University of Pennsylvania asks for more police resources due to protests

Eight days after a pro-Palestinian encampment was set up in the center of the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League school has written a letter to the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office asking for more police resources, a school spokesperson told CNN, Report informs.

Protest activity began to escalate overnight and has steadily continued, with large crowds in and around College Green today,” the university said. “We have reached out to the City of Philadelphia to ensure we have the necessary resources to keep our community safe.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office has requested more information from the university, which administrators are working to provide, the spokesperson said.

The university declined to provide a copy of the letter and CNN has sought comment from the mayor's office.

Philadelphia police have an agreement with University of Pennsylvania police “to ensure effective cooperation in situations requiring a police presence,” according to Philadelphia police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp.

Philadelphia police do not publicly share strategies related to ongoing situations, Gripp said.

The situation at the university since Wednesday night has been tense. The university said a pro-Palestinian rally at the encampment late Wednesday “escalated at multiple times” and resulted in “defacement of Penn property, an unauthorized drone, and threatening rhetoric and chants.”