The district attorney in a New York county wants to help some pro-Hamas protesters avoid jail time and will allow them to take a crime prevention course instead.
At approximately 5:00 pm on May 2, a group of pro-Hamas protesters set up a meeting point. encampment The campus of New York University Purchase in Westchester County, about 40 miles north of Columbia University, has been the site of recent pro-Hamas protests.Purchase protesters were reportedly warned at least 10 times that night that they had to leave the area once quiet time began at 10 p.m.
Members of Raise the Consciousness cheered when they heard school administrators had allegedly agreed to “all their demands.”
They refused, and Purchase College President Milagros Peña said in an email that some protesters “repeatedly” set off campus fire alarms, causing further disruption for other students and community members. insisted. So, by 10:15 that night, police had destroyed the encampment and arrested 68 people, all allegedly students and faculty.
Most of the 68 people were first-time offenders charged with trespassing, so Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Roca offered them a deal. As long as you complete a three-hour “Fresh Start” course, you can avoid a prison sentence.
Roca first developed the a new start A course to support non-violent first-time offenders will be held in 2021. The Fresh Start program consists of his three-hour group discussion on “the nature of the criminal justice system” and how group members “became involved in the criminal justice system.” Rohad report.
Roca reiterated that only first-time offender arrests are eligible for the program. Roca’s office declines to prosecute those who complete the program, effectively dismissing the charges against them, Rohad said. It is unclear whether any students or faculty have accepted the arrangement.
Many in the buying community certainly seem to believe that the civil rights of those arrested were violated on the night of May 2nd. Sabrina Thompson, a third-year student at the university and a member of the student protest group Raise the Consciousness, called the arrests “unconstitutional.” A letter sent to the school on behalf of campus faculty and staff similarly condemned the “violent and disproportionate conduct” of law enforcement.
President Peña subsequently met with representatives of the protest movement and agreed to continue dialogue on their concerns.Later members of Raise the Consciousness cheered This is after hearing that school administrators appear to have agreed to “all requests” they made.
But Peña stressed that he had not agreed to divest Purchase from Israel.
“Our progress must be built on relationships of trust,” Peña said in a statement. “We reaffirm that everyone on this campus has the right to work and learn in a safe environment free of discrimination and harassment. Our mission is to provide an equitable educational environment in accordance with our mandate, and I intend to do so.”We will continue to work with everyone in our campus community who shares this commitment. ”
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