More than 4,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Syracuse University to reinstate the #NotAgainSU organizers suspended early Tuesday morning.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, began occupying Crouse-Hinds Hall at noon on Monday to continue months-long protests of hate crimes and bias incidents at SU. The university suspended more than 30 organizers for remaining in the building past the 9 p.m. closing time.

Rebekah Wittman, a freshman at Ithaca College, created the Change.org petition Tuesday morning. From the Syracuse area, Wittman wanted to find a way to support students in her hometown while she wasn’t physically there, she said in a statement to The Daily Orange.

“I created the petition as a way to try to connect people who are upset with the suspensions of peaceful protesters with those who can make a difference,” Wittman said.

The petition, which reached 1,500 signatures within 4 hours, claims SU suspended the organizers occupying Crouse-Hinds after promising not to suspend students protesting racist incidents on campus.

Wittman’s petition also claims SU prevented food from entering Crouse-Hinds in an attempt to remove organizers from the building. The Department of Public Safety sealed off the building as of Tuesday morning, preventing food and other resources from entering. Organizers inside were given sandwiches as of 12:46 p.m.

“There is no reason to punish peaceful protesters, especially when there is no punishment for the acts that made them feel so deeply unsafe,” the petition reads.

At least 26 racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents have occurred at or near SU since early November. #NotAgainSU held a sit-in at the Barnes Center at the Arch for eight days in November to protest the incidents.

SU officials have said they suspended the Campus Disruption Policy for #NotAgainSU’s sit-in at the Barnes Center, but it was a temporary measure.

Published on February 18, 2020 at 4:47 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu