Dear Lobo Community:

A campus communication was shared yesterday, May 14, 2024, which included a request that the established encampment at the UNM Duck Pond be disassembled by 5 p.m. The message also detailed the multiple university policy violations occurring at the encampment.

The encampment was disassembled early this morning and the following serves to provide further detail:

  • The individuals in the encampment did not observe the request to disassemble by 5 p.m. yesterday and elected instead to reinforce their structures and call others to join the encampment.
  • The University decided to hold off on moving forward with enforcing the notice until early this morning. At approximately 5 a.m. today, Wednesday, May 15, the University provided a written notice to the occupants of the encampment, allowing individuals one hour to gather their property and vacate the site.
  • At approximately 6 a.m. today UNM Police, with support from the NM State Police, approached the encampment to strongly encourage the occupants to move and vacate the site. Many did move their property and left the site.
  • Some individuals remained and most were slowly moved out of the camp and onto Roma Avenue and eventually out towards University Avenue, at which point they dispersed.
  • During these operations seven individuals did not comply with the directions of law enforcement and were arrested on charges of criminal trespass and wrongful use of public property; two are UNM students.
  • The encampment was fully vacated before 7 a.m. As the camp was cleared, UNM Facilities Management personnel dismantled the large structure that had been built and cleared the site of other material. The area has been heavily watered and other measures have been taken to restore the environment.

The Duck Pond is open for public use. However, please be mindful that the ground at the northwest corner may be very wet and has been aerated, so please proceed with caution.

As a reminder to the university community, the use of public areas is governed by UNM policies. Protest and other forms of speech are welcome on our campus but must comply with policies. Of special note are the policies that forbid any kind of camping on campus, limit the use of amplified sound in most locations, and require that campus spaces be reserved for events, including protest.