Letter to the Editor

In an email sent out on Friday, the Greeley Students for Palestine have released an official statement regarding the protest on UNC's campus. In it's entirety, it reads:

Hello UNCO Community,

We are taking down our encampment. We must acknowledge that this is a privilege that
the Palestinian people do not have. They are forced to live in uninhabitable conditions for months
due to a conflict that has gone on for decades, and we have only touched the surface of that
experience. Even creating a group on campus is an action that Palestinian students cannot take
because all of the universities have been destroyed.

As a group, we understand that this encampment is only powerful as long as we have the
means to be here. Now that finals are closing, our ability to support Palestine within an
encampment is dwindling as people need to go home for the summer. We cannot do good work
for Palestine if we are sleep deprived, anxious, overworked, and with a smaller number of
people who could actually keep an encampment going while organizing aid, resources, and
general amplification.

Alongside this, those that are graduating today, Friday, May 3, 2024, and Saturday, May
4, 2024, were robbed of their high school graduation in 2020. We would like to make sure that
their graduation has its time.

And yet there is still more to be done for Palestine. Just because our encampment ends
does not mean that our support for Palestine ends. The Palestinian people are suffering; even
participating in a taste of what they’re going through provided good reflection about what we
could actually do for their needs.

We plan on reaching out to the university soon about what we can do for Palestine in
these upcoming months. Alongside this, the student community of Greeley has expressed a
profound interest for action in the Summer and Fall. Nothing will make us forget Palestine. We
will continue to share stories, resources, and research as much as we can.

Thank you for your kindness, patience, and intense support over these last few days. It
has meant so much to interact with everyone and find a community within UNC that has not
been seen yet. We believe that this will bring us closer as a campus and as individuals.

The art raffle that many have donated to will be announced Saturday. We will reach out to
you if you have won so that we can work on getting art to you. Thank you to those who have
donated; families in Palestine are in need of this kind of money even without the incentive of art.

If you would like to help further, Operation Olive Branch is a great resource to find families in
need of direct aid.

Thank you once again. This has been such a humbling and powerful experience to be a
part of. You have all been an instrumental part of it! Please take the time to also read the letter to
the administration.

With appreciation,
Greeley Students for Palestine

The original document and letter to the administration can be found on the group's Instagram page @unco_gsp.