Demand Hearing and Accountability Petition

The Never Again Pledge

For over fifteen days, Mayor Bowser claimed that these protests were “peaceful” and “protected” under First Amendment rights. This is clearly not only distorted but false. The administration of George Washington University also failed miserably to address the encampments situation according to their fiduciary responsibility.

For over fifteen days, Mayor Bowser claimed that these protests were “peaceful” and “protected” under First Amendment rights. This is clearly not only distorted but false. The administration of George Washington University also failed miserably to address the encampments situation according to their fiduciary responsibility.

In an email sent to the community on April 25, 2024, George Washington University stated the encampments’ protest is protected under First Amendment rights. Just a week before, on April 17, the administration emailed the community informing us that protests would be prohibited due to finals week and in accordance with the time, place, and manner code. The April 25 emails are clearly a contradiction of the university policy, and needless to state, these encampments from the onset and moving forwards proven to be illegal in violations of many codes. Although the commitment was to disperse the protestors on April 25 at 7:00 pm, the encampments gained momentum as GWP, MPD, and Mayor Bowser refused to intervene.

For two weeks, from April 27 onwards, the protestors gained steam with the support of some faculty further inciting hate, chanting of “Death to Jews,” tearing down of barricades, throwing rocks, defacing statues, tearing down American flags, putting up Palestinian flags, humiliating Zionists and Jews passing the encampments, conducting horrific tribunals against public officials and administrators, and repeated threats of violence throughout the day and night.

Why did the Mayor, the MPD, and the university fail to intervene for two weeks?

On May 1, finally the oversight committee announced scheduling the hearing of Mayor Bowser and the MPD Chief. Finally, on May 5th, GWU President Ellen Granberg for the first time, after ten times admitted these encampments were illegal. During these two weeks of disturbance, violence, faculty cancelled finals, professors protested along with students, some students who attended the encampment protest received an A in the class, and countless rewards were given for malfunctioning and misconduct.

Why did GWU administration rewarded students who protested?

These encampments were clearly not protected under the First Amendment. They were violent and violated the place, time, and manner, as well as many laws, especially classified as hate crimes. They interfered with federally protected activity (education) and targeted community members, students, and faculty based on their nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, and association with Zionist supporters.

We demand and deserve to know why this was allowed to persist pervasively for two weeks. The encampments had a tremendous impact on the entire GWU community and bystanders at large. Threats, emotional distress, assault, destruction of property, disruption of finals, and discriminatory activities on the part of faculty. Simply beyond a hostile environment, they have terrorized our community.

We deserve to understand the reasons behind the hearing’s cancellation, which is crucial for public health, safety, and security. We request an immediate investigation into the past two weeks’ activities of the George Washington University administration, the MPD, and the Mayor’s office.

We demand, in accordance with our civic engagement and trust in the processes that govern our responses to civil protests, clarification on the following points:

Reschedule the Hearing: Could you provide specific reasons why the hearing was cancelled? What is your plan to reschedule the hearings?

Accountability: We request that the committee revisit their decisions and proceed with the investigation to restore public safety and trust.

Transparency: How does the committee plan to address ongoing concerns related to the management of failure of those we entrust to violate public safety and their communities?

The management of protest encampments and the decisions surrounding them have significant implications for the principles of democracy and civil liberties. The disruption on campus for finals and the upcoming graduation weighs heavily on the GWU members’ minds. A clear and transparent explanation from the committee will help maintain public confidence in our legislative oversight processes as well as provide a sense of the inner workings of this disappointing decision.

Thank you for your dedication to transparency and accountability. I look forward to your prompt and detailed response.