50 protesters at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) who showed support for Palestine are facing misdemeanor charges for refusing to disperse during an unauthorized gathering on May 15. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the first group of 10 individuals who were charged in September appeared in court on October 16 in Santa Ana.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer emphasized that while peaceful assembly is a constitutional right deserving of encouragement, criminal activities beyond peaceful assembly are not tolerable. The Special Prosecutions unit of the Orange County DA’s office spent months reviewing evidence to determine if the protesters engaged in unlawful behavior after UCI campus police issued a lawful dispersal order.
Even after campus police deemed the protest as an unlawful assembly, there were still hundreds of protesters present. The Orange County DA’s office has filed criminal charges against 49 individuals who refused to disperse and one person who engaged in damaging behavior and resisted arrest. The 50 defendants, including 2 UCI professors, 1 teaching assistant, 26 UCI students, and 21 non-UCI individuals, have all received notices for arraignment and will undergo hearings at the Santa Ana Central Justice Center between October 16 and December 11.
The “Council on American-Islamic Relations” in the Los Angeles area condemned the charges against the protesters, accusing the prosecutors of engaging in efforts to intimidate, harass, and suppress pro-Palestinian activities on campus. Civil rights lawyer Dina Chehata stated during a hearing, “We believe these charges are politically motivated.”
In a statement released in September, UCI expressed its longstanding support for free speech and peaceful protests, but stressed that all members of the university community must adhere to applicable laws, policies, and behavioral guidelines while participating in protest activities.
Against the backdrop of pro-Palestinian protests on numerous university campuses across the United States, from April 29 to May 15, the protest group at UCI set up a camp on campus grounds between the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall, John V. Croul Hall, Rowland Hall, and Frederick Reines Hall, surrounded by fencing and large wooden pallets, with nearly 20 tents and supplies stationed.
On the afternoon of May 15, pro-Palestinian protesters forcibly occupied the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall. The university administration promptly sought assistance from the Orange County police and issued warning text messages to students urging them to stay away from the area for their safety. As the protest escalated, students received multiple warning messages.
Starting in the late afternoon and lasting until past 8 p.m. when darkness fell, law enforcement gradually dispersed the occupiers, with the final group of over one hundred protesters being removed. During this operation, at least twenty protesters were arrested.
According to the “New Santa Ana” news blog, among the 10 defendants arraigned on October 16, 2 were aged 20 and 24, while the remaining 8 ranged from ages 27 to 51, including Irvine residents Michael Chang (29) and Tiffany Willoughby Herard (50), and Jonathan Brook Haley (51) from Oceanside in San Diego County.
The second group of 10 defendants are all young adults aged 19 to 25, scheduled to appear in court on November 13, including Irvine residents Manda Zhu (20) and Savannah Plaskon (24), as well as Salma Nasoorden (25) from Anaheim, all facing charges for refusing to disperse.
On November 20, the third group of 10 individuals, including 5 aged 19 to 25, and others such as Johansen Pico (28) from Irvine, Gloryann Mendoza (36) from Downey, and Lubna Hammad (49) from Aliso Viejo, will have their court date.
The fourth group of 10 individuals will appear in court on December 5, with 4 aged 19 to 25 and 6 aged 26 to 36, including Irvine resident Shanice Hyler (26), Faran Kharal (32) from Cucamonga Ranch, and Mark Gradoni (36) from Costa Mesa, facing charges of resisting arrest and property damage misdemeanors.
The fifth group of 10 individuals will have their court date on December 11, with 4 aged 19 to 25 and 6 aged 26 to 37, including Irvine resident Omar Zegar (36), Hani Habbas (37) from San Juan Capistrano, and Caroline Mooney (27) from Long Beach, facing charges of resisting arrest and refusal to disperse.
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