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Four UMass students sent to diversion program as hearings begin for encampment arrests
The resolution comes after 130 students, faculty and community members were arrested in May while protesting Israel’s war against Hamas.
Four UMass students’ charges will be dismissed following the completion of a four-month diversion program, according to Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan’s Office.
The four were among the 130 students, faculty, and community members arrested at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May while protesting Israel’s war against Hamas.
Another 16 defendants scheduled for a pretrial conference on Monday requested more time to consult with their attorneys, and their cases were continued to Sept. 16.
The cases are going before Eastern Hampshire District Court Judge Bruce S. Melikian. He will hear cases in batches of around 20 defendants daily this week and next. Most charges were trespassing, rioters, failing to disperse, and resisting arrest. Not all defendants face all three charges.
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Prosecutors reviewed hundreds of hours of police bodycam footage and have offered defendants dispositional arrangements based on their behavior at the time of arrest, said Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan in a statement.
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“Our office sees no reason to be punitive to defendants who were peacefully protesting, engaging with democracy, and exercising their right to speak freely,” Sullivan said. “We believe the offer of a diversion opportunity is just and fair, in keeping with the circumstances of each case.”
District Court Chief Michael Russo is working with other Northwestern assistant district attorneys to handle the plea negotiations.
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The arrests at UMass happened amidst pro-Palestinian protests emerging on college campuses around the country, including several at prominent Boston-area universities. Police also made arrests at Emerson College, Northeastern University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
On May 7, the chancellor of the university sent in campus police to remove a Gaza solidarity encampment that students reestablished after negotiations with the university broke down. Demonstrators had voluntarily removed tents on the university’s lawn a week before.
The next day, some students described violent tactics used by police in riot gear. The student government also voted in favor of a motion of no confidence in UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes.
Following the protests and arrests, Colson Whitehead, the Pultizer-Prize-winning author, backed out of delivering the keynote speech at the undergraduate commencement ceremony. Commencement continued without a speaker.
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