UNC puts up 12-foot barricade, closes Campus Y after Tuesday's protests
A half-mile barricade now covers the quad at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But that hasn't deterred protesters.
The 12-foot-tall metal fences sit at Polk Place at 201 South Road. Crews put up the barricades after a pro-Palestinian protest was held Tuesday. The barricades surround the quad to keep people off of it.
Pro-Palestinian protesters marched near UNC Chapel Hill Friday morning. This comes three days after police removed protesters from the campus, detaining dozens.
Dozens of protesters marched on the streets near UNC, and police could be seen directing traffic.
UNC shuts down Campus Y after Tuesday's protests
Friday's protest comes one day after the on-campus Y was closed. A "hub for social justice," Campus Y is a student organization that was established in 1860.
"The Y has been here for 160 years," said Dr. Mark Peifer, a professor at UNC in the School of Medicine Cell Biology and Physiology for three decades.
Throughout its history, the organization has addressed issues of integration, free speech, gender equality, workers’ rights, world hunger, apartheid and armed conflict, according to its website.
It’s unclear why the organization was shut down. The university has not said if or when it could reopen.
Prior to its closure, Campus Y posted on Instagram a statement "regarding the police brutality on campus" and shared a petition for a vote of no confidence against Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts.
The Y is where many protesters stored their belongings. On Thursday, WRAL News saw people retrieving their belongings.
"These actions did not occur in a vacuum; this was a targeted move by the UNC administration," Campus Y said online. "The sudden imposition of an 'Emergency Lockdown' on the Campus Y was an action timed to restrict Gaza Solidarity Encampment demonstrators’ ability to use our building’s facilities for basic needs (such as recuperating, filling water bottles, and using our restrooms)."
Campus Y said it was told by the university that the closure was due to "ongoing safety concerns." The student organization pointed out that it was not shut down during the two school shootings in fall 2023.
Campus Y also houses clubs and has a student-run coffee shop where 36 students work. Peifer pointed out that the Y also has a food pantry.
On Thursday, WRAL News asked university leaders why they put up the fence, how much it cost and why the Y suddenly closed.
Associate Vice Chancellor Beth Keith said in a statement that the university recognizes the closure impacts students, employees and events.
"We are working directly with the affected individuals and groups," Keith said. "There is no timetable to reopen the building."
"The campus Y is closed indefinitely right now," UNC grad student Louie Lu said. "Why do this? It is totally out of my mind."
On Thursday, Peifer sat outside South Hall with a sign. He said he’s alarmed at what he’s seen on campus.
"I was so pleased with the way the administration handled the protest for the first four days," Peifer said. "[Tuesday] afternoon, bad things happened I do not justify.
"These are my students, kids in my classes."
Messages are written in chalk on the bricks surrounding the fencing. The messages lead up to interim Chancellor Lee Roberts’ office. Most of the messages express discontent over Roberts’ decisions.
After police cleared protesters Tuesday from Polk Place, Roberts marched through the campus before saying the American flag "will stand here as long as I'm chancellor."
Protesters who lost items when the encampment was cleared earlier this week can come to campus Friday between 9 a.m. and noon to pick up items.
