Dunn Meadow cleared of Gaza protest encampment, fenced for repairs, in lead-up to IU fall semester start
A Gaza protest encampment in Dunn Meadow on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus—which was reestablished there after being forcibly removed by state police two times in late April—was again removed early Friday morning.
There were no arrests this time around, because there was no one in Dunn Meadow around 4 a.m. when the university took action, according to a statement from Indiana University’s police department.
Another after-action difference, compared to late April, is a chain-link construction fence from Master Rental, which was installed around the meadow, stretching from the Indiana Memorial Union entrance, down 7th Street, along Indiana Avenue, and back along the pathway leading along the Campus River.
The encampment, which included some raised bed gardens, was a protest against the killing of civilians in Gaza by the Israeli army and the humanitarian crisis there.
A statement from Indiana University put the time of the Friday morning action at around 4 a.m. The statement said that IUPD “safely removed abandoned property from Dunn Meadow.”
The IUPD statement cited the newly enacted Expressive Activity Policy which was approved by the IU board of trustees on July 29 and took effect on Aug. 1.
Under the policy, “Any installation of structures and/or mass physical objects without the required approvals will be treated as materially and substantially disrupting official activities or the operations of the University.”
The policy continues, “The University in its discretion may maintain policies otherwise governing the customary use of property and structures for University-sponsored events. Unapproved structures are subject to immediate removal by the University without notice.”
According to the IUPD statement, university officials outlined their expectations to people in Dunn Meadow in the days leading up to the removal of the property. Nobody was present during the removal of the property that was left in the meadow, according to the police statement.
Around 8:30 a.m. Friday morning, the university community was notified about the erection of the construction fence in an email message from Tom Morrison, who is IU’s vice president of capital planning and facilities.
Morrison’s email cites the need to repair damage to the meadow as the reason for the fence: “The heavy use of that space since April and placement of temporary structures unfortunately damaged the area, necessitating extensive repairs now that the structures have been removed.”
According to Morrison’s email message, the repair work includes replacing turf and servicing the subsurface irrigation system of Dunn Meadow.
Morrison’s email message also says about the repairs: “This work will ensure Dunn Meadow returns to a condition that makes it usable by the entire IU Bloomington community.”
Fall classes at IU Bloomington are set to start on Aug. 26.
