Regents of the University of Michigan — who serve unpaid — now have 24-hour security because of threats and harassment from pro-Hamas factions.
UM Regents Jordan Acker, Mark Bernstein, and Sarah Hubbard told The Detroit News that the university assigned them around-the-clock security after their residences were vandalized with pro-Hamas, anti-Israel messages.
“Since Nov. 17, 2023, our regents and executive officers have been subjected to extensive and targeted criminal acts, including vandalism of private residences and businesses,” University spokeswoman Colleen Mastony stated. “These incidents, detailed in a press release, underscore the unacceptable level of threats and harassment directed at our institution’s leaders and their families.”
“We have taken prudent steps to support our regents and executive officers and will continue to rely on our public safety team to continuously assess risk, consult with external law enforcement partners, and allocate resources commensurate with those assessments,” she added.
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“The three regents said they continue to get threats via email and social media, as recently as June 9,” The Detroit News reported, noting that in May 2024, activists erected tents on Regent Hubbard’s front lawn and left on her doorstep “scenes of genocide in Palestine.” Her Instagram account was tagged with the message, “Regents, respond to our demands by the end of your board meeting this Thursday.”
Last December, vandals targeted Regent Acker’s home. Acker, who has three young children, said he has been getting death threats as recently as June 9. Reacting to a jar of urine being thrown through one of his home’s windows, he said, “Any time your family is being attacked for who you are and for what you believe, I think that’s a pretty scary moment as an elected official, but it’s unfortunately the world that we live in these days.”
“It’s been really hard on them. It’s been really hard on my wife. It’s been really, really hard on my kids, especially my 10-year-old, who was woken up by the glass breaking,” Acker added.
The homes of former President Santa Ono and the university’s chief investment officer, Erik Lundberg, were vandalized last October. “In March, someone spray-painted ‘Free Palestine’ on the side of UM Provost Laurie McCauley’s Ann Arbor home,” The Detroit News noted.
“This is something that the university has decided, it’s important to provide this support to their leadership. So it’s the regents and it’s also a number of other leaders at the university that have experienced these threats,” Hubbard said. “I feel that I can have this civil debate with people who have a different opinion than I do, and so it’s too bad that it has ramped up to this point where we’re concerned for our safety. It’s not a concern I have every moment of every day, but it’s certainly something I worry about because we see it going beyond the vandalism in so many areas around the country and in the world, and we don’t want to suffer that same result.”