A second UChicago undergraduate was arrested by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in connection with the October 11 UChicago United for Palestine (UCUP) protest. According to a University of Chicago spokesperson and CPD documents obtained by the Maroon, she has been charged with two felonies, including “aggravated battery of a peace officer.”
In an incident log dated December 11, UCPD reported that a “UCPD officer assisted CPD officers in the arrest of a wanted person” at Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons.
A University spokesperson confirmed the arrest, stating: “At approximately 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 11, officers from the Chicago Police Department (CPD) informed the University that they intended to arrest a student at the Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons, following an investigation conducted by CPD. Officers from the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) were present at the residence hall when CPD officers made the arrest. The individual was charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer and resisting/obstructing a peace officer. The charges stem from the individual’s alleged actions during a protest on October 11 near 57th Street and Ellis Avenue.”
The student allegedly struck a CPD officer’s face and body while attempting to prevent the arrest of the University undergraduate arrested on a felony charge in October, according to CPD documents obtained by the Maroon through a Freedom of Information Act request. CPD documents also allege that the officer “was struck again by the Offender about the body when she was attempting to place the Offender in custody.”
This information is corroborated by photographs captured by the Maroon during the protest, which show the student grabbing an officer’s hand and pushing an officer in the face.
CPD was unable to arrest the student at the time of the protest because a protester intervened and pulled the student away.
The student was released from the CPD detention facility at 7:24 a.m. on December 12, 14 hours after she was arrested, according to CPD records.
Prosecutors have charged the student with “aggravated battery of a peace officer” and “causing an injury while resisting or obstructing a peace officer” under Illinois statutes 720 ILCS 5.0/12-3.05-D-4 and 720 ILCS 5.0/31-1-A-7, respectively. The student arrested during the October protest was only charged with “aggravated battery of a peace officer.”
The first charge is a Class two felony, punishable by between three and seven years in prison, up to four years of probation, and/or fines up to $25,000. The second charge is a Class four felony punishable by at least 48 hours of consecutive imprisonment and/or no fewer than 100 hours of court-ordered community service. Under Illinois state law, felonies are categorized X, one, two, three, or four based on a crime’s severity, with Class X felonies carrying the longest sentence and Class four carrying the shortest.
Per CPD documents, CPD identified the student with assistance from a UCPD investigator, who observed the student on University cameras entering her residence hall. After the Circuit Court of Cook County approved a subpoena request from CPD to UCPD, UCPD provided CPD with the student’s photo identification, date of birth, current address, and name. The involved CPD officer independently identified the student based on her outfit in videos taken before and after the incident.
While in custody, the student confirmed to investigators that she was the individual seen entering Granville-Grossman in photographs taken after the October protest. The student declined to speak further without her lawyer present.
The Maroon independently verified the arrested student’s identity and affiliation with the University by cross-referencing her CPD arrest log, photos captured by the Maroon at the protest, and documents obtained through FOIA requests, as well as details and photographs from the student’s public social media profiles.
A December 16 post on UCUP’s Instagram announced the arrest of an undergraduate on December 11 in relation to the October 11 protest and identified the arrested individual as “student B.”
“On Dec. 11, CPD and UChicago police (UCPD) showed up at student B.’s dorm. The cops arrested, interrogated, and detained them for 30 hours. They are pursuing serious charges,” the post reads.
“This arrest, months after the protest, is a deliberate, premeditated targeting of a Black student in a university building,” the post continues.
A January 7 post from UCUP and an organization called Fight Back UChicago shared additional information on “student B.’s” situation: “Over break, admin evicted [student B.] from their dorm and placed them on involuntary leave. They are the second student of color to be targeted in this exact way,” the post reads.
An individual UCUP refers to as “student A” was also evicted from housing and placed on involuntary leave in October. According to student A’s lawyer, who spoke to the Maroon in October, CPD arrested “student A” during the October 11 protest. While UCUP has posted publicly about the “student A’s” eviction on multiple occasions and held a rally on October 29 demanding that the University administration reverse the student’s eviction, the January 7 post was the first time UCUP has stated that “student A” was arrested.
“Months ago, an Arab student going by Student A also was arrested and evicted for attending a pro-Palestine protest,” the post’s caption reads. “Months later, he is still waiting for his disciplinary proceedings.”
The University declined to comment on any ongoing student disciplinary matters, citing federal privacy laws.
The Maroon was unable to confirm whether “student B.” is the student arrested by CPD and charged with two felonies in December. The Maroon was also unable to confirm whether “student A” is the student arrested by CPD on October 11 and charged with felony battery.
During the October 11 protest, demonstrators locked Cobb Gate and vandalized University property before UCPD detained an unknown protester, sparking physical confrontations between police and protesters. Officers used pepper spray and batons on the crowd, while protesters physically engaged with police to prevent them from making arrests.
UCUP and Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
This is a developing story. Oliver Buntin and Zachary Leiter contributed reporting.
John Roberts / Jan 8, 2025 at 7:07 am
The physical manifestation of DEI admits to The College.
Hopefully there will be less of these now and into eternity.
Scott Adams / Jan 8, 2025 at 6:23 am
Just sayin…
Got to love the sketch artist in the red jacket in the left in the photo….
He looks like he’s having a ball watching all of the excitement of UCPD and CPD taking down these terrorist lovers.
Would love to see that sketch…
2024 MA Grad / Jan 8, 2025 at 2:00 am
Nasty story.
On the one hand, well, there is accountability — of the protest as a whole. Last year’s events went very far, achieved very little, and, to my knowledge, discarded many small victories in negotiations because those felt like compromise with the, uhm, establishment. That is a political loss, unless the interests of the protests differ from the declared and simply were to have a continuous disruption while it was safe. In either case, it is unsafe now and has been ever since the police raid removed the encampment. Accountability came as a shock then as well, with property lost. But it is a real political conflict, and I would hope that those exclaiming “viva la revolucion” would be sober enough to expect violence and counter-resistance.
On the other hand, taking this event in isolation from the larger conflict, we have a student violently detained and another charging to protect them, legality be damned. This reads to me like an action of a good selfless person, even if that action is ultimately ineffectual and harmful in the long term. It also reminds me of many protest photos from the last two decades around the globe, people plucked from the protest lines, dragged into police vans, blood on the pavements.
I’m afraid it’s past the point where the University community has the solidarity to rally around these two students. I’m afraid this selfless if thoughtless impulse — same in nature as the impulse behind the entire protest — will be punished with the full legal accountability for the protest organizers’ continued failure to prepare their cohort for the eventual violence. Protest is always risk; when they start packing you, either don’t fight back at all, or fight with full force and try to win then and there. Hardly surprising lessons, and I don’t think learning them is was worth the two lives ruined.
Joe / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:47 pm
Once again, pro Hamas students want to do what the hell they want in the name of free speech, and without any consequences.
Whether it’s defacing university property, or obstructing the arrest of a student – both felonies.
Sounds like a Hamas tactic. Commit murder and barbaric acts on Oct 7th, and then cry when Israel takes you out.
Cry me a river.
Bibi Magniv / Jan 8, 2025 at 6:14 am
Well said and EXACTLY correct.
These terrorist supporting (soon to be felons) will face the consequences.
Robert Bork / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:55 pm
Hopefully these DEI admits will be less of a problem give the recent Supreme Court decision.
Gnome Chomsky / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:52 pm
No offense to the journalist who wrote this article — I actually appreciate some of your photo essays — but here’s a pro tip in journalism 101: People Lie. Police and university administrators are people too, and they’ve been known to lie. A lot. There are countless historical examples of this, but a recent one is UC denying that they explicitly agreed to create a Gaza Scholars at Risk program as a pre-condition for negotiations with the encampment, even with written evidence of the contrary. They regularly deny, deflect, and disregard accusations of institutional misconduct, antagonize protestors on campus, and are quick to deploy police to shut down any sort of disruption.
If you know this to be true — that people lie — then why are CPD and University admin claims repeated so uncritically in this piece? Other commenters have already pointed out that the details don’t add up neatly to the official story given by CPD or UC Admin. The photos, eyewitness accounts, and official records make it plausible, if not abundantly obvious, that CPD and UCPD were the aggressors, that they indiscriminately used excessive force, physically provoked and antagonized protestors. Most importantly, they show that both the charges filed against protestors and the eviction of the students in question were punitive and retaliatory in nature, meant to intimidate future disruptions rather than ensure public safety.
I get that, as a publication, The Maroon has to maintain a working relationship with the University to access certain stories — I’m aware of institutional media filters and how this works. But where is the skepticism that journalists are supposed to have? Why does this piece, and all the other pieces on the same subject, feel more like uncritical PR than reporting? The Maroon has to do better than this.
RBG / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:08 pm
Oh Gnome…seems to be about as dim as the real Noam.
Oh how I love all of the suppositions in this gibberish comment strung together as if fact.
Body cameras work and they will be played in court.
Striking a member of law enforcement is a crime. A felony in fact.
Its pretty simple.
The Maroon was even funny to write she “pushed” him in the face (“pushing an officer in the face”). Punched would be a more accurate description, but I get the Maroon needs to pander to the woke lunatics wandering campus.
This will be decided in a criminal court room.
I predict years in a new environment for this woke lunatic where the guards will be less tolerant of her “activism”.
Oh and how I appreciated that the Maroon wrote, “They are the second student of color to be targeted in this exact way”…as if students of color should be allowed to attack law enforcement than retreat behind race and portray themselves as the victim….ahhh no.
I think we will soon changing the title from “Student B” to “Felon B”.
Uncle George / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:32 pm
I hope she spends time in prison.
Defend the men and women in blue. They are the only thing standing between us and savage behavior.
The University should also expel her. Admissions needs to work harder to screen out those infected with the woke mind virus.
What’s her name? The world (future employers) should know what she’s all about. I guess they will find out when they do a background check and find her rap sheet.
Concerned Student / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:15 pm
This article amounts to intellectual dishonesty. CPD tried to beat a fleeing student with their back turned, and it’s only because another CPD officer and student B tried to stop him that the student’s skull isnt caved in. It is abundantly clear, both from the photos, testimony of people present, and records of the event that the actions of the students here are defensive, yet you guys havent written anything about it. The Maroon has yet to pen a condemnation against the “free speech” university of chicago’s use of violent force against protestors, including assaulting non-violent protestors indiscriminately with pepper spray or batons. You even posted photos of CPD trying to beat students with their backs turned, what is that if not excessive force? The maroon has yet to condemn the university’s deployment of CPD, or the fact that student A and student B have both been evicted without any due process, or the fact that student B was arrested and detained for 30 hours without being released, or the fact that these charges appear to be retaliatory in nature. What’s the point of being an “independent” newspaper if you’re just going to parrot UC and CPD’s talking points uncritically? Where is the pushback on the half-truths or overt lies pushed by CPD and UC? This isnt even about the politics of the event, it’s about being willing to critique disproportional institutional force against students exercising their right to demonstration. The maroon has just proven that its publication is utterly spineless
Finn Hartnett / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:36 pm
This isn’t an opinion article. It’s reporting on the event of the arrest. Journalistic protocol is you attempt to speak to the parties present, which the Maroon went far and above trying to do here.
Both UCUP, FSJP, and the student declined to comment. I’m sure the Maroon would love to hear their side, but they can’t quote it if they don’t comment!
Concerned Student / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:58 pm
I know it’s not an opinion piece. I’m very clearly aware of that. However, reporting is more than just quoting what officials say when one side declines to comment. There’s still an obligation to critically examine the claims being made, especially when they come from institutions with a vested interest in controlling the narrative. The details presented don’t add up, and as a journalist, you’re supposed to question that, not simply relay what one side says as fact. Neutral reporting doesn’t mean you take official statements at face value. It means you dig deeper to give readers a fuller picture. I do think Maroon did a lot, but it’s not enough, and that’s what im trying to get across. Neutrality is not the same as objectivity, yet the maroon is more committed to the former than the latter.
Finn Hartnett / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:25 pm
I agree that reporting is much more than quoting. But, again, this is a news article which presents the full spectrum of events which took place, from the arrest, to the police report, to the criticism of the arrest on social media. They tried to get even more than they did from the student and pro-Palestine orgs, but they wouldn’t comment. That certainly doesn’t amount to an “intellectually dishonest” article.
What claims exactly you want them to “critically examine,” “question,” and “dig deeper into”?
Bob Woodward / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:33 pm
Why did the Maroon not publish the soon to be felon’s name?
Is that not newsworthy?
Where is your journalistic integrity?
The world should be made aware of the culprit behind this savagery against law enforcement.
Concerned Student / Jan 8, 2025 at 2:50 am
The issue isn’t just whether they quoted both sides, it’s about the framing and what gets left unchallenged. The article presents CPD and UC admin claims at face value without any real skepticism or investigation into their validity, which is the bare minimum I’d expect from solid reporting. When police say a student resisted arrest, or UC denies responsibility for something, those claims should be questioned because institutions lie to protect themselves. That’s not just an opinion, it’s a well-documented pattern.
What do I want them to dig into? For starters, why were CPD officers so quick to escalate? That was never addressed. Why were the students hit with such serious charges for what looked like defensive actions? Why did CPD wait months to arrest the student in december, which conveniently aligns with the change in the new State’s Attorney office under Burke, who’s been openly pushing for harsher crackdowns on protesters? Why hasn’t the university said anything about UCPD and CPD’s reckless behavior — like pepper spraying crowds indiscriminately or attempting to beat students with their backs turned — despite claiming to prioritize student safety? Why hasn’t the university condemned the absurd lengths this process has gone to, like holding a student for 30 hours in custody? Why has the university chosen to delay their disciplinary process for months while evicting the students and placing them on forced leave, rendering these students effectively homeless without being charged for a crime.
The liberal spirit of journalism is supposed to question authority, not just repeat the official story. None of that was addressed. It’s not enough to just quote both sides. You need to challenge the narrative. This article doesn’t do that. It reads more like PR for UChicago than real reporting.
Ronald McDonald / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:43 pm
Oh, another member of the woke army of lunatics.
The courts will judge this lovely woman.
When they review the body cam footage….Student B will be enjoying years at a new kind of dorm in which the state pays her room and board….for years and years!!
No need to worry about the pesky University of Chicago and its brave men and women in blue.
I suspect the “soon to be convicted felon” will fit right into her cell block given her penchant for violence.
Zack Moydic / Jan 7, 2025 at 7:12 pm
Fuck the Maroon for serving once again as the University administration’s brainless lapdog. No mention of the fact that she is clearly protecting a student from having their skull caved in. No criticism, let alone condemnation, of the University deploying their militarized police against a protest. Maybe if any of you spineless fucking worms found one ounce of courage inside of you at any point in the last year and condemned the administration for repeatedly attacking students exercising their right to free speech, the students who do have morals wouldn’t have to defend themselves barehanded against rabid cops and face arrest for it. I’m sure it’ll be worth it when the NYT and WP see how well you throat the boot and let you scrape and beg for space to write some more hagiography for those in power.
Aunt Ayn / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:37 pm
You are a woke imbecile.
You should find your way to a University that wallows and bastes in the woke cesspool….try Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Brown or Berkeley.
You do NOT belong at The University of Chicago.
Blue / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:10 pm
You write like someone who peaked in college. Probably not this one, though.
Bob's Ur Uncle / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:18 pm
LOLOL
Wrong again….as usual.
That’s so typical of your lot.
Blue / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:54 pm
Are you just the same person responding with a different name? Either way, I didn’t say they peaked in college. I don’t know them. I said they write like they peaked in college, mostly because the writing style (and yours, actually!) look just like a Facebook feed full of people trying to sell MLMs. I had guessed they didn’t attend Chicago, because I assumed HUM or SOSC or CIV would’ve taught them better, but I’m okay being wrong. That’s how you learn, which is so untypical of your lot.
Bob Michaelson / Jan 7, 2025 at 6:00 pm
“This information is corroborated by photographs captured by the Maroon during the protest, which show the student grabbing an officer’s hand and pushing an officer in the face.”
The second photo in this Maroon article clearly shows the student trying to stop a cop from smashing the other student in the head with his baton. Indeed a second (female) cop is also trying to stop that s.o.b. from smashing the arrested student in the head with his baton.
The Maroon should try to verify what it publishes, and not just serve as a stenographer for cop allegations. Remember, cops lie all the time.
Kath / Jan 7, 2025 at 7:00 pm
“Officers used pepper spray and batons on the crowd, while protesters physically engaged with police to prevent them from making arrests.”
Batons ? Seriously? U of C turns a goon squad on its own students. How low class .
Dear Abby / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:47 pm
The police obviously did not use enough pepper spray, or this whole event could have been avoided. Tasers are also an effective method for controlling violent crowds of woke lunatics.
Magnum WoMan / Jan 7, 2025 at 8:51 pm
Perhaps the woke lunatics might consider simply following the orders of law enforcement officers.
Might be a simpler approach than deciding to attack law enforcement and then crying when the officers fight back.
God bless the brave men and women in blue who defend us.
Blue / Jan 7, 2025 at 9:04 pm
“The Maroon should try to verify what it publishes.” You mean like reach out to UCUP and FSJP several times? I agree this is a one-sided article, but they can’t not respond and then be upset that their imaginary response wasn’t included.