Chicago police have taken a person of interest into custody concerning the November 6 incident where two Jewish DePaul University students were attacked, reports CBS News Chicago. The students, Max Long and Michael Kaminsky, were demonstrating support for Israel on the Lincoln Park campus when they were assaulted by individuals who made antisemitic remarks. The episode has been classified as a hate crime by the Chicago Police Department.
During the time of the attack, Long was engaged in a discussion on Israeli and Palestinian relations, when the masked assailants began beating him, leading to a concussion and Kaminsky in his attempt to aid Long also sustained an injury that required surgical intervention, to his wrist and despite a public safety officer allegedly being located only 10 feet away at the time no immediate action was taken to prevent or halt the attack, as documented in the lawsuit filed by the two students against the university, pointing to what they perceive as a failure by DePaul to ensure their safety.
Back in November, an investigation by ABC7 Chicago's I-Team revealed that Long and Kaminsky had been advocating for peaceful dialogue about the war in Gaza at the time of the attack. Their subsequent lawsuit accuses DePaul of not only falling short in protecting Jewish and/or Israeli students but also cites DePaul's continued lack of genuine effort to ensure their students’ safety, post-assault, according to Jaclyn Clark, an attorney with The Lawfare Project, who told ABC7, "Violent rhetoric against Jews led to violent action, and that's what happened on Nov. 6, when Max and Michael were ambushed, and DePaul has done nothing since that attack to make any genuine efforts to ensure the safety of their Jewish students moving forward."
Despite the legal proceedings underway, DePaul University has opted not to comment publicly on the ongoing litigation, continuing instead to work with Chicago police to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.
