On May 15th, 2024, marking the 76th year of the ongoing Nakba, TAHRIR issued a new set of demands to the University of Michigan Regents. These demands are rooted in a commitment to struggling towards collective liberation. They are an acknowledgement of our University's complicity in global imperialism, capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. As such, it is materially invested in the ongoing genocide and occupation of Palestine; anti-Black violence domestically and globally; and myriad other sorts of violence, dispossession, exploitation, and domination. These demands are an expression of the popular call to end this commitment and reinvest in communities and life-affirming institutions.
Our demands were and continue to be ignored. Nevertheless, we call on the Regents to commit to engage in open bargaining, where these matters can be discussed transparently and openly.
TAHRIR deamnds that the University of Michigan:
- DIVEST FROM ISRAELI APARTHEID AND GENOCIDE. We demand that the U-M regents immediately divest from a) any and all companies presently, or in the future, investing in and/or profiting from the human rights violations committed by Israel and/or aiding in the apartheid system maintained against Palestinians; b) funds invested in such companies; and c) the shekel and shekel derivatives.
- ESTABLISH A PEOPLE’S AUDIT. The financial operations of the University of Michigan must be beholden to a People's Audit, an open, public and independent body holding audit meetings with at minimum the Chief Investment Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, and the President to ensure University operations are transparent, accountable, and align with principles held by all communities the University is obligated to serve. The People's Audit shall have the power to force the University to follow community directives and no financial decisions (including but not limited to investments, divestments, and operational budget) of the University endowment shall be made without the oversight and informed consent of the People's Audit.
- BOYCOTT ISRAELI ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. We demand that the University of Michigan sever all ties with Israeli academic institutions. This includes refraining from participating in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration, or joint projects with Israeli institutions, such as, but not limited to the academic Michigan-Israel Partnership and UM-SPH’s collaboration with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
- ABOLISH CAMPUS POLICING.We demand that UM abolish DPSS/UMPD; reallocate its budget toward a non-police, unarmed crisis response program; and cease its dangerous, violent, and unnecessary reliance on and cooperation with other police agencies - such as the Washtenaw County Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement - which regularly wastes public funding and deploys violent outside entities to campus protests (e.g., Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County Sheriff, Ann Arbor Police Department). The non-police, unarmed response program must fulfill the four criteria laid out by the community: 1) independence, 2) a decision-making body made up of directly impacted community members, 3) fully and sustainably funded, and 4) a basis in principles of consent and self-determination. President Santa Ono has already endorsed such a program but has so far failed to implement it.