “President Alivisatos’s decision to decrease UCPD presence reflects a concerning disregard for student safety. Aside from the disruptions to learning and suppression of free speech that the President acknowledged on Friday, in the past week the encampment has led to a surge in agitation, vandalism, and physical and verbal assaults. Maroons for Israel calls on the President to end the encampment before protestors escalate further.”

Editor’s note, May 6, 12:17 a.m.: This article has been updated to include a statement from the University.

Editor’s note, May 6, 4:52 p.m.: The headline of this article has been adjusted to better reflect the second statement released by the University, which was released following the publication of this article.