University officials on Thursday afternoon described an escalating health and safety situation arising out of the pro-Palestinian encampment on the Auraria Campus, noting that feces now litter the area, some have observed drug paraphernalia and homeless people have also now set up tents.
A few hours later, roughly 100 protesters swarmed the corner of Mariposa Street and Colfax in Denver and formed a circle, compelling the police to shut down Colfax between Kalamath and Osage streets.
During the press conference, campus officials said there have been conversations among campers involving threats of violence against administration and staffers, as well as sightings of weapons, such as baseball bats.
The higher education authorities have struggled to manage the pro-Palestinian protests since the encampment went up late in April. They have so far failed to persuade the protesters, who are demanding "divestment" from Israeli companies, to dismantle their tents, while the Denver Police Department has refused to a second request by school officials to clear the encampment.
In a press conference on Thursday, Auraria Campus officials described the situation as "lawlessness."
Devra Ashby, director of marketing and communications for the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC), outlined "significant" health and safety impacts of the encampment, saying protesters "continue to show disregard for campus policy."
Ashby said there is "art resembling weapons" in the encampments and authorities have "observed use of drug paraphernalia" among both protesters and homeless people, who have set up camp there, as well.
Shaneis Malouff, the chief of staff for AHEC, said they cannot confirm that everyone in the encampment is a student.
In recordings that would be released later this week, "it's pretty clear" that there are homeless people residing in the area, as well among student campers, Malouff said.
"Any attempt to negotiate with the protesters to remove the encampment has been met with resistance from the protesters and refusal to compromise from their demands," Ashby said. "The vast majority of the demands themselves are either outside of Auraria Campus' ability to address or not applicable to our campus programming."
The protesters are planning an illegal concert in the encampment on Thursday and Friday, and they are charging entrance fees and posing "several safety concerns," Ashby added.
Since the event doesn't have professional security, medical staff or event insurance, the event would be illegal, she said.
In addition to safety concerns, Ashby said the encampments have resulted in a variety of health issues, including complaints of feces on the quad, trash and the influx of people on campus who are not students.
"We've identified human waste on and around the quad as a result of poorly maintained temporary bathroom facilities," Ashby said. "We've received complaints from parents and students to campus administrators with pictures of feces near and around their vehicles parked near the quad."
The campus has been in contact with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to document the health hazards, officials said.
Protesters have demanded the campus clean the trash from the encampment, Ashby said.
"Campus facilities teams are not equipped to serve as a campground. We're not able to accommodate a 24/7 environment," Ashby said. "Not only is this a concern for equitable space use, but it's also a huge concern for students trying to complete finals right now this week and end their semester safely and successfully."
While the Auraria Higher Education Center supports peaceful assembly, it does not support "lawlessness," Ashby said.
Still, officials are being careful about involving the police, as they watch what is playing out on other campuses across the country, she said.
"As we've seen throughout the nation on these college campuses and universities, there has been an escalation of violence due to some involvement of police," she said. "We are really trying to balance this peaceful protest with escalation of lawless acts and the involvement of any kind of law enforcement."
On Thursday night, the police scrambled a response team after protesters showed up on Colfax. The protesters ultimately left the area. No confrontation between them and the police officers occurred.
The pro-Palestinian protests have become a familiar scene in Denver in the last few weeks.
On Monday, protesters "forcefully" entered and occupied the campus executive office, a private and locked space in the Tivoli Student Union, she said. About 50 students blocked the office entrance, "yelling, banging on the glass doors and causing damage to the doors," Ashby said.
And on Tuesday, protesters attempted to occupy the office two more times, again banging on windows and doors, resulting in 14 trespass and failure to obey summons, she said.
Reporters Sage Kelley and Marianne Goodland contributed to this article.
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