by University of Minnesota workers and students rallied on campus Monday afternoon on Northrop Plaza, saying the University has been politically repressive.
The protest was organized by AFSCME 3800 and GLU-UE, the University’s clerical workers and graduate labor unions. They were supported by the University’s Students for a Democratic Society chapter.
A large crowd stood between Morrill and Johnston Hall, which are two administrative buildings. When they weren’t speaking, the protesters at the front of the rally often started call-and-response chants.
“Who makes the ‘U’ work?” They called out.
“We make the ‘U’ work!” The crowd responded.
Four days before the rally, ICE detained a University graduate student at an off-campus location. Details were initially limited about the detention.
The protest was planned before the detention, but the news drew more community attention and attendance to the rally. Beth Morgan, a junior who attended the rally, said she was horrified but not surprised about the detention.
“I had just been talking to a friend of mine earlier in the day about how what we were seeing at Columbia was inevitably gonna happen at the ‘U,'” Morgan said. “I hope the organizations that are organizing protests like this are willing to go further and really confront the power within the ‘U.””
At the protest, two speakers read aloud eight demands to University President Rebecca Cunningham. Two of the demands included stopping retaliation against campus protests and protecting immigrant workers.
“Rebecca Cunningham and her Regents have made no indication that they care for the safety and well-being of the students, staff or faculty on this campus,” Mira Altobell-Resendez said to the crowd.
Emil Chu, a member of SDS, said the recent detentions angered a lot of people locally, which drew a greater turnout to Monday’s protest.
“I’m not a stranger to political repression by this University,” Chu said. “I’m just like, continually disappointed and I feel a lot of concern and fear for people who are still students and directly involved with the University.”
Chu was arrested at the encampment protests last year but said she’s still determined to continue demonstrating because of the support she received from the community.
“Political repression doesn’t work when you have people constantly fighting against it,” Chu said.
