In a video posted to the Students for a Democratic Society’s (SDS) Instagram account on Oct. 31, the group defended themselves from accusations that they held faculty members hostage during their occupation of Morrill Hall.
After SDS’s occupation of Morrill Hall on Oct. 21, administrators from the University of Minnesota claimed the group held staff in the building wrongfully. In the post, SDS showed protesters offering to guide staff out of the building. Some faculty in Morrill Hall said they felt unsafe during the occupation.
In the video, one unidentified staff member asked if SDS was kidnapping them, to which protesters said no.
“University of Minnesota administration has been lying, saying that staff inside Halimy (Morrill) Hall were not allowed to leave, which is being used as a justification for placing students on interim suspension, barring them from attending class and evicting them from student housing,” the caption read. “A second video has been brought forward by an anonymous source proving that this is a lie.”
SDS member Rowan Lange said they were disappointed with the administration’s response to the occupation.
“We are upset that Cunningham continues to say that her staff were held hostage, while we have video evidence of that being false and the staff were free to leave,” Lange said. “The fact that she has yet to make an official statement rescinding the lies she has said is frustrating.”
While Cunningham has not said the Morrill Hall staff were held hostage by protestors, many staff members felt unsafe during the occupation, a University spokesperson said.
When asked about the video, a University spokesperson said the video does not portray the full picture of the occupation.
“It’s important to recognize that a single video does not tell the whole story,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the Minnesota Daily. “Many staff members present at Morrill Hall last Monday had different experiences with masked protesters who forcibly entered their office spaces. Most reported that they could not move through the building freely, and some felt trapped or were unable to immediately leave for a variety of reasons.”
The spokesperson added they were not aware of any official statements referring to the staff members involved as hostages. They added that they were inside Morrill Hall when protesters entered the building.
“I was working in my office last Monday when masked people smashed an interior window to gain access to the locked office suite I work in,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “I heard the sound of shattered glass raining down onto the floor and watched as people ran into our offices. I quickly went the opposite direction to leave the building, but when I tried to exit the nearest exterior doors, I was told I couldn’t leave the way I was trying to leave. Only later was I told there was a single available exit.”
Common Sense
Nov 7, 2024 at 4:02 pm
Just a reminder to all the liberals here, protesting the way that the oppressive/governing power WANTS you to protest is NOT protesting. I know y’all are the same people that praise MLK. Sorry if some office workers have to get a little uncomfortable in the fight to end mass genocide and child murder. No one said activism was fun.
Steve Hauser
Nov 7, 2024 at 11:39 am
Buildings have multiple exits to ensure safe and orderly egress. To block ANY exits, much less all but one, is to create an unsafe situation. To willfully break glass in an occupied building, is, at best, a low grade form of terrorism.
Sorry, but I’m not willing to give SDS any benefit of the doubt in their telling of the story of the MORRILL Hall takeover.
SDS, you can protest on Northrop Mall all you want, but if you inhibit University operations, there should be consequences.
Concerned
Nov 7, 2024 at 11:20 am
Any unsolicited event that installs fear in someone is wrong, even if the staff were “allowed” to exit. Breaking glass, trespassing, wearing masks—all of this can provoke fear and a staff member or anyone working at the U should not have to experience that. There definitely should be a repercussion and consequence for these actions.
Matt Taylor
Nov 7, 2024 at 11:09 am
Play stupid games win stupid prizes. They should have been kicked out of the University forever!!!! Grow up kiddys!!!!
JG
Nov 7, 2024 at 10:40 am
So… people were still forcefully removed, being required to be “escorted” by masked thugs, and forced out of the building where they worked against their will.
This is SDS’ claim which is supposed to make them look good? This is still massively illegal, and completely trampled on the rights of those working in Morrill hall at the time. Not to mention, by blocking off entrances to the building, they created multiple safety and fire hazards. On top of all of that, SDS demonstrated that they have no limits to the violence they will commit for their anti-Jewish cause. Already, 2 pro-Israel students have been physically assaulted by BDS coalition “protestors” since last spring. SDS also demonstrated that Jewish targets like Hillel may be subject to these takeovers in the future, when over the summer they shot out the windows, and on 10/7/24, the 1 year anniversary of the Hamas pogrom, they sent thugs outside the windows who threatened to beat up anyone who left the building, forcing it to go into lockdown. Compile all of this together and it’s clear that SDS and all of their pro-Hamas allies have no qualms about attacking anyone, whether they disagree with them or not, so long as they are Jewish or faculty.
Tom
Nov 7, 2024 at 10:40 am
It’s hilarious that SDS think they have a shred of credibility left.
People like this are a huge reason the democrats no longer control any branch of the government.
Maybe just be quiet for the first time in your lives.
Ethan Roberts
Nov 7, 2024 at 10:33 am
When you are arguing over the extent of terror you inflicted on staff in the name of peace you are losing.
Richard Turnbull
Nov 7, 2024 at 1:37 am
It was not a lawful protest, more like something extremists on the far right or far left engage in to try to intimidate people. Now the perps are shocked to discover actions have consequences?