Protesters Vacate Democracy Center, Ending Week-Long Occupation

Updated July 14, 2024, at 7:19 p.m.

The occupation of the Democracy Center by roughly 30 protesters ended earlier this week, a sign that a plan to close the center indefinitely for renovations will move forward despite sustained backlash from local progressive organizers.

The weeklong occupation began July 1, the day renovations were initially scheduled to begin, as organizers and activists who use the building as a meeting space demanded an end to the plans for its closure. Protesters held teach-ins, musical performances, a reading group, and an “emergency rally” with pro-Palestine activists that prompted a police response and road closures.

But the Mt. Auburn Street building has been visibly empty since at least Tuesday, when the posters and banners that previously hung from the center disappeared along with the sheets of cardboard that covered the street-level windows. An Instagram account representing the occupation has not posted since July 3.

The end of the last ditch effort all but guarantees that the Foundation for Civic Leadership, which runs the center, will proceed with renovating the building — likely for multiple years.

“The building is now empty and secure,” FCL interim Executive Director Sue Heilman wrote in a statement Friday. “We are working to assess its condition and plan the much-needed safety, accessibility and functionality improvements.”

In April, the FCL announced that the center would close for “necessary renovations,” drawing immediate and intense backlash from an array of progressive Cambridge organizations that use the center as a meeting space — some of which said the closure threatened their very existence.

The FCL held a series of open meetings to discuss their decision, with FCL President Ian T. Simmons ’98 insisting local organizations will be welcomed back after renovations. But critics panned the decision for lacking transparency and questioned whether the need for renovations alone had inspired the closure.

Protesters’ prolonged efforts culminated in an occupation of the center on its planned closure date of July 1, demanding that construction be halted while additional input was solicited and that organizers face no retaliation for the protest.

On the occupation’s third day, organizers called for an “emergency rally” to prevent what they called an “expected police raid” on the center.

Approximately 30 pro-Palestine protesters — who had been participating in a nearby protest — joined the rally, which drew a significant police presence and prompted road closures and traffic delays.

Throughout the demonstration, police hovered around the building, knocking on doors and calling orders to the protesters inside. The Cambridge Fire Department, holding fire axes, also briefly came and spoke with the police and FCL leadership. No protesters were arrested or removed from the premises.

Elizabeth Rucker, the center’s former manager, subsequently resigned in protest of the police presence. She later told The Crimson that she believed the police were initially called to remove people from the building before FCL leadership decided against it.

“Everyone at FCL is relieved the situation was resolved peacefully, and we look forward to moving ahead with building improvements,” Heilman wrote in a Friday statement.

Beyond last week’s joint emergency rally, the effort to prevent its closure has frequently found itself intertwined with pro-Palestine activism. Palestinian flags, keffiyehs, and chants of “free Palestine” have featured at several additional rallies. At one demonstration last month, organizers hung a banner from the building that read “Resist Displacement from Gaza to Cambridge” alongside the Palestinian flag.

At last week’s rally, one organizer publicly criticized FCL leadership for allowing the Democracy Center to host “Zionist events” — a reference to the use of the space by MEOR, which describes itself as a Jewish education and mentorship organization on its website.

At protests and in Instagram posts, organizers have also speculated that the FCL closed the center “implicitly” because of the backlash against MEOR’s use of the space.

Heilman pushed back against the claim Friday, writing that “the only reason for the closure is for needed renovations to the building.”

In response to a request for comment regarding the occupation’s end, Kelly Regan — a spokesperson for the Save the Democracy Center Movement — distanced the group from the protest, writing that the “autonomous group of occupiers are separate” from their movement.

—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves and Ben Ali H. Brown contributed reporting.

—Staff writer Azusa M. Lippit can be reached at azusa.lippit@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @azusalippit or on Threads @azusalippit.