Officials will remove metal fences barricading Kogan Plaza on Sunday night, concluding more than two months of restricted access to the area after officials blocked off the space during pro-Palestinian student protests in the spring.
Facilities workers will begin removing the fencing at 6 p.m. on Sunday and complete the work by 7 a.m. on Monday, according to a Division of Safety and Operations email sent to District House residents on Friday. Officials have fenced and guarded the area with campus security since April 25, the day that pro-Palestinian student protesters pitched an encampment in University Yard.
The email states that officials will close the 2100 Block of H Street while workers dismantle the barricades, blocking access to the loading docks at Lisner Hall and Gelman Library, the University Student Center garage and the back entrance to the fire department.
Officials began blocking off U-Yard, Kogan and Anniversary Park with barricades at around 12 p.m. on the first day of the encampment when the University entered GWorld Safety Mode, restricting access to campus spaces.
During the 13 day-long encampment, demonstrators demanded officials divest from companies with ties to Israel, disclose all endowments and investments, drop disciplinary charges against pro-Palestinian students and organizations, protect pro-Palestinian speech on campus and end all academic partnerships with ties to Israel.
A GW statement released hours after police cleared the encampment and arrested protesters on May 8 announced that Kogan and U-Yard would remain closed through Commencement. That day, officials replaced the barricades surrounding Kogan with metal fencing. In late May, officials began opening some of Kogan’s fencing during the day to allow pedestrians to walk through the plaza.
University President Ellen Granberg and Provost Chris Bracey listed Kogan’s continued closure as a measure officials were taking to ensure a “safe and secure” campus in a statement following the clearing.
Officials have not announced plans to remove fencing around U-Yard or Anniversary Park, though security guards began opening the gates to both during the day in early July. A University spokesperson said in June that fencing will remain in Kogan, U-Yard and Anniversary Park while officials evaluate campus safety needs.
