The Minneapolis City Council failed in its attempt to override Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of a resolution that calling for no charges to be filed against the 11 protesters arrested in the Oct. 21 takeover of Morrill Hall at the University of Minnesota. The vote, which required nine Council Members to override, was 7-6.
The Council passed the resolution on Dec. 5 by the same 7-6 margin. As with veto overrides at City Council meetings, there was no discussion before the vote, however in the announcement period after the vote. Wonsley apologized to the students for not being able to overturn the veto while calling the property damage at Morrill Hall “alleged.”
“I’m sorry at this point in time, that both you know, the mayor, some of my colleagues, are still in the place where we can’t see the tragic injustice being committed, you know, and not just have the courage to stand up for what’s right,” she said. “And I know, while centering the alleged minor property damage in this conversation is important for some in this conversation, I do know that the students who are fighting to end the ethnic cleansing that has killed thousands of innocent people, primarily women and children in Gaza, you all again, still remain some of the most brave and courageous people that inspired me.”
In his veto letter that was sent to the City Council on Monday, Frey said he fully supports non-violent protest as a form of free speech.
“[It] is a fundamental right, however what occurred on Oct. 21, 2024, at Morrill Hall on the University of Minnesota campus was neither peaceful nor protected speech,” Frey wrote. “There is no First Amendment right to damage property, break windows, barricade doors, and endanger people’s safety. The total property damages exceeded $67,000 and caused emotional harm to university employees.”
“Simply put, when people engage in these actions, no matter what they are protesting, they break the law and there are consequences.”
Frey questioned if there were similar protests on an issue the majority of the City Council didn’t support, would they stand behind the same resolution.
“The lack of consistency sets a dangerous precedent and sends a message that illegal and violent conduct is not only tolerated but praised – as long as it conforms to the Council’s preferences,” Frey wrote. “I fully support the right to protest for causes you believe in, including on behalf of innocent Palestinians, but when the line is crossed, we also must have the same consistency. We must choose to be public servants before activists. The City Council has failed to meet that basic standard with this resolution.”
Councilmember Robin Wonsley, who authored the resolution, said during the Dec. 5 discussion that the City Council shouldn’t be in the business of criminalizing protests, and has likened the response to Civil Rights protest that led to the Morrill Hall takeover in 1969.
“It’s incredibly troubling that we’re seeing students being faced and met with similar criminalization that students back then were also met with,” Wonsley said.
Councilmember Andrea Jenkins said in the initial discussion that while civil disobedience is a “well-conceived…valid form of protest,” what happened at Morrill Hall was not that.
“Most people who practice civil disobedience understand that breaking the law means ‘I am going to have to deal with the consequences.’ And that’s what we’re talking about,” she said. “We’re not talking about the central reason why people are protesting. We’re talking about the fact that laws have been broken, and there needs to be consequences.”
In an email from University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham, which was included in Frey’s veto letter, she said that since the incident, employees have felt “less safe or uncomfortable in their workspaces. Others have felt compelled to strip their desks of photos of family or friends and personal belongings. These are employees who simply came to work on Oct. 21 to do their jobs and were eventually forced out of the building rather than finish out their workdays.”
Wonsley’s resolution said that all students arrested had interim suspensions from the University of Minnesota. In an Instagram post from the Students for a Democratic Society chapter at the University of Minnesota – which helped organize and amplify the protest that led to the Oct. 21 building takeover – they wrote that the school’s disciplinary action found seven of eight students guilty of all charges.
“As punishment, the administration has decided that all 7 students must pay over $5,500 each in restitution and will be suspended starting January 1st,” the post read. “One student is being suspended for 5 semesters (equivalent to 2.5 years), three for 3 semesters (equivalent to 1.5 years), two for 2 semesters, and one for 1 semester.”
The post also said that the students were charged restitution payments of $5,500 each, and at least three students were evicted from student housing. The University of Minnesota did not confirm the suspensions or fines due to privacy laws.
These lawbreakers got off pretty easy. They are lucky they’re not in jail or prison. They should get more severe punishment!