Despite the University of Texas' claims, Travis County Attorney Delia Garza says her office hasn't seen a single charge related to weapons or assaults related to pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the UT Austin campus.that pro-Palestinian groups with ties to"escalating protests" across the country brought weapons and assaulted people during rallies on campus last week and this week which have led to nearly 140 arrests for misdemeanors.
Garza prosecutes misdemeanors and she said she's been in contact with the university. Shortly before the university's statement Tuesday, she called on UT Austin to reexamine its current policy of arresting protesters for criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor similar to loitering — is"on the UT Austin campus. However, if they're committing a crime, like criminal trespassing, they could be arrested for unlawful carrying of a weapon, a misdemeanor.
The university has taken a hard line against pro-Palestinian demonstrations. President Jay Hartzell, with the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott, called in DPS troopers on April 24 to quell demonstrations on the South Lawn. Ultimately, 57 arrests were made. All the charges were dismissed by Garza's office. “There’s just a lot that goes into processing every single one of those cases and rightfully so — there needs to be a good, strict process when you’re taking people’s liberty away — it slows down everything … when you have so many at the same time.”told KUT on Wednesday they had consented to searches Monday ahead of demonstrations — and that the university's insistence that they have carried weapons is"not happening.
Education Education Latest News, Education Education Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: WGAL - 🏆 331. / 59 Read more »