PROVIDENCE, RI — We are RISD Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious coalition of students and community members. We demand that RISD promote a permanent ceasefire by divesting from companies that facilitate the genocide in Gaza.
On Thursday, May 9, 8AM, RISD SJP Organizers sent President Crystal Williams and Provost Ghadessi an email: “We hope you are doing well. In line with our conversation three nights ago, we strive to maintain clear and open communication with you. Please find a PDF of our annotations of your email attached below. We hope to hear from you soon and talk with you in person about RSJP student representatives presenting a divestment proposal in front of the Board of Trustees and initiating a vote on divestment. We remain steadfast with our de-occupation until our demands of disclosure, divestment, establishment of a student oversight committee, and condemnation of the genocide in Gaza are met.” Both never responded to the email.
At 11:41AM, President Crystal Williams issued an email to the RISD students de-occupying the second floor of Fathi Ghaben Place (20 Washington Place) and bcc’d all RISD students, staff, and faculty. She stated: “The barricades on the second floor of 20 Washington Place violate multiple Rhode Island Fire Codes. We need you to create a means of egress and ingress by 12:00 p.m. We are sending RISD facilities and maintenance staff to help you create a means of ingress and egress that is in compliance with Rhode Island state law.” She announced, “Fire Marshals are waiting to ensure that means of ingress and egress are in evidence.” Students earlier had communicated with Public Safety officers to facilitate the moving of Furniture Students’ projects through the barricade, but President Williams and Public Safety denied that offer.
At 11:51AM, a De-occupier emailed back: “In order to facilitate safe egress, we will not further resist facilities from entering and clearing the barricades.” The email was never responded to. At 12PM, after De-occupiers told Public Safety officers that they themselves dismantled a barricade for egress, Public Safety officers continued to push through and dismantle all of the barricades and remove the chairs and tables to the first floor. Over one hundred students, faculty, and community members gathered around the building, specifically at a side entrance on South Main St. Protests continued with chanting and drumming as the head of RISD’s Public Safety Department and other officers blocked the 100+ students and faculty from entering the building. While inside, Public Safety officers pushed at least 3 De-occupiers and student protesters down the stairs.
At 1:30PM, approximately 30 students entered the building and reunited with the De-Occupiers inside the building. All students and De-Occupiers exited the building safely and joined the students, faculty, and community members rallying outside the Waterman St. Entrance. After all exited the building, at 1:43 PM, President Crystal Williams issued another email to the RISD community: “Facilities and maintenance staff have helped clear ingress and egress, and we thank the students for allowing us to ensure that we operate safely..”
Williams then went on: “Now, we are notifying students on the second floor of the following:
They may vacate the space by 2:30 pm and undergo a restorative justice process. This process is designed to be fair and just, ensuring that all parties are heard and respected. Students will be responsible for returning the space—including all furniture, walls, projects, bathrooms, etc.—to its original state by tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, meet with students and faculty whom their actions have immediately negatively impacted, listen to the impact of their actions and engage in respectful dialog, and reimburse those who have spent personal funds on no longer viable projects as a result of the occupation. If students vacate by 2:30 p.m. and the above restorative justice conditions are not met, students will be held accountable under the current conduct codes.
If students do not vacate the space by 2:30 pm, we will proceed with expulsion from Rhode
Island School of Design.” Students announced the threat of expulsion to the rally of now over 300 students, faculty, and community members to outcries of “shame!” The rally and strike still continues with drumming and chanting outside Fathi Ghaben Place (20 Washington Place). The De-Occupying students have communicated with President Williams and agreed to the “restorative justice” process in lieu of student conduct proceedings. This all comes after Monday, May 6, when 21 RISD students and community members began a sit-in at the Providence Washington building and refused to leave until their demands were met. Students, faculty, and community members participated in teach-ins by RISD and Brown faculty, art builds, dabke dancing, and picketing throughout the day.
RISD SJP demand RISD President Crystal Williams:
- Provides total fiscal transparency of RISD’s investment portfolio;
- Commits to a holistic divestment from companies, corporations, and institutions that are
implicated in sustaining Israeli Apartheid; - Establishes a student oversight committee for future investments;
- Publicly condemns the Israeli Occupation of Gaza as a genocide.
Faculty from the Theory of History of Art and Design, Teaching and Learning in Art and Design, Graphic Design Department, and the Sculpture Department have issued statements in support of the students and their demands.
At the rally today, one student protestor reiterated: “This is not the end.” RISD SJP stands by the legacy of Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, who was Narragansett and African-American and the first female graduate of color from RISD,
“[we] will not bend an inch.”
