Three members of Cornell on Fire, a group advocating for climate justice, gathered at the Andrew Dickson White statue at 6 a.m. on Saturday to protest Cornell’s “full-scale complicity in fossil-fuels,” according to a press release from Cornell on Fire.
The protestors placed a white blindfold and a poster that read “stop fossil fuel complicity” on the statue.
Shortly after, police arrived and declared the three protesters persona non grata, banning them from Cornell properties for the next three years. According to a PNG order obtained by The Sun, the protestors were cited for trespassing and for failure to present a permit to display posters on the statue. According to University policy, a PNG can be issued to “avoid further community disruption.”
Police officers at the scene of the protest (Photo courtesy of Cornell on Fire).
The group decided to protest on the day of graduation because they wanted to emphasize the climate change crisis that is “pivotal” for the future of the class of 2025, according to an email statement to The Sun.
“Reports by activists expose Cornell’s complicity with fossil fuel interests and deception across donations, research and retirement funds,” Cornell on Fire wrote in the email statement. “Our activism seeks to preserve a future for those graduates. We ask that Cornell not to look away from their complicity in a catastrophic status quo.”
While the group also attempted to place papers urging environmental action around the base of the statue, according to video footage of the interaction obtained by The Sun, a Cornell University Police Department officer told them it was “against University policy” to do so and requested that they show their postering permit. An officer also threatened to arrest them.
During the interaction, bethany ojalehto mays, a former professor at Cornell and member of Cornell on Fire, claimed that the group was displaying an “educational art installation,” not a poster, to the officer. She said the art installation was an “allowable form of expressive activity” in accordance with the Expressive Activity Policy.
The University policy states that “demonstrations, marches, protests, counter-protests, rallies, picketing, distribution of literature or fliers, art installations, performing arts, speeches and other forms of public-facing expression that aim at the public or particular individuals” all count as expressive policy and that “pre-scheduling demonstration or protest activities is encouraged, but not required.”
The policy also states that use of the campus for expressive activities “is limited to members of the Cornell campus community.”
The group has staged installations on the A.D. White statue in the past. Five months ago, Cornell on Fire blindfolded the statue and displayed a sign that read, “The science is clear. Don't look away. Don't muzzle us. Declare a climate emergency.” The group also held a 30-minute outdoor meditation under the statue. According to the group, this protest proceeded without incident.
“We carried out those peaceful protests on campus without repression, as one would expect under Cornell's own stated values and policies around expressive activity,” Cornell on Fire wrote in the email statement. “Today was an alarming indicator that Cornell's police crackdown on expressive activity is accelerating.”
CUPD did not respond to comment regarding the incident by time of publication.
Cornell on Fire partnered with Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island, a group of scientists across the United States and Canada who actively bring awareness to the climate crisis. This month, the group is leading a "Don't Look Away" campaign across the US and Canada to blindfold statues as a call to action to not avoid the “climate emergency,” but rather “take it seriously” and address it, according to Cornell on Fire’s email statement.
Update, May 26, 2:00 p.m.: This article has been slightly modified to remove identifying information about sources.
Zeinab Faraj is the assistant sports editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
