Private Investigator Hired By College to Spy on Pro-Palestine Students Pretends to Be Disabled When Caught on Video
Screenshot via The Guardian
The University of Michigan is hiring private investigators to spy on pro-Palestinian students and initiate disciplinary or even legal action, according to a new report.
The Guardian reported on Friday that numerous student accounts and video footage show that undercover investigators are monitoring and sometimes intimidating certain students. One of these alleged investigators was caught on tape by Josiah Walker, a member of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), and the man goes from pretending to be disabled, to calling Walker a “special needs” student.
In video published by The Guardian, Walker confronts a man he says was following him twice. In the first video, the man appears to be pretending to be deaf and/or mute, but he quickly resorts to his normal voice and refers to Walker as “one of those special needs kids.” In a second confrontation, the man at one point begins screaming that Walker is trying to rob him.
The private investigators appear to work for the security company City Shield. Its parent company, AmeriShield, received at least $800,000 from the university since 2023, according to The Guardian.
The school did not deny using private investigators on campus, but they did condemn the words used in the videos taken by Walker.
“Any security measures in place are solely focused on maintaining a safe and secure campus environment and are never directed at individuals or groups based on their beliefs or affiliations,” the school said.
Pro-Palestinian students have demanded the university divest from all Israeli companies amid the Israel-Hamas war. They also set up an encampment last year. The private investigators are reportedly being used to gather evidence for disciplinary action or even legal charges.
Katarina Keating, also part of SAFE, went on record and reported that she has also been surveilled by multiple people. She called it a “waste of time and money” that is putting her “on edge.”
“It sometimes feels comedic because it’s so insane that they have spent millions of dollars to hire some goons to follow campus activists around,” Keating said.
