University of Michigan Regent Sarah Hubbard speaks during a meeting of the Board of Regents on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, at the Alexander G. Ruthven Building in Ann Arbor. (Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS)

DETROIT — Pro-Palestinian protesters said Wednesday they had “decorated” the front lawn of University of Michigan Board of Regents Chair Sarah Hubbard’s home with “scenes of genocide in Palestine” and taped documents listing demands for divestment from Israel to the door of her home, along with those of the seven other regents.

Police arrived at Hubbard’s Meridian Township home soon after the protesters’ 6 a.m. arrival, but no arrests were made, according to the University of Michigan.

Hubbard said the demonstrators have taken their tactics from pressuring the university to divest from companies contributing to Israel’s war “to the next level,” while Regent Jordan Acker said he would not “be intimidated.”

Reached by phone, Hubbard said that about 30 people showed up at her home in Meridian Township. It wasn’t clear if they were students, as some wore masks and their heads were covered, she said. They put tents and body bags that are used as part of campus protests on her property, she said.

Salma Hamamy, the head of the organization Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, spoke while at Hubbard’s house, describing her experience as a Palestinian American amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and listed the names of her 46 family members killed in Gaza, according to a statement by the protesters.

Hamamy also condemned the regents’ lack of response to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which have included actions such as disrupting the Honors Convocation, holding up signs during commencement and setting up an encampment on the Diag.

“You have shown an utter lack in ethics and morality, and a complete disregard of empathy,” Hamamy said. “As you have refused to come to the encampment, we are now bringing the encampment to you.”

The regents have steadfastly said they won’t change their investment strategy due to a policy that shields the endowment from political pressures.

“The best way to solve differences of opinion is through persuasion and facts,” Hubbard told The Detroit News on Wednesday. “Disrupting neighborhoods that have no engagement in the topic at hand does not move your argument forward.”

On Wednesday afternoon, UM Regent Jordan Acker wrote in a thread on X that “around 4:40 a.m., a masked intruder came to the door of my family’s home with a list of demands, including defunding the police.”

“My three daughters were asleep in their beds, and thankfully unaware of what transpired,” Acker wrote. “This form of protest is not peaceful. Public officials should not be subject to this sort of intimidating conduct, and this behavior is unacceptable from any Michigan community member, especially one led by someone who called for the death of people they disagree with.”

“I will not be intimidated,” Acker wrote. “No group, on the right or left, should engage in this behavior, and it cannot be tolerated in any free society.”

UM spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen denounced the protesters’ move.

“The tactics used today represent a significant and dangerous escalation in the protests that have been occurring on campus,” Broekhuizen said in a statement. “Going to an individual’s private residence is intimidating behavior and, in this instance, illegal trespassing. This kind of conduct is dangerous and unacceptable.”

The student groups that claimed responsibility on social media included Jewish Voice for Peace at the University of Michigan, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality and Transparency, Accountability, Humanity, Reparations, Investment, Resistance (TAHRIR) Coalition, she added.

Concerning Israeli and military companies, the university’s indirect exposure is “less than 0.04% (one-twenty-fifth of 1%) of the endowment’s market value, or less than $7 million,” UM spokeswoman Colleen Mastony told The News earlier this month.

“If the university has invested in that particular venture fund, the university, along with all the other investors in that venture fund, would be considered an ‘indirect’ investor in those 50 companies,” Mastony said. “UM selects fund managers based on their overall strategy but does not actively direct or influence the managers’ specific company investments. This passive investment approach is typical for institutional investors in private funds.”

Israel’s seven-month-long war was prompted by an Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas into Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 250 hostage. Militants still hold about 100 captives and the remains of more than 30. Internationally mediated talks over a cease-fire and hostage release appear to be at a standstill, according to the Associated Press, as Israel has pressed an offensive into Rafah, the last stronghold for Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. Israel says it has killed over 13,000 militants, but hasn’t provided evidence.

About the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, Hubbard said it is “unfortunate they decided to enter my private property without my permission” and has seen demonstrators employ similar tactics when going to the home of the governor or other leaders. But it doesn’t work, she said.

Hubbard said she would welcome having the protesters address the board during the public comment period at the regents’ next meeting on Thursday, which is scheduled to be held virtually. It was changed from an in-person meeting due to numerous conflicts among the regents, she said.

The board chair also said the regents have spoken clearly about the board’s stance on divestment.

“We will not be divesting the endowment per their demand,” Hubbard said.

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