Protesters gather around the Saint Louis University campus clock tower early Monday after a march through the streets of St. Louis, protesting against the recent shootings of two young black men by law enforcement officers.
For six days last week, protesters lived in tents near St. Louis University’s clock tower, flying an upside-down American flag and talking to students as they walked by about inequality and systemic racism.
For many on campus, Occupy SLU was a polarizing event that garnered support from a significant number of people on campus, confused others and triggered hostility from many, including some parents, who wanted the protesters gone.
The latter group got their wish on Saturday when protesters packed up their tents and left.
What seemed like an abrupt ending to a protest that many people suspected could linger for several weeks, was actually the result of negotiations between SLU’s new president and protest organizers.
The result is an agreement spelled out in a document detailing 13 steps SLU will take to address poverty and racial inequality in St. Louis.
Some say the university was backed into a corner and forced to make concessions, others accused protesters of losing their resolve after several nights sleeping outside, while still others said the group was forcefully evicted once university leaders lost patience.
Both sides disputed those claims this week, agreeing in separate interviews that progress had been accomplished.
“My goal throughout was to come up with a peaceful resolution,” SLU President Fred Pestello said. “It’s clear that we all wanted the same things.”
Some of the more significant items SLU agreed to in the resolution include a larger budget for the university’s African-American Studies program; more money to keep black students from dropping out; and the establishment of a K-12 bridge program to increase the number of college-bound children in the Normandy and Shaw neighborhoods.
Pestello acknowledged those agreements could potentially carry a significant price tag, but he said the university had not come up with cost estimates for each item or timetables for their completion.
He added that the goal of SLU’s playing a larger role in St. Louis was one of the main themes of his inaugural address.
“I’m proud of the way we handled this. We stayed true to our values,” Pestello said. “I think our young people are hurting, and there’s anger there, but they are also very bright and very thoughtful.”
The negotiations were among Pestello, the university’s Black Student Alliance, a protest group called Tribe X and the Metro St. Louis Coalition for Inclusion and Equity, or M-SLICE.
Earlier this week, Tribe X released a statement calling Occupy SLU a success and pushing back at criticism from other protesters who disagreed with ending the protest.
“We have studied the Civil Rights Movement and recent movements such as Occupy Wall Street,” the statement said. “We determined that occupation for the sake of occupation would be fruitless. We chose to leave after garnering the commitments that we felt furthered the goals of the people.”
M-SLICE executive director Romona Taylor Williams said her group felt that SLU often paid lip service to following the Jesuit mission but didn’t always follow through.
“We felt SLU needed to address some things related to inclusion. But this is not only about SLU. We need to occupy all of the institutions where there is systemic racism,” she said.
In talks with some of SLU’s minority students, Williams said a theme emerged about some of those students not feeling especially welcome on campus.
With plans for regular meetings with SLU’s administration, Williams said she had no concerns that the university won’t follow through on its promises.
“Pestello has given us no reason to doubt his commitment,” she said. “Why wouldn’t all parties give this a chance to work? This is a historic moment.”