Penn sought to relocate a vigil mourning "martyrs, from Palestine to Lebanon to Syria" away from the Split Button and closed off Locust Walk to the public on Friday afternoon, citing the University's new temporary open expression guidelines.
The vigil, which was announced in an Instagram post by Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine, began around 1:30 p.m. near the Split Button. University officials repeatedly warned vigil participants that they were trespassing and told them to move to another location. Approximately 10 Penn Police officers on bicycles and holding zip ties blocked off both ends of Locust Walk surrounding the Button at around 2 p.m.
The vigil was originally scheduled to take place by the LOVE statue, but moved to the Button minutes before it began after Penn placed barricades around the LOVE statue area. The fencing off of the LOVE statue prompted PAO to accuse the University of being "reactionary."
"It should not be a crime to bear witness," PAO wrote in a subsequent Instagram story.
Representatives for University Life and the Division of Public Safety did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
When the vigil began, Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Tamara Greenfield King told the participants that they did not have a reservation for the Button area and that they should move to 34th and Walnut streets if they wished to continue their demonstration. King said that failure to comply would result in asking for identification.
“Today the guidelines are in effect,” King said, referencing Penn’s new Temporary Standards and Procedures for Campus Events and Demonstrations, which were released in June.
According to the guidelines, non-academic events in several areas of campus, including the Button area and Locust Walk, require organizers to apply for approval from University Life two weeks in advance.
As part of the vigil, participants formed a circle on the walkway, read poetry, and handed out flowers representing "martyrs" lost in Gaza and Lebanon. King appeared to stop participants from distributing flowers.
“You are currently trespassing," a Penn security officer repeatedly told those gathered on the walkway. "I’m going to ask you if you wish to continue this gathering, you have to do so at 34th and Walnut."
“Students and faculty are not trespassing," one vigil participant said.
In another Instagram post, PAO wrote, "We are mourning and reading poetry."
DPS Chief of Staff Nora Greenberg took photos and videos of the vigil and its participants, who were told by King that the videos would be sent to the Center for Community Standards and Accountability.
Around 2:15 p.m., some participants marched with linked arms toward 34th Street, followed by police officers, where they eventually dispersed.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article erroneously stated that Greenberg, not King, had told the vigil participants that videos of them would be sent to CSA. The DP regrets this error.
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