CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – University of Virginia officials made their first public appearances since the May 4 anti-war protest descended into near chaos by way of a virtual town hall on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
The meeting was called to provide an update and answer questions about what caused the university to declare the gathering an unlawful assembly and call in members of Virginia State Police dressed in riot gear.
According to initial reports, 25 people were arrested. UVa COO J.J. Wagner Davis, who participated in the call, said 27 people were arrested in all: 12 students, four employees, three who are either former employees or students and eight who are unaffiliated with the university.
Police Chief Tim Longo said that protesters were given multiple directives to take down their tents.
“Officers were met with the use of umbrellas in an aggressive matter,” said Longo. “At least one person swung their hands in the direction of officers and one officer was actually struck. My fear was that, if active resistance would continue to escalate, it would be met with reasonable force to overcome that resistance, and the potential for escalating force was possible and likely.”
Chief Longo and President Ryan also said that on Friday night, four men dressed in black, carrying backpacks and wearing helmets joined the encampment. Ryan said at least two were known to law enforcement to have participated in violent acts elsewhere in Virginia. Longo said there were at least four participants already known to officers for their roles in local events that resulted in violence. Neither gave further details.
A few hours after the town hall wrapped up, university communications announced that the UVA Board of Visitors will hold a special meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 10. The purpose is to brief the Board on safety, security planning, emergency response and recovery related to the demonstration and encampment on Grounds from April 30 through May 4, 2024. They will also look at security plans associated with final exercises.
The open sessions will be streamed live for public viewing and can be accessed at https://bov.virginia.edu/live.
