Amid Encampment, Cambridge City Council Discusses Resolution Supporting Student Right to Protest

As Harvard’s Pro-Palestinian encampment entered its sixth day, the Cambridge City Council discussed a resolution urging University administration and city leadership to respect students’ rights to peacefully protest.

While the Harvard University Police Department has maintained a constant presence within the Yard to monitor the encampment, the demonstration has remained peaceful throughout the past week.

Though advocacy groups, Harvard faculty, and politicians have called on the University to refrain from using police force on protesters, there have been no signs the administration intends to respond with police response.

Interim University President Alan M. Garber ’76 declined to rule out a police response, but told The Crimson last Monday it would require a “high bar.” HUPD Chief Victor A. Clay defended student’s rights to peacefully protest in an interview on Friday.

The resolution condemned the involvement of city police departments at other student encampments across the country as “violent crackdowns.” Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler — one of the three councilors who introduced the resolution — said it was important to emphasize the council’s commitment to free speech in the midst of widespread police response.

“This resolution is saying we respect free speech in Cambridge; we want to let people use their free speech rights,” he said.

Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05, however, clarified that even if the resolution is adopted in next week’s meeting, the Cambridge Police Department is obligated to assist the HUPD if their presence is requested.

“It is the position of the Cambridge Police Department to fully support and respond to the needs of other law enforcement agencies,” he said. “Our policies also call out specific mutual aid obligations to the Harvard University and MIT police departments.”

Huang added that while “we all want to avoid” CPD involvement in policing the encampment, he believes that the force is better suited to provide support than other outside entities.

“In the case where supportive action is needed, I strongly believe that we would want Cambridge Police — who are part of our community — involved rather than police from other communities or from the state,” he said.

Following Huang’s clarification, councilor Paul F. Toner exercised his charter right, postponing the council’s vote on the resolution until the next council meeting scheduled for May 6.

In an interview with The Crimson, Huang said the city has met with Clay — as well as members of Harvard’s administration — to “ensure that there is going to be communication and coordination” between the city and the University.

Huang added that he has “no idea” if CPD will be called to assist HUPD and defers to the University to navigate “the demands of the students who are very committed to this moral cause.”

“I can’t speak to their decision-making or speculate about different scenarios that they’re managing,” he said. “I know that it is a really difficult situation, where they’re trying to balance both a right to protest, freedom to exercise actions of civil disobedience, but also maintaining a campus that is safe.”

—Staff writers Ayumi Nagatomi and Avani B. Rai contributed reporting.

—Staff writer Sally E. Edwards can be reached at sally.edwards@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @sallyedwards04 or on Threads @sally_edwards06.