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Shane Ross
Shane Ross [Shane Michael Ross] was arrested and charged with rioting, trespassing and damage to property during an anti-Israel protest at the University of Minnesota (U of M) during Israel's war against Hamas in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel.
Shane Ross, also known as Shea Ross, has also spread hatred of Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
The protest was organized by the U of M Students for a Democratic Society (UMN SDS) supported by Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP at UMN). Both organizations advocate for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
On November 8, 2024, The Minnesota Daily reported that Ross was a first-year student at the U of M and a member of UMN SDS.
As of January 2025, Ross's LinkedIn profile, under the name "Shea Ross," said Ross was an Activity Assistant at Bloomington Public Schools and was studying elementary education and teaching at U of M since September 2024.
However, on November 22, 2024, Ross posted on TikTok that Ross had been "suspended/evicted/fired."
On December 19, 2024, Ross posted on TikTok a video captioned: "semester one checklist: 4.0 gpa 
/ stayed in my major / made enemies 
/ went to jail / got suspended / went into debt / lost my job slvtted out / blacked out / n1c addiction / PASSED MY CLASSES "
As of January 2025, Ross went by the username "shea" and used the handle: "@bey0nd_me" on TikTok.
As of January 2025, Ross was located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
On October 21, 2024, Shane Ross was arrested by the U of M police department and charged with rioting, trespassing and damage to property.
On the same day, UMN SDS posted on Instagram: "SUPPORT STUDENTS OCCUPYING MORRILL HALL...to demand that the University of Minnesota DIVEST from the genocidal Israel and all weapon companies complicit...#palestine #divest #intifada." A flyer included in the post read: "UMN COMMUNITY OCCUPPIES [sic] MORRILL HALL / RENAMES IT HALIMY HALL..."
The building takeover was organized by UMN SDS and supported by SJP at UMN, which posted on Instagram: "UMN STUDENTS OCCUPY HISTORIC MORRILL HALL FOR PALESTINE 
...UMN STUDENTS DEMAND COMPLETE DIVESTMENT FROM ISRAELI WEAPONS AND BONDS, ISRAELI UNIVERSITIES AND WEAPONS STOCK...LIBERATION IS NEAR !!"
The post included a video captioned: "UMN STUDENTS HAVE OCCUPIED MORRILL HALL !! !! !!" and showed a small group of students supporting the building takeover, led by a woman wearing a red keffiyeh and shouting into a megaphone in front of a large, green banner with white text that read: "MONEY FOR EDUCATION / NOT FOR BOMBS & OCCUPATION."
On October 21, 2024, CrimeWatchMpls posted on X: "...From the occupation of UMN campus." Included in the post were photos that showed the entrance and exit doors of Morrill Hall sealed shut with a metal bike lock and bungee cords, and blocked by furniture.
Also on October 21, 2024, a user posted on X: "Pro-Palestine protesters at the University of Minnesota have barricaded the entrances to Morrill, the administrative building." The post included a photo of students, faces hidden by keffiyehs wrapped around their heads, moving furniture down the building hallway. A second photo showed a doorway pulled shut by ropes and barricaded by furniture, which prevented staff from leaving the building, and damaged property.
On October 21, 2024, following the arrests, U of M issued a statement about the protest and arrests that said: "Once inside the building, protesters began spray painting, including covering lenses of all internal security cameras, breaking interior windows, and barricading the building’s entrance and exit points. The full extent of the damage is unknown. A number of staff were working in the building at the time, and several people were not able to exit...for an extended period of time. To ensure the safety of U of M employees in the building who were unable to exit, and in light of property damage sustained to the building, University of Minnesota Police Department [UMPD] was called to the scene...With necessary support from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, UMPD...arrested 11 people..."
On October 30, 2024, Campus Reform reported that Shane Ross was one of 11 "anti-Israel agitators" arrested on October 21, 2024 after taking over Morrill Hall at U of M on charges of "damage to property, riot, and trespassing."
Of the 11 protesters arrested, UMN SDS posted on Instagram that seven were found guilty.
On November 28, 2024, UMN SDS posted on Instagram: "U OF MN HALIMY HALL STUDENTS SUSPENDED FOR UP TO 2.5 YEARS!"
The post continued: "...the [7] students were found guilty on all charges...As punishment, the administration has decided that all 7 students must pay over $5,500 each in restitution and will be suspended starting January 1st..."
The post also stated that: "...the University "intends to withhold the transcripts of those arrested" and stated that "students have to do 20 hours of community service and write a 5-10 page essay about the 'difference between vandalism and protest.'"
On November 22, 2024, Ross posted on TikTok a 14-second video captioned: "went to hear a famous jewish [sic] professor talk about liberation for palestine and they handed me the microphone and said 'talk about the student intifada' and i certainly gave an impromptu speech about my time in jail and my experience getting suspended/evicted/fired. that's life!..." Ross tagged the video: "#freepalestine #freepalestine❤️ #intifada #lgbt #queer #trans #isawthetvglow #leftisttiktok #anarchism."
