emerson primary care :: Article Creator'I Feel So Betrayed By Emerson': 'Popular University Encampment' Ends In Arrests Of 108 Protesters
The four-day "Popular University Encampment" ended in the arrest of 118 protesters in the 2 Boylston Place alley early this morning.
Editor's Note: This article is part of a larger series surrounding the April 25 arrests. Readers are encouraged to view the thread of live updates here. If you feel you or someone you know could be a valuable source for our continued coverage of this incident, please contact [email protected].
Update: The Beacon has just received an updated report that a total of 118 protesters were arrested, not 108 as previously reported.
The four-day "Popular University Encampment" ended in the arrest of 118 protesters in the 2 Boylston Place alley early this morning.
The encampment started on Sunday night to express support for the student arrests at Columbia University, demand college divestment from Israel, and call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
A Boston Police Department (BPD) spokesperson told the Beacon that most, if not all, protesters were arrested for disturbing the peace. It is not currently confirmed how many of the 118 arrested were Emerson College students. BPD officials did not have an immediate comment when asked about the communication with Emerson College Police Department (ECPD), administration, and BPD at the time of the arrests.
All detained individuals were released from custody by 6 p.M. On Thursday, according to an Emerson Students Justice for Palestine (ESJP) Instagram post.
Court dates and locations are to be determined, according to the post.
According to on-scene Beacon reporters, the arrests began on the Boylston Street and Massachusetts State Transportation Building ends of the 2B alley at 1:45 a.M. Arrested protesters' wrists were zip-tied behind their backs and escorted into police vans.
The April 25 arrests come just a month after 12 Emerson students were arrested on March 22 outside of President Jay Bernhardt's inauguration while protesting the college's "tuition hikes, suppression of students and faculty, and silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza."
Prior to the arrests, BPD and college administrators released statements implying the possibility of legal action.
"Boylston Place Alley is not solely owned by Emerson College and has a public right-of-way under the jurisdiction of the BPD and the Boston Fire Department," President Jay Bernhardt said in a community email on Wednesday morning. "Earlier today, the commissioners of the BPD and BFD directly informed Emerson's leadership that some actions of the protesters are in direct violation of city ordinances, which could result in imminent law enforcement action."
In his email, Bernhardt referenced the "Unlawful Camping Ordinance," enacted by the Wu administration in 2023, which was later read to students shortly before arrests began.
"Unsanctioned temporary structures (such as tents and tarps) are sometimes referred to as encampments," the ordinance reads. "They undermine the city's ability to maintain adequate access to public property for individuals of all abilities, an unobstructed path of travel, and a safe and hazard-free environment for all individuals."
Police tensions increased over the course of the day with police cruisers spotted in the area around 1 p.M. Despite the possibility of imminent police action, protesters said their plan was to stay put.
"We are here to get our demands met," said Amina Adeyola, an SJP organizer. "We're not leaving until then."
When asked what the plan is in the case of arrests, Adeyola responded, "We're going to keep our people safe … We have a full plan … We've [undertaken] all the safety measures that we can."
Hours following this statement, an influx of police arrived on campus, alerting the campus community of potential arrests.
Several on-scene reporters referenced a "very heavy" police presence at around 12:25 a.M., with approximately 12 state trooper vehicles, seven police cars, two BPD holding vans, two Boston fire trucks, and three ambulances lining Charles Street behind 10 Park Plaza. It is reported that 20-30 officers waited inside the Massachusetts Transportation Building, with even more stationed in different areas of campus during the hour before arrests began.
Officers, dressed in riot gear and holding wooden batons, started to enclose the rows of human barricades and began arresting students using zip ties around 10 minutes after issuing the warning. BPD officers approached from either side of the alley.
Police did not provide warnings to protesters who were located in front of the Massachusetts Transportation Building.
As students prepared for arrest, Beacon reporters heard them chanting, "Who keeps us? We keep us safe," which organizers told the Beacon was a signal chant used by the protesters to signal police sightings in the previous days of the encampment.
Amrita Bala, an Emerson SJP organizer, described her experience during the protest in an interview with the Beacon.
"It was horrifying … They just started ripping us from the crowd, throwing us down on the ground," Bala said.
Bala explained that students had prepared themselves for tear gas by sheltering under umbrellas, but that tear gas was not used. Bala, like many present at the protest, described the use of force during arrests as violent and excessive.
"I got arrested pretty early, so I didn't see what had happened after me, but they started using their batons a lot," she said. "They started beating people, even people who weren't arrested, dragging them on the ground."
Beacon reporters on the scene saw several police officers piling on a single person's body as well as blood on the ground.
Soon after the 2B alley arrests, protests and police interaction spilled out onto Boylston Street. At 3:01 a.M., approximately over an hour after the arrests began, four more protesters were arrested outside of Tatte Bakery and Cafe, a Beacon reporter witnessed.
College administration, including Vice President & Dean of Campus Life Jim Hoppe and Vice President for Equity and Social Justice Shaya Gregory Poku, were seen speaking to a crowd of remaining protesters outside the Walker Building at 3:11 a.M.
Hours after the arrests, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told WCVB-TV she supports the actions of BPD and the handling of the encampment protests.
"We have to be a city where everybody is safe. That is my primary mission. I know that events happening around the world are incredibly painful. We have to be a community where everybody can express their views safely," Wu said in a WCVB-TV newscast.
Wu said she would continue monitoring the body cam that recorded the arrests, but "future protests cannot create fire hazards anywhere in the city," WCVB-TV wrote.
In the immediate aftermath, Emerson students and community members are reeling from yet another set of on-campus arrests.
A freshman creative writing major, who had visited the encampment several times as well as donated food to the protesters, described feelings of instability and unrest on campus.
"I feel so betrayed by Emerson," she said. "…We were promised a liberal arts education and we were promised a liberal arts environment. We were promised freedom of speech, we were promised our freedom to assemble, to do all of these things and those were so swiftly taken away from us."
In a Student Government Association (SGA) press conference earlier today, Executive President Charlize Silvestrino and Executive President Elect Nandan Nair called for the resignation of Bernhardt and announced an SGA meeting tomorrow where a vote of no confidence will be held.
"As the incoming and outgoing president of SGA, we feel there is only one course of action," Nair said. "Tomorrow, our elected student leaders will vote on a resolution of no confidence in President Jay Bernhardt and call on him to resign."
"It's clear that some in the college administration failed us last night," Nair added.
As Silvestrino and Nair expressed, their call seeks to reflect the broader student sentiment. Many students have taken to social media to express their sorrow and disappointment in both BPD and Emerson.
The same freshman creative writing major, who did not wish to be named, expressed similar feelings earlier today.
"They don't care about their students," she said. "They only care that they got caught."
Bryan Hecht contributed to this report.
Lake Surveyor Emerson Opposed By Tisdale In Dem Race
Lake County surveyor Bill Emerson Jr. Is mapping out a third full term in office, but faces a Democratic primary challenge from Reginald Tisdale, an East Chicago special needs teacher.
No Republicans are on the May 7 ballot.
"I feel like it's the perfect office for me," said Emerson who also serves as president of the Lake County Plan Commission. "I enjoy helping people and getting big projects done."
Lake County Surveyor Bill Emerson Jr. Is running for his third term, but faces challenger Reginald Tisdale in the Democratic primary. (Photo courtesy of Bill Emerson Jr.)
The surveyor's duties include maintaining county maps and survey markers and managing Lake County's nearly 600 miles of legal drains or stormwater system.
The surveyor also reviews subdivision proposals in unincorporated areas for ordinance compliance.
Emerson's office has about 15 employees, he said.
While it's not required, Emerson is a civil engineer who earned his degree from Purdue University. Later, he went back to school and received a law degree.
"Although we don't review every development in every community, we regulate drains and our goal is always to make sure water is free and flowing," he said.
He pointed to a recent success story at the Ridgelawn Cemetery at 4401 W. Ridge Road, just west of Gary in an unincorporated area.
Emerson said the cemetery had serious flooding and there were no state or county storm sewers and some graves were underwater.
"We did research and found there was an old farm tile from the 1900s in the area. Emerson said his legal background was helpful in researching the title's history and gaining authority for the cemetery to make repairs.
Emerson said his office is updating stormwater ordinances and hopes to do an update on rainfall intensity.
'We digitized all the records in-house without taxpayer expense," he said.
His department serves as technical advisors on some septic and sanitary sewer projects, including one in the Lawndale subdivision near Crown Point on Cedar Lake-Crown Point Road. The subdivision's failed septic systems generated raw sewage runoff into area ditches.
The county is using its Covid-19 relief funding to fund a sanitary sewer line to Crown Point's sewage treatment plant. "It was a game changer for that area," said Emerson.
Meanwhile, Tisdale said, via a text message, the surveyor's office has had OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) violations and there's little diversity in the office.
He also alleged unfair bidding in projects.
Tisdale said he worked his way through college working as a surveyor and he alleged Emerson missed work while building a law practice.
"I am more than qualified and promise to reform that office…" said Tisdale who said he's been an officer with the East Chicago Federation of Teachers for 30 years. When asked for a photo to accompany this story, Tisdale declined to provide one.
In response, Emerson denied the allegations, saying OSHA hasn't cited his office for violations. He said all bids go through the Lake County Drainage Board at public meetings.
In addition, Emerson said his chief deputy is an African-American woman from Gary.
Emerson said he's a full-time surveyor who often does field work himself to save money for the county.
"I inspect jobs, and I design projects," he said.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Emerson Primary School Named 2024 Hall Of Fame School
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA) announced that Emerson Primary School in the Sidney City School District has been selected as a 2024 OAESA Hall of Fame School.
The Hall of Fame School Award recognizes schools that engage faculty, students, and the community to provide a quality school experience. The school staff submitted an extensive application documenting the effectiveness of their educational program in several areas. Hall of Fame Schools were selected by committees of OAESA members.
Emerson Primary was nominated for this honor and in accepting the nomination, the school staff went through an extensive application documenting the effectiveness of their educational program in several areas. The process included interviews with staff, students, and families.
Emerson Primary is one of seven elementary schools throughout Ohio to earn this honor.
OAESA will recognize winners of the Hall of Fame Award during OAESA's centennial celebration on June 17 at the OAESA Professional Conference and Tradeshow at the Hilton Easton in Columbus, Ohio.
"This is another example of the quality of our schools," said Superintendent Bob Humble. "I couldn't be more proud of the Emerson students and staff for being awarded this honor."
OAESA will be at the May 20 school board meeting to share the award with the Sidney City Schools Board of Education. The school board meeting will be held at Sidney Middle School beginning at 6 p.M.
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