Steve Neavling
Wayne State University police arrested several pro-Palestinian activists on Thursday morning.
Pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested after setting up an encampment at Wayne State University will not face criminal charges, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Monday, saying the activists were exercising their First Amendment rights.
“The right to peacefully protest and demonstrate is deeply woven into the American fabric,” Worthy said in a statement. “The WCPO has thoroughly studied and examined these cases and we have determined that they do not rise to the level of criminal behavior. We will also be asking that the tickets issued to some of the protesters be dismissed.”
The students were arrested on May 30, the same morning that police tore down the pro-Palestinian encampment.
Police requested charges against five people who were arrested during the protest, which was organized by the group Students for Justice on Palestine. Worthy said her office reviewed body-worn camera footage from seven officers and determined there was not enough evidence to support criminal charges.
But that doesn’t mean the students are off the hook. On Sept. 12, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 11 people involved in a similar encampment at the University of Michigan after the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office declined to file charges.
The WSU protest escalated when university cops tore down an encampment and then confronted protesters who were on a public sidewalk.
At 6:30 a.m., a 22-year-old student was singled out by officers for using a bullhorn as she marched with the crowd. According to the prosecutor’s review, an officer grabbed her from behind, holding onto her bag and jacket, before other officers assisted in taking her to the ground. The student was arrested and charged with trespassing, even though the protest was taking place in an area near the College of Engineering, where protesters had been advised they were allowed to demonstrate.
While officers were arresting the student, a 53-year-old woman, identified as her mother, tried to intervene, exclaiming, “That’s my daughter!” She was also arrested and charged with trespassing.
In a related incident, a 19-year-old student, who attempted to hold on to the 53-year-old woman, was arrested, and her hijab was dislodged during the arrest. She was also charged with trespassing.
“There is insufficient evidence to prove that the three women committed the crime of trespass,” the prosecutor’s office said.
In a separate incident at 8:15 a.m. on Merrick Street, WSU cops alleged that a 20-year-old woman was cursing at officers while filming them with her phone. It was further claimed that she struck an officer’s shield while gesturing with her arm, which led to her arrest for assault. However, the review of the footage showed that while she was gesturing, she did not make contact with the shield. Prosecutors concluded that no crime had occurred and declined to charge the woman.
During her arrest, a 24-year-old male protester intervened, attempting to pull her away from police. He was pushed to the ground by officers, and when he stiffened his arms to resist handcuffing, he was arrested for resisting and obstructing an officer. However, the review found that his actions did not rise to the level of a criminal offense, as he was aiding a woman who had not committed a crime.
Other protesters were issued tickets during the protest, but the prosecutor’s office announced that those citations will also be dismissed.
In a statement, Worthy emphasized the importance of the right to peaceful protest, but reiterated that violence or non-peaceful behavior will not be tolerated.
“I want to make it exceedingly clear that this office will not ever tolerate protesters that engage in behavior that is not peaceful or turns violent in any way,” Worthy said. “But that is not present in these cases.”
