The University of Michigan is accused of using undercover private investigators from the Detroit-based security firm, City Shield, to surveil pro-Palestinian student activists on and off campus.
Some students say they’ve noticed the surveillance since as early as July 2024, nearly a year ago.
Josiah Walker, a student activist at the University of Michigan, believes he has been one of the main targets.
He recalls the moment he realized he was being followed.
“I noticed that the same vehicles and the same people were popping up wherever I was. At one point, a friend caught someone surreptitiously taking photos and videos of me, and I slowly started to put two and two together,” Walker said.
Walker says when he confronted one of the individuals and began filming them, the person pretended to have a disability.
“The tactic, or the goal behind the tactic, is to knock people off their case,” he said. “You think, ‘Okay, this person might be a surveillance operative,’ and then you interact with them and they sign, and it’s like, ‘Oh, snap.’ It psychs you out a little bit.”
Walker warns that the publicly available videos only scratch the surface of what he describes as a broader and more dangerous campaign of harassment.
He says the university has never provided a formal explanation and believes the operation was authorized at the highest levels of university leadership.
Activists say the surveillance is meant to intimidate, provoke a reaction, or fabricate grounds for disciplinary or legal action.
The University of Michigan has not denied the surveillance but says it is intended to maintain campus safety and is not based on students’ beliefs.
In a statement, the university added that it "does not condone behavior that demeans individuals or communities, including those with disabilities" and is "disturbed by the behavior displayed on the video and is taking appropriate next steps."
Advocacy groups and students say the surveillance creates fear and undermines free expression on campus.
The University of Michigan holds the broadcasting license for Michigan Public.
