ST. LOUIS — Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin warned against future encampments and similar protests on school grounds in a statement Monday after 100 protesters were arrested on campus over the weekend.
The arrests included 23 WashU students and four university employees. The university also said three police officers were injured while attempting to make the arrests.
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"Saturday was a dark, sad day for WashU," Martin said in Monday's statement. "When the group began to set up an encampment, which is in clear violation of our explicitly stated policies, we asked them to leave, multiple times. They did not leave voluntarily, so we made the decision to peaceably remove them. Unfortunately, they physically resisted."
Martin claimed that everyone who was arrested was facing criminal trespassing charges, with some also facing resisting arrest and assault charges. However, no official charges have been filed with the St. Louis County's Prosecuting Attorney's Office as of Monday morning.
"Such charges may have been filed in a municipal court, or maybe this claim is predictive that charges will be filed, but no such charges have been filed in the 21st Circuit as of now," said the Office's Public Information Officer Chris King. "As you will understand, we can't comment on charges we have not filed so we have no comment at this time."
5 On Your Side previously asked Defense Attorney Scott Rosenblum if students and professors could be banned from campus as a result from the protest arrests. He said there's a student code of conduct that all students at WashU have to abide by.
"To those who plan to continue to come to campus with the intention of disrupting our education and research mission and violating our policies, please know we will respond proportionately each and every time. You will not do this here," Martin said.
St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green, who serves as an adjunct lecturer at WashU and attended Saturday's protest, confirmed Monday that the university placed her on paid administrative leave. Green teaches Domestic Social and Economic Development at the Brown School.
In a letter addressed to Green dated April 29, Provost Beverly Wendland said the university was investigating claims that Green used campus card access to allow unauthorized people into campus buildings against the orders of campus police.
In response, Green said that never happened.
"I never swiped my card anywhere on campus," she said.
The university said it would reassess Green's status after a review.
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