There were bathrooms in the building, but the protesters weren’t allowed to use them. And if anyone left the police headquarters, the officers wouldn’t let them back inside. But shortly before 8 PM, nearly five hours into what would be a 19-hour occupation of the University of Chicago Police Department, a protester who was stretching accidentally pushed the metallic handicap button inside the building. The door, which was supposed to be locked, swung open.
Care Not Cops was born two years ago after the UCPD police shooting of then-senior Charles “Soji” Thomas, who was suffering a mental health episode. The shooting and Thomas’s subsequent eight felony charges, including those of aggravated assault of an officer and damage to public property, catalyzed student organizers to take action. The desire to access information applies not just to the budget, but also to policing policies. This effort is not only driven by students, but by community members in the neighborhoods surrounding the university that are disproportionately policed by both the CPD and UCPD, Chicago’s largest private police force. (The Freedom of Information Act, which allows the public to access records, does not apply to private institutions like the University of Chicago.)
When “business hours” ended at 5 PM, without warning, UCPD cops locked the entrance. The officers told protesters that no one would be permitted to enter the building, and if anyone left, they could not return. The officers also said protesters would not have access to the building’s bathrooms, and that no one was allowed in to supply them with additional food or water. The pizzas that were ordered couldn’t be delivered.
In the hours leading up to 3 AM, the protesters made the space their own. As rumors swirled about the Chicago Police Department coming to disrupt the protest, they created barricades out of dumpsters, cars, bikes, and, at times, people. (CPD never came.) They pitched tents and wrote messages on the ground that read “fuck 12” and “autonomous zone.”
UCPD later e-mailed the memo that was read inside: “The building you are in is now closed and you are trespassing. You need to leave the building. No one has or is preventing you from leaving the building. The City and State’s COVID-19 guidance prohibits gathering of more than 10 people. You are required to wear masks and social distance with at least 6 feet between people. We have made masks available to any of you who need one. The Dean on Call has offered to arrange a meeting with the Provost and the Chief of Police. Please refrain from calling the UCPD dispatch repeatedly and asking others to do so. It is causing a public safety hazard.”
The protestors were not impressed. “If you were worried about our safety, you would meet our demands,” said Muhammad.
