ATLANTA — It’s been five days since a protest on Emory University’s campus turned violent and things have not slowed down with protests continuing Monday afternoon.
A small group of students could be seen on the campus quad Monday singing and holding signs once again protesting the Israel-Hamas War and Atlanta’s future Public Safety Training Center, which opponents call "Cop City."
“Thursday was scary and we believe the only way we can create change is to continue to come out here and come together,” said one student.
The campus tension continues with commencement ceremonies looming from May 9-12.
Earlier Monday, a group of students, alumni, and legal professionals held a closed-door meeting that media were allowed to listen to but not broadcast which focused on Thursday’s arrests. The group claimed that Emory administration and responding police targeted Black and brown people and overreacted with their response.
Emory’s president apologized Monday for mischaracterizing last week’s protests, saying based on information school leaders had last Thursday, they believed the individuals who constructed the encampment were not members of the Emory community.
Initial statements from the school said the protesters were not members of the school community, though the administration later acknowledged 20 of the 28 people arrested were in fact community members. The statement went on to say that they now realize the initial information was not correct.
11Alive also reached out to several Jewish organizations on Monday including the Chabad at Emory on campus, and many declined to comment publicly until Passover is over. But some Jewish students who we spoke with last week expressed fear for their safety.
Since Thursday, protests have continued with reports of antisemitic messages appearing on campus and vandalism of school buildings.