Overview
- Rep. Tim Walberg, chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, asked Mayor Daniel Biss for a briefing on his handling of Northwestern’s April 2024 encampment.
- The committee released 13 pages of communications showing Northwestern planned arrests on April 26 but reported too few officers to proceed.
- Then‑president Michael Schill told the committee Biss declined to provide Evanston police despite a mutual aid agreement, according to a released transcript.
- A trustee’s messages cited by the committee accuse Biss of publicizing his refusal to bolster his progressive standing, a claim Biss rejects.
- Biss defended his approach at a press conference, calling the letter a dishonest political attack and saying his decision was not politically motivated, while the panel says the briefing will guide possible legislation addressing antisemitic discrimination.