April 29 

Around 10 a.m.

Interim Vice President of Student Affairs meets with other university administration to discuss the university’s actions to deal with the protesters.

As CWRU PD takes down the tents, protesters surround the last tent, holding hands and creating a barrier between the police and the final tent.CWRU PD detains around 20 protesters with handcuffs and zip-ties, before releasing them approximately an hour later.

Around 10:20 a.m.

CWRU brings in metal barricades and begins setting them up around KSL Oval with protesters still on KSL Oval.

Around 11:30 a.m.

Protesters sought shelter under a canopy and were reprimanded by CWRU PD, before they confiscated the sun shade.

Around 5 p.m.

Community and CWRU protesters continue to occupy KSL Oval, plastering the metal barricades with posters and signs of the movement.

Around 8 p.m.

Patrolled by CWRU PD, protesters begin setting up tents for the overnight stay.

Protesters embrace after being allowed to stay the night at KSL Oval. Prior to the university’s new decision, many expressed unease of what would occur at the 8 p.m. deadline.

Former Ohio State Senator and Congressional Candidate Nina Turner addresses the protesters in KSL Oval just before the 8 p.m. deadline to leave.

As winds speed pick up and protestors prepare shelters, posters are taken down for night.

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April 30

Around 8 a.m.

Under the watch of Whiting and CWRU PD, students pack up the tents after camping overnight in KSL Oval.

Consistent conversations and negotiations between encampment organizers, Whiting and CWRU PD occur as the university’s 7:30 deadline to take down tents passes.

Around 11:00 a.m.

Students participated in liberation yoga together.

Around 1:45 p.m.

A Political Science Professor gave a talk about CWRU’s history with SJP as well as the Palestinian-Israel conflict.

Around 7 p.m.

7 p.m. – Members of the Jewish Voice for Peace along with some CWRU Jewish students led a mini Seder, which included a prayer song and a twist to connect to a larger message of peace, particularly in Gaza.

7:25 p.m. – A member from the Cleveland chapter of Party for Socialism and Liberation makes a speech encouraging the protesters and mentions Brown University’s recent news of holding a vote to divest.

7:37 p.m. – A CWRU student leads a chant, and energy rises on KSL Oval.

7:42 p.m. – Breakout sessions form on different areas of KSL Oval.

7:50 p.m. – Whiting and the rest of the administration gather in Hitchcock Hall with the police.

7:57 p.m. – The protesters remove barriers and link arms in the center of KSL Oval, placing the barriers in front of them. Participants chant from the sidelines while the cops are in Hitchcock.

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May 1

Around 7:30 a.m.

7:45 am – Protesters are slowly awakening, and eating breakfast supplied on tables in KSL Oval. The atmosphere this morning, compared to yesterday, is discernibly more quiet and calm. Peter Whiting is not present.

9:00 am – Tinkham Veale University Center and Thwing Center resume normal operations, all students can get in by using their CaseOneID cards.

1:45 pm – There is minimal administration and police presence at KSL Oval. Protesters have established a waste sorting system inside the encampment. The tents are still up from last night.

Around 6 p.m.

6 p.m. – The protesters begin their dinner service, with counter-protesters in the background looking on. Additionally, police presence has increased, and a ramp has been added to help protestors get into KSL Oval.

7:40pm — protesters get a legal briefing on their rights and responsibilities when interacting with the police, media, and counter protesters.

7:49 p.m. – A student organizer announces that they will no longer negotiate with any administrator except President Kaler.

8:03 p.m. – A vocal counter protester talks with police.

8:04 p.m. – That vocal counter protester walks away from KSL Oval.

8:23 p.m. – Student protest leaders begin to setup for a movie night, encouraging all who want to stay overnight to gather supplies

8:51 p.m. – Some protesters sing a poem.

8:58 p.m. – The movie “Gaza Fights for Freedom” begins.

10:30 p.m. – To enter Thwing, students must be let in by police officers who are standing in front of the entrance near KSL Oval and are required to display student or official ID. Protesters project a message onto the facade of KSL that reads, “Not 1 More F’N Bomb for Israel.”

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May 2

Around 4:45pmPresident Eric Kaler announced via email that the encampment on KSL Oval “is no longer approved,” a decision that was met with anger and fear from those inside the encampment. Signs were also installed around KSL Oval starting “No Trespassing”.

Around 6 pm

5:50 p.m. to 7:14 p.m. – As external press and counter-protesters gather around KSL Oval, protesters begin a drum circle facing the news camera. Despite President Kaler’s warnings, many students return from final exams on the Case Quad by walking through KSL Oval.

Around 7:15 pm

7:38 p.m. – Protesters begin marching around KSL Oval, eventually making their way across Euclid Avenue, up Binary Walkwa, to Adelbert Hall. Here, protesters led with chants before taping a poster of their six demands onto the door. They proceeded to march back around severance hall, where CWRU Police followed, and stopped traffic to make way for them.

Around 7:45 pm

7:49 p.m. – In the most dramatic move of the night, protesters lined themselves along the metal barrier, and on command, moved the barrier outwards to take up the main circular pathway around KSL Oval. Upon the move, they moved tents, trash, and food items along.

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May 3

Day five was relatively uneventful, minus the occasional counter-protester on KSL Oval or a surrounding junction. Many protesters focused on arts and crafts, as a performance of the band “Barricade Baby” took place.

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May 4

Around 3:30pm

3:30 p.m. – Former Ohio State Senator and Congressional Candidate Nina Turner delivers a “teach in”

Around 4:30pm

4:20 p.m. to 4:42 p.m. – Protesters walk through Tinkham Veale University Center and hang up a Palestinian flag next to the Ukrainian flag. On their way back to KSL Oval, they marched through the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Fine Art Garden, where high school students gathered for their prom.

Around 8:50 pm

9 p.m. – The encampment gets expanded by protests to include the lawn opposite KSL Oval that faces Euclid Avenue. They hang a large banner between two of the trees, pronouncing the area “Gaza Plaza” as they assemble onto the Euclid Green.

Around 9:10 pm

9:09 p.m. to 9:35 p.m. – Once finished rallying, protesters begin to march down Euclid Avenue, to Adelbert Road, and onto the campus of University Hospitals. Once done with another rally, they continued on to outside the Peter B. Lewis Building, where they held another rally in the intersection between Ford Drive and Bellflower Road.

Around 9:30 pm

Protesters return to Tink via its outdoor patio and conclude their programming.

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May 5

Around 7:00pm

7 p.m. – Protesters and Counter protesters engage at the edge of the encampment by the sidewalk of Euclid Avenue. CWRU PD were dispatched to mediate the scene.

Around 8:00pm

8:20 p.m. – Protesters celebrate a “latin night” in the encampment, with a salsa lesson and an impromptu game of soccer. Many protesters were also replanting signs.

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May 6

Around 9:00 am

Protesters leave stuffed animals, shows, and other objects around campus.

Around 3:45 pm

3:45 p.m. – Protesters begin painting the advocacy wall on Eldred Hall

Around 5:45 pm

5:15 p.m. & 6:05 p.m. – Parts of the Advocacy wall are covered with tarp placed on with clear packing tape. An individual tears down the tarp.

Around 7:00 pm

7:15 p.m. – The Advocacy wall is painted over.

Around 9:00 pm

Protesters begin painting the main spirit wall outside Thwing Center.

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May 7

1 a.m. – Protesters pile up all of the remaining steel barricades that were assembled during day one onto the front lawn of KSL.

5 a.m. – SJP releases another video showing protesters blocking the Spirit Wall from contractors who were painting over it. Nevertheless, once the contractors got to the wall, they proceeded to paint the protesters.

8 a.m. – Only the top eighth of the wall was painted over.

11:15 a.m. – CWRU installs new “No Encampment” yard signs on KSL Oval, which protesters mess with.

7:20 pm – President Kaler sends another community email addressing SJP’s Instagram video. He apologizes for the actions taken by the third party contractor, starting he was “disturbed by what occurred”. He promises to hold both the contractors and the CWRU Police Officers on the scene responsible.

10:45 p.m. – A message was written on the Spirit Wall, stating “They call for intifada—so we call them terrorists.”

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May 8th

Around 6 p.m.

Protesters started their rally around the Fine Arts Garden at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and began a series of coordinated chants.

Around 6:30 p.m.

The rally then moved to the encampment on KSL Oval. Organizers gave the microphone to a medical student at the CWRU School of Medicine, who denounced the targeting of hospitals and what he calls the complicity in his community as it occurred.

Around 6:45 p.m.

The main student organizer announces that the rally will continue to Adelbert Hall. On their way there, the march took up the entirety of Euclid Avenue, blocking traffic.

Around 7 p.m.

The group, now approaching 200 people, gathered around Adelbert Hall, as organizers began various speeches followed by chants.