No charges filed in Israel-Hamas war protests at Wayne State University
(CBS DETROIT) - The five people who were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Wayne State University's campus on May 30 will not be charged, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
The prosecutor's office received five warrant requests related to two separate incidents on May 30 from Wayne State police in July and reviewed body camera footage of seven officers and police reports.
Monday's decision comes roughly two weeks after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges against 11 people in connection with protests at the University of Michigan. Nine of those 11 people were charged with trespassing for not vacating an encampment that was established on the university's Diag earlier this year.
"The right to peacefully protest and demonstrate is deeply woven into the American fabric," the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. "The WCPO has thoroughly studied and examined these cases and we have determined that they do not rise of the level of criminal behavior. We will not be charging any of these criminal case requests that have been presented to us. We will also be asking that the tickets issued to some of the protesters be dismissed. 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. But that is not present in these cases."
Student protester singled out for using a bullhorn
The first incident occurred around 6:30 a.m. on May 30 on Third Avenue near Atchison Hall, which is on WSU's property and was nearby where protesters had been told they were allowed to protest.
The prosecutor's office says Wayne State police targeted a 22-year-old student protester because she had a bullhorn. An officer grabbed the student from behind, and she continued to walk for approximately five seconds as the officer held onto her bag or jacket. Several officers allegedly helped in taking her to the ground.
While this took place, a 53-year-old woman yelled, "That's my daughter." As an officer grabbed the woman's daughter, she held onto her.
A 19-year-old student protester was holding onto the 53-year-old woman as police attempted to arrest her. While she was being arrested and taken to the ground, her hijab came off.
"The 22-year-old protester was singled out because she had a bullhorn, exercising her First Amendment right to free speech, not because of an alleged trespass," the prosecutor's office said.
All three women were arrested for trespassing.
"It is difficult to determine how publicly accessible sidewalks and streets are public or private," the prosecutor's office said. "They are all in a sense publicly owned and in an urban center. A review of the facts and evidence including body worn camera (BWC) footage, supports that there is insufficient evidence to prove that the three women committed the crime of trespass."
Protester arrested after filming police with cellphone
The second incident happened around 8:15 a.m. on May 30 in the area of Merrick Street and Third Avenue.
Wayne State police allege that a 20-year-old woman cursed at them and was walking in a crowd and filming police with a cellphone. She was arrested after police alleged that she struck an officer's shield while gesturing with her arm.
The prosecutor's office says body camera footage shows the woman gesturing but does not show her strike or touch an officer's shield and that there is insufficient evidence to show that she committed a crime.
As police attempted to pull the 20-year-old woman behind a police line, a 24-year-old man tried to assist her and pulled on her. The man was pushed to the ground by an officer and stiffened his arms, refusing to be handcuffed. He was eventually arrested for resisting and obstructing a police officer.
The prosecutor's office says the man did not commit a crime in assisting the woman.
"When he was placed under arrest for helping her his only action was to stiffen his arms, there is insufficient evidence to charge him under these facts," the prosecutor's office said.
Several other protesters were ticketed but have had their tickets dismissed.