Arraignment Postponed For UC Davis 'Bankers Dozen'
WOODLAND (CBS13) - The UC Davis group know as the "Bankers Dozen" appeared in Yolo Superior Court on Friday to face charges related to demonstrations at an on-campus U.S. Bank earlier this year.
Crowds of UC Davis students and others packed in to a small Yolo County courthouse to support the 11 students and one professor as they faced a judge.
"They should rethink this entirely," supporter Scott Ragsdale said
"This is once again the DA's office here doing the bidding of the university by filing ridiculous charges," said Stewart Katz, an attorney for one of the defendants.
The defendants are facing multiple misdemeanor charges for not allowing others free access to the bank during their protest. US Bank later would shut the branch down.
"The failure of that relationship between UC Davis and US Bank has nothing to do with these students," Ragsdale said.
Supporters insistent the charges are retribution by UC Davis for the bank's closure and the loss of money provided to the school. The dozen were not ever arrested during the sit-ins, but rather charged more than a month later - something the Yolo deputy district attorney says is only coincidence.
"The police still had an ongoing investigation to evaluate all the individuals involved, all of their conduct and they presented it to me and then it took me a while," Michael Cabral said.
But Katz said otherwise. "They have an apparently extensive financial relationship with the bank that they want to protect," he said.
In the end none of those charged would enters pleas Friday, or speak with the media directly. They'll be back in court on May 10, and all the while the prosecutor is promising there are no ulterior motives.
"You're not permitted to block while you protest," Cabral said.
According to the DA's office they will offer the defendants one-year probation and 80 hours community service, but since the arraignment didn't happen Friday, it's unclear if they'll take the deal.
