The scene at UWM this afternoon where student protestors are taking down their tents, barricades, flags, and signs after reaching an agreement with administration to end their encampment on campus.@620wtmj pic.twitter.com/TTRnJMlgIg
— Julien Johnson (@jujuelz_is) May 13, 2024
MILWAUKEE — The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee administration reached an agreement with the UWM for Palestine Coalition Sunday to cease encampments on campus. Since the agreement, student protestors have been dismantling their barricades, tents, flags, and signs as they must have everything off campus by Tuesday.

Student Organizer Ameen Atta from the UWM for Palestine Coalition told WTMJ: “This a resounding victory for the student movement, locally and nationwide,” he said. “It’s a testament to the strength of the students… We’ve been trying for months, and it was only through this encampment that we were able to get a lot of [our accomplishments.]”
Monday marked day 15 since the students encampment began, but it also was the beginning of finals week at UWM. Atta details what it was like finishing school while committing to this protest.

“It’s an insane level of sacrifice from all the student organizers. All the students are dealing with final exams, projects… and [were] working on this despite all of that,” he said. “One of the most difficult semesters for sure, but we’re doing it for a purpose.”
The people who protested on the “Falasteen Lawn” spent a lot of time together fighting for their cause, and although many are happy they’ve made progress towards their goals, some students thought of this place as a home away from home.
Atta told WTMJ: “This has been a historic third space for people, for the community,” he said. “I think that’s a natural feeling of just love for the space that we’ve built. [We do] not have the physical space anymore, but I think the message is that the movement lives on.”

The agreement with UW-Milwaukee and the student protestors includes a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, a condemnation of genocide and a condemnation of the Hamas attack that killed Israelis last October. It also outlines a plan for university leaders to further discuss protesters’ concerns once the encampment comes down while acknowledging that UWM is legally prohibited from cutting ties with private companies and organizations that do business with Israel.
Atta says they will continue to fight even though the schoolyear and the protests are coming to an end for the time being.
“Disclosure in divestment… it’s a thing that we’re working on, and we’re very committed. We have a meeting as early as [Tuesday] with the foundation, with [UWM Chancellor Mark Mone],” he said. “We have an amazing coalition with so many students [and] so many community members who are supporting us. We’re absolutely determined to not stop until we get divestment.”