The following story was published on AWOL Magazine’s website this morning. My roommate, Kyle, who writes for the Eagle (our school newspaper) woke me up to show me a picture of the graffiti. After I washed up, I literally ran to the scene. Immediately, I saw a dude in a dress shirt and an AUPD officer sizing up the situation, as well as a team of cleaners scrubbing the words “Free Palestine” off the sidewalk.
I did my thing, brushing off passive-aggressive comments from the dress shirt guy, then hurried back to my room. My roommate was writing the Eagle story on the matter while I was editing my pictures and drafting the blurb for the photo essay. We passed information back and forth and scanned social media for people’s reactions. There was a crazy amount of journalism happening in that room. Shoutout to Kyle.
I had a job interview right after all that. It’s been a crazy morning and I had to dump all this info somewhere. I’ve never broken news before, so this is an exciting moment for me. Stay safe, y’all.
On Oct. 10, a woman driving past American University’s Glover Gate on Massachusetts Avenue rolled down her car window.
“Yeah! Free Palestine!” she shouted. Several other drivers honked their horns in response.
Graffiti in red spray paint was found on Glover Gate on the morning of Oct. 10.
The gate’s two stone walls, inscribed to read “The American University,” were vandalized, with the word “genocide” over “American.” “Free Palestine” was left on the sidewalk below one of the walls, and “Divest Now” was written above the side of the wall that denoted the school’s address. A red triangle, a symbol used by some pro-Palestinian protestors, was painted beneath one of the graffiti on the gates.
The act came three days after the one year anniversary of the latest Israel-Hamas war.
Around 9 a.m., school property service workers had covered the graffiti on the two walls with canvas. Other workers were cleaning the messages from the sidewalk.
In a statement to the Eagle, University Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Matt Bennett said, “We are investigating the graffiti on AU’s Glover Gate. Anyone found responsible for this crime will be held accountable. If you have information about the graffiti, please contact AUPD at 202-885-2999.”
Ben Ackman's Photography Website 