STATMENT ON THE EVENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH CAMPUS

“Our number one priority last night was to find a path towards a peaceful resolution so that everyone could go home safely. I want to be clear: while demonstrators reiterated some of their demands as part of the discussion, the primary focus of this meeting was not about their demands, but about how we could find a way to resolve the conflict on Pitt’s campus peacefully. Our decision to meet with them was in no way an endorsement of those demands.  

Last night, we were able to connect with individuals inside of the encampment and were able to convene a meeting with representatives, which included a mixture of Palestinian and Jewish students and faculty, in order to try to find a path forward. 

 

Protesters acknowledged that most of their demands were not of the City or County, but of the University, and they were appreciative of our open and honest communication about what we knew. All parties were clear that the Mayor and the County Executive could not negotiate on behalf of the University, and no actionable commitments by the University were made.  We clarified the role and authority that the Mayor and County Executive had in the moment and a clarified their role as non-voting members of the University’s Board of Trustees.  

We shared information about the Mayor’s work to attempt to deescalate the situation and provided our assessment of what was likely to happen in the wake of violence at the encampment, to enable protesters to make informed decisions.  

Once the meeting ended, we facilitated the return of the protesters to the encampment to allow them to have a conversation with others about their next steps. At 2:00 AM they made the decision to leave Pitt’s campus peacefully.  Our City of Pittsburgh Police then facilitated their peaceful dispersal. 

We will host a press conference today at 4:00 PM in order to take your questions and have no further comment until that time.”