Michigan
Campus protests against Gaza attacks continue in Michigan amid national crackdown
Amid a national crackdown on campus protests supporting Palestinians and calling for divestment from Israel that have resulted in about 2,300 arrests, a tent encampment at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor set up almost two weeks ago has remained standing with commencement ceremonies set for Saturday that may see additional demonstrations.
And Wayne State University officials on Friday defended the actions of campus police who made one arrest after removing protesters accused of disrupting a Board of Governors meeting attended by the university president.
“The camp size varies throughout the day and night from 30-100” people, University of Michigan Deputy Police Chief Melissa Overton said Friday afternoon of the encampment at the Diag in Ann Arbor. “We have not made any arrests.”
Overton did not comment on what their possible plans were for the encampment, saying that the department does not discuss strategy. Lt. Rene Gonzalez of the Michigan State Police said they have been assisting university police as they do for other events. He did not comment further on future plans for the encampment.
At universities across the country, students have set up camps and protested, calling for divestment from Israel over its actions in Gaza that have resulted in thousands of deaths. In other states, such as in California at UCLA and in New York at Columbia University, police this week have raided protest camps, resulting in numerous arrests that have brought criticism from some civil rights advocates and elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and praise from some Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson. In Michigan, the tent encampments in Ann Arbor and at Michigan State University have not resulted in police crackdowns, but police did make one arrest on April 26 at Wayne State University that drew criticism from many faculty members in a letter. Organizers of the encampment at Michigan State University voluntarily ended it April 27, reporteed student newspaper The State News.
An April 30 letter signed by more than 100 professors and other faculty members at Wayne State read: “We … unequivocally denounce the actions of university officials in perpetrating violence against the students of this university at the April 26 Board of Governors meeting. We particularly condemn President Kimberly Espy and the Board of Governors, who looked on silently as a large group of … students were assaulted and violated by campus police and security.”
The letter alleged that “plainclothes police and security, some of whom were planted in the audience, rapidly and aggressively moved against the students. The President and Board looked on without emotion as the officers they oversee forcefully cleared the room of Arab, Muslim, and Jewish students, faculty, and community supporters. Campus police, in violation of their own protocol, flagrantly laid their hands on female students who were doing nothing more than chanting. One student was inexplicably arrested, even though students never received any order to vacate or disperse.”
The letter added “the attacks embody the latest wave of racist and McCarthyite repression against students on campuses across the United States.”
A Wayne State University spokesman, Bill Roose, released a statement Friday on behalf of the university that painted a different picture and criticized the protesters.
The Wayne State statement said that “more than a dozen public comment speakers exemplified Wayne State’s values and provided robust remarks.”
But “after transitioning to the business portion of the meeting, a group of protesters inside the crowded room locked their arms and announced, via a megaphone, that they were taking control of the meeting,” Wayne State said in its Friday statement. “Their actions halted the meeting and prevented it from continuing. At the same time, additional protesters locked their arms, blocking the only two exits. For a short time, no one was able to leave the room. Recognizing a real threat to the safety of everyone there, WSUPD (Wayne State University Police Department) approached the protesters, identified themselves as police, asked the protesters to leave, and ultimately removed them from the room.”
The statement said one protester, not a student at Wayne State, was “was briefly detained, cited for disorderly conduct, and released.”
Wayne State added that while “we will continue to support the free speech of everyone in our community … we are also responsible for ensuring the safety of our campus and our ability to carry out normal operations.”
A report in the South End, the campus newspaper, said the student who was arrested attended Oakland Community College and was charged with disorderly conduct. The meeting included public comments made in favor of divestment before the clashes.
The protests at the University of Michigan echo demonstrations held about 40 years ago calling for divestment from South Africa. In March 1986, a group of Michigan students constructed a shanty at the Diag to symbolize the suffering of Black people under apartheid in South Africa, calling upon the university to divest from companies doing business in the country, the Free Press reported.
In 1983, the state of Michigan enacted a law requiring public universities and colleges to divest from South Africa and sell their investments in companies that do business in South Africa, such as General Motors. But the University of Michigan fought back against the new law, filing a lawsuit against the state saying the law restricted their constitutional autonomy. The university’s regents eventually voted in October 1988 to fully divest from South Africa. The university divested from tobacco in 2000 and disinvested from fossil fuels in 2021. In 2022, the university said it would end future investments in Russia.
In 1978, Michigan State University became one of the first universities in the U.S. to divest from South Africa.
UAW President Shawn Fain, the leader of a union headquartered in Detroit, posted a thread this week on X expressing support for pro-Palestinian protesters, writing on May 1: “The UAW will never support the mass arrest or intimidation of those exercising their right to protest, strike, or speak out against injustice. Our union has been calling for a ceasefire for six months. This war is wrong, and this response against students and academic workers, many of them UAW members, is wrong.” Fain in December compared the struggles of Palestinians to the struggles against apartheid in South Africa.
Efforts in Michigan to divest from Israel have faced stiff challenges in recent years.
In 2017, a law went into effect in Michigan that prevents public contracts with anyone who supports divestment from or boycotting Israel.
More: During Passover and NFL draft, Michigan protests were held on both sides of war in Gaza
The Tahrir Coalition, which organized the tent encampment in Ann Arbor, did not respond to messages seeking comment. Organizers with Tahrir have been asking to meet with university regents to discuss divesting from Israel. An email sent Friday afternoon to the regents was not immediately returned. In recent weeks, a popular Islamic cleric based in Texas, Omar Suleiman, addressed the encampment via video and the religious leader at the Islamic Center of Detroit, Imam Imran Salha, spoke at the encampment, reported the Michigan Daily.
For Saturday’s commencement, the university announced on its website certain restrictions that include a “prohibition of banners, flags and anything that obstructs sightlines.” The university said that while it respects free speech and recognizes the history of protests at commencement, “if protests significantly impede the program, leadership will take steps to de-escalate and address the interruption.”
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo.
Michigan
Sherrone Moore’s former assistant sues University of Michigan over alleged FOIA violations
A former University of Michigan assistant whose relationship with ex-coach Sherrone Moore was under investigation is accusing university officials of refusing to provide records related to the probe.
Paige Shiver filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Washtenaw Circuit Court, claiming that U of M “arbitrarily and capriciously” violated the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by repeatedly denying her requests. Shiver and her legal team are seeking a court order requiring the university to disclose the records.
The lawsuit also alleges that throughout Shiver’s four-year employment with U of M, she was “discriminated against and subjected to a hostile work environment on the basis of her sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Michigan law including Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act.”
“The lawsuit filed today demands transparency and accountability from the University of Michigan, President Grasso and the Board of Regents,” said Shiver’s attorney, Andrew M. Stroth.
On Wednesday, CBS News Detroit reached out to U of M, which says it has no comment.
The investigation led to Moore’s firing in December 2025. At the time, it was determined that he was in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, who was later identified as Shiver.
Moore was arrested hours later after authorities said he went to Shiver’s home and threatened to harm himself. He was charged with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering. Moore was sentenced to 18 months’ probation after pleading no contest to the two misdemeanor charges.
According to the lawsuit, Shiver filed a FOIA request in February 2026 for audio, video and transcripts of interviews of herself, her father, Jeff Shiver, and Moore. The lawsuit alleges that the university denied her request, citing the ongoing investigation.
The lawsuit alleges that Shiver submitted a similar request months later, in June, but was told by the university that it was “overly broad and vague” and “does not describe a ‘public record sufficiently to enable the public body to find the public record.’”
The lawsuit claims that requests were submitted in March and May, respectively, for all emails sent to the law firm Jenner & Block (UMconcerns@jenner.com) and for recordings of Shiver’s meetings by the university through Jenner & Block. However, those requests were denied because the university cited that it had no responsive records, according to the lawsuit.
The law firm was hired by U of M to investigate Moore and Shiver’s relationship. The university later expanded the investigation to include the athletic department.
The lawsuit also claims that Shiver requested copies of emails between Moore and athletic director Warde Manuel that contained the words “affair,” “discipline,” “pregnancy,” “baby” and “abortion.” The university denied the request, citing the communication between U of M employees as “exempt information,” according to the lawsuit.
However, Shiver’s legal team argued that the university has not shown evidence that the emails are exempt.
“This public university paid Jenner & Block $12 million to investigate the Sherrone Moore scandal and the abuse, Title IX and Title VII violations within the athletic department and Schembechler Hall, yet now refuses to release the investigation’s findings. It was important for our client to file this initial FOIA lawsuit to ensure the truth and facts come out,” Stroth said.
Shiver appeared on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in April to discuss her relationship with Moore. In the interview, she said she became pregnant by Moore and sought an abortion after medical complications were discovered about the pregnancy.
Note: The video above previously aired on April 14, 2026.
Michigan
‘Big Brother’ season 28 to premiere this week. One guest from Michigan
Meet the 3 New Jersey contestants on ‘Big Brother’ 28
Three New Jersey contestants are joining ‘Big Brother’ Season 28. Meet the Maplewood, Washington Township and Monroe Township houseguests.
Doors will to the “Big Brother” house will open soon, as season 28 premieres this week — and the cast list includes one guest from northern Michigan.
At 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, “Big Brother” season 28 will premiere on CBS to introduce the new guests in a 90-minute episode.
“This season’s cast includes an MMA fighter, rocket scientist, game show host, daughter of an ’80s pop star, and a DRAG RACE All Star, among others,” CBS said in a July 7 announcement. “This new group of Houseguests is stepping into a summer where nothing is as it seems, where every twist rewrites the rules, and where time becomes the ultimate twist.”
There is one Michigan guest, Rome Seymour, 28, who works as a professional pickleball coach from Traverse City.
“I would describe myself as bashful, extroverted and extremely excitable. To be on ‘Big Brother’ is a dream. I’ve never felt anything as exiting as this before,” Seymour said in the “Big Brother” July 7 live cast announcement video.
Seymour said he will use his inner nerdiness to befriend and protect guests who are perhaps similar.
“I see myself as hero, but I think a lot of people in the house are going to see me as a villain just because I’m so competitive that I want to win,” Seymour said.
After the 14 guests were revealed by CBS, the cast was said to be joined by long-time “Survivor” contestant Rick Devens, according to a July 7 Entertainment Weekly article.
Here’s more on the cast and how to tune in this week:
What is ‘Big Brother’ about? What is the theme for season 28?
“Big Brother,” is a reality TV show that follows a group of people living in a large house surrounded by 112 cameras and 113 microphones as an unfiltered 24-hour live feed to capture every interaction, strategic move and challenge.
A guest will be voted off each week, and the last remaining guest will win the grand prize of $750,000, according to CBS.
The theme for season 28 is called, “Time Trip,” according to Sneak Peak from Paramount+.
Is anyone from Michigan on ‘Big Brother’ season 28?
Yes. There is one guest from Michigan on season 28 of “Big Brother:” Rome Seymour, 28, is a professional pickleball coach from Traverse City, located in the northwest Lower Peninsula.
Full ‘Big Brother’ season 28 cast list
Here is the full guest list for “Big Brother” season 28:
- Rick Devens, 42: TV journalist and long-time “Survivor” contestant from Blacksburg, Virginia.
- Jason De Puy, 35: Drag Queen and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum from San Francisco, California.
- Ashley Trail, 24: Bartender from Alton, Illinois.
- Barrett Pfeiffer, 27: Jumbotron Engineer from Benton, Arkansas.
- Chuk Anyanwu, 27: Supply Chain Analyst from Dallas, Texas.
- Drew Campbell, 22: Surgical Dental Assistant from Temecula, California.
- Haley Thogmartin, 29: Telemedicine Executive from Neosho, Missouri.
- Rome Seymour, 28: Pickleball Coach from Traverse City, Michigan.
- Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk, 32: MMA Fighter from Phoenix, Arizona.
- LaTrice Verrett, 57: Boutique Salesperson from Kankakee, Illinois.
- Lyric Medeiros, 25: Attorney from Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Mallory Aurichio, 24: Rocket Scientist from Township of Washington, New Jersey.
- Melody Morris, 24: Corporate Game Show Host from Thornton, Colorado.
- Taylor Brown, 27: Elementary School Counselor from Deerfield Beach, Florida.
- Yash Patel, 24: Financial Analyst from Monroe Township, New Jersey.
What time does ‘Big Brother’ season 28 premiere?
The 90-minute “Big Brother” season 28 premiere is set to air at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 9.
“Big Brother: Unlocked,” will air at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, July 10, and a 90-minute episode will air at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 12.
Where can I stream the ‘Big Brother’ premiere this week?
“Big Brother” Season 28 will air on CBS and will be available on Paramount+ Premium, priced at $13.99 per month.
Paramount+ Essential subscribers will be able to catch the episode the day after it airs.
Following the season premiere this week, the series will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, followed by hour-long shows on Thursdays, featuring live evictions, and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
USA TODAY contributed.
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
Michigan
Michigan Supreme Court rules rape admission invalid due to LSD use
A man who took a large quantity of LSD before allegedly sexually assaulting his friend was too dazed to legally confess to the incident when deputies questioned him about it hours later, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
In a 6-1 decision in which the dissenting justice agreed that the case should be retried, the high court sent the case against Zebadiah J. Soriano, 24, back to the trial.
Soriano’s attorney argued that not only was his client high on the hallucinogenic drug when he admitted to being a rapist after being read his Miranda rights, he also was sleep-deprived, hungry and unfamiliar with law enforcement procedures.
“Voluntary intoxication does not make a Miranda waiver per se invalid,” Justice Kimberly Thomas wrote in the opinion. ” … However, the circumstances here undermined Soriano’s ability to make a knowing and intelligent waiver.”
Defense attorney Ali Nathaniel Wright called the decision “a victory for Michiganders and our right to be protected from self-incrimination.”
“The decision serves as a reminder to our lower courts and law enforcement that confessions elicited from hospitalized teenagers who cannot fully appreciate their rights because they are intoxicated and sleep deprived have no place in a court of law,” Wright said in a statement.
‘I am a rapist’
Soriano was 18 years old on the night of Nov. 20, 2020, when he used LSD with a platonic friend, identified in court documents as “AC,” at her home in Grand Traverse County. Records show that Soriano had made romantic advances toward AC in the past, which she had rebuffed.
AC allegedly took one acid tablet while Soriano has claimed that he took six.
AC later told investigators that, a short time later, Soriano disrobed, forced himself on top of her and groped her, according to court documents. When she got away from him, Soriano allegedly caught her and put his arms around her throat. The alleged victim again was able to escape from Soriano, who eventually fell down a flight of stairs and ran out of the house.
Police were called to the scene and found Soriano around two hours after the alleged assault, in a wooded area about a quarter-mile from AC’s home, court documents show. He was acting strangely and making nonsensical statements, so officers transported him to a hospital, where they read him his Miranda rights before he made the incriminating statement that lies at the heart of the case:
“I am a rapist. I am f***ed,” he allegedly told a Grand Traverse sheriff’s deputy.
Convicted of criminal sexual conduct
Soriano was charged in Grand Traverse Circuit Court with assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct involving penetration, as well as assault by strangulation, records show.
Before his trial, Soriano filed a motion seeking to suppress the damning statement he made at the hospital, arguing that because he was high on LSD, he was unable to legally waive his constitutional right to remain silent.
The court denied the motion and, in September 2021, a jury convicted Soriano on the criminal sexual conduct charge while acquitting him of assault by strangulation. He was sentenced to three years of probation, six months in jail and ordered to register as a sex offender for life, according to court records.
The suspect later filed a motion seeking a new trial, arguing that his defense failed to support his motion to suppress with expert testimony, records show.
The trial court denied the motion and, in May 2024, an appeals court affirmed Soriano’s conviction in a 2-1 decision, opining that any alleged errors were harmless and unsupported.
“AC’s testimony, particularly when corroborated by other witness testimony, makes it is clear beyond a reasonable doubt that a rational jury would have found defendant guilty absent any potential error in the admission of his statements made while in the hospital,” the Appeals Court judges wrote.
In September 2025, Soriano appealed the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court. Wright wrote in a brief that two hours after Soriano had been interrogated, a deputy told his parents that he was “too out of it” to speak to them.
“If Zebadiah was not sober enough to hold a basic conversation with his parents two hours after his interrogation, then he was not sober enough to knowingly and intelligently waive his constitutional rights or give a voluntary confession,” Wright wrote. “The State should not be permitted to reap the benefits of (the deputy’s) exploitation of a vulnerable teenager.”
Too high to confess?
In a decision filed Tuesday, the Michigan Supreme sided with the defense.
Thomas, writing for the 6-1 majority in a 24-page opinion, said Soriano did not fully understand the rights he was giving up when he told law enforcement that he was a rapist.
“The short period of time between defendant’s erratic behaviors and being advised of his Miranda rights supports the conclusion that defendant was not able to understand his rights at the time of waiver,” Thomas wrote.
The high court also rejected the Court of Appeals’ conclusion that other evidence made the error harmless, determining that Soriano’s hospital statement was an important part of the prosecution’s effort to prove his intent.
“Given the other evidence concerning defendant’s intent, the average jury would have found the prosecution’s case significantly less persuasive without the erroneously admitted statement,” Thomas wrote.
The dissenting justice, Richard Bernstein, disagreed with his colleagues about the legal reason Soriano’s waiver was invalid, but agreed a new trial was warranted.
The ruling reverses the Appeals Court decision, vacates Soriano’s conviction and sends the case back to the trial court for further proceedings.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
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