Thoughts on the OSU protests
The pro-Palestinian divest protests at The Ohio State University happened on Thursday evening, April 25th. I winded up observing for a few hours, getting cold, and then joining the circle because I was cold and decided "screw it". Beforehand I spent some time on the grass near the circle, observing, then I moved up to a patio nearby while I ate. At some point, a protestor came up to do the whole shaming thing, which was probably valid. I really only joined, though, when someone else told the observers that we were subject to arrest as well. I figured there was no point in freezing up here when I could join the circle and get the same outcome anyway. It wasn't that much warmer, unfortunately.
 My feeling throughout the whole thing, even when I was directly involved, was that I was watching and then apart of a stage play. It's not that anyone lacked zeal and authenticity; from what I could tell everyone there was genuine in their love of the issue and their passion. Perhaps the actors most unfit for their roles were the police, who held a sort of anxiety in them every time I looked into one of their faces. It became clear to me that few of them actually wanted to be there, and most were probably compartmentalizing what they were doing away from the rest of their lives.
Anyway, back to the play. While people never lacked authentic-ness, the entire thing felt like a performance.
Act 1
  Quiet openings, protestors begin in prayer, form circle, pass out numbers. Police send out a mole, he gets backed off, they close off college avenue (The road running parallel to the protests. Also 6 Israel supports are counter chanting and cackling like hyenas.
Act 2
Tensions rise, protests begin their chanting. Police start bringing in the big guns, riot cops and vans. Eventually they bring in some busses. Towards the end, a helicopter starts passing over. It's all fear tactics, I think. They constantly announce "You are under arrest" in their loudspeakers, followed by where to leave to. Honestly, this part dragged on a lot, there was a good 2 hours between act 1 and 2 where basically nothing happened. They announced a 15 minute warning that they didn't follow up on until they got backup.
Act 3
Finally the climax begins. Prayer starts up in the circle, more tents are set up. Police start barging their way in during prayer. They form lines surrounding, other people yell at them from the outside. The formation begins to move as people move to sure up the line. The praying ends. An old guy appears in the center, I have no idea where he came from. Screaming, chants, the cops on the loudspeaker, the helicopter overhead. Some people on the outsides get arrested, presumably after breaking from the line. The line breaks. It's over. Organizers try and reform the circle, doesn't last long. Eventually they give up, "Go back to your cars in groups". Doesn't matter, cops just push the line back to the road. I break off early, luckily with enough time to catch a bus. The area is littered in tents, coolers, and tarps. Talk to OSU worker closing the road on the opposite side of the cops. At least he's getting overtime.
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  Perhaps it is something within me at fault for my view of what's going on. When I joined the circle, I was secretly hoping to pick up on that passionate zeal. It never came. There's something strange in feeling it all. The protests were never going anywhere. Simply put, it is illegal for OSU to divest from Israel, a law passed by state legislature and put into effect in 2017. But perhaps that was never to goal.
 In the end, what transpired was largely a game of king of the hill, with similar stakes. Some people, about 36, got arrested and then released on misdemeanor trespassing charges. The protests broke when the cops captured the tent area. Whatever head honcho at OSU that made the call to bring in the police probably never saw the protests in the first place. Most people went home eventually. I went home, warmed up and ate. Presumably many of the cops did the same, slipping into their beds with their partners, not having seen their kids that day.
Palestinian children are still dying. Our rights to protest are still being trampled.