Department of Public Safety officers kicked Occupy AU off the front lawn of President Neil Kerwin’s office during their meeting on April 25.
The group usually holds weekly general assembly meetings every Wednesday in the School of International Service.
Occupy AU member Leo Zausen said the group decided to have its meeting outside because the weather was nice.
“We were just doing what we would have normally done every Wednesday,” he said.
The group set up a tent on Kerwin’s lawn, but they had no intention of actually camping out, Zausen said.
“We set up a tent because that is the physical embodiment of the Occupy movement,” Zausen said.
Zausen said Public Safety officers followed the group from SIS to Kerwin’s lawn and told the group they had 30 minutes to complete their meeting. After 45 minutes, Public Safety asked the group to leave and threatened that the students would face student conduct charges and trespassing charges from the police if they did not comply.
“We thought that since we pay tuition dollars at this very expensive university we have the right to use its facilities, including the lawn outside of the presidential office," Zausen said.
The space in front of Kerwin’s office is similar to the Quad, Zausen said.
“Our tuition dollars go into making that grass greener,” he said.
Public Safety declined to comment on the incident.
rzisser@theeagleonine.com
