Police said no one was injured in the incident.

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A Hopkins official said some of those arrested appeared to be students.

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A Facebook group called JHU Sit-In denounced the police action and praised “our brave comrades who were arrested.”

The group said: “Over 80 cops were deployed to arrest 7 people. This is a terrible foreshadowing of what Johns Hopkins will do when granted a full armed police force.”

Tensions have been simmering for weeks at Hopkins and in surrounding communities over plans to create a separate campus police force. The Democratic-controlled state legislature approved a bill allowing the move, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed it. The launch of the Hopkins force, with up to 100 officers, will be a multiyear process.

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Campus police forces are fairly common at colleges and universities across the country. Hopkins officials said the move was needed to help meet the university’s security needs at multiple campuses in a city with significant public safety issues.

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Critics say a private force of armed officers under the control of Hopkins could harm relations between the university and Baltimore neighborhoods and produce a climate of fear and intimidation.

Protesters began a sit-in at Garland Hall on April 3, demanding a stop to plans for the Hopkins force and the cancellation of contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that provide the agency with training in emergency medical services and leadership education. The building houses the offices of Ronald J. Daniels, the university president, and core administrative units such as the financial aid and registrar’s offices.

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On May 1, the university said it was forced to evacuate its personnel from Garland as protesters chained shut the exterior doors and covered interior security cameras.