Hundreds gather in protest outside of Iowa City fraternity house
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A peaceful protest of hundreds in Iowa City turned into people breaking windows and kicking down a door at a fraternity house, following an online petition demanding action after allegations of rape.
The petition says two members of Phi Gamma Delta - or Fiji - near the University of Iowa Campus raped a woman a year ago. It now has more than 70,000 signatures. The fraternity said the two individuals named in the petition are no longer part of its membership, but people surrounded the fraternity house tonight chanting that they want the fraternity itself kicked off of campus.
A few hundred people gathered at the fraternity house, located on Ellis Avenue, holding signs and chanting. After about 30 minutes, a few of the protesters began throwing rocks, climbing fire escapes, and knocking on the front door. Shortly after, they kicked the door down.
The majority of the people who gathered to protest remained peaceful. Iowa City Police officers were nearby but did not appear to intervene during the time that KCRG-TV9 news crews were there.
“It’s good to stand with the victims, even if it’s not true. It’s important to just show that we are listening. We are here for all victims and we are standing in support of them,” Maxwell Bernstein, a graduate student at the school who was present, said.
Other fraternities in the neighborhood nearby displayed banners in support of the protester’s cause.
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