Lots of march to USF a day after tear gasoline, arrests

A day after 10 individuals had been arrested throughout a pro-Palestinian protest on the University of South Florida, organizers had been holding one other protest right now.

The protest began off campus about 5:30 p.m. on the nook of North 56th Street and East Fowler Avenue in Temple Terrace. By about 7 p.m., a crowd of 250-300 individuals had been marching towards the USF campus, the place protests ended Tuesday night when regulation enforcement used tear gasoline to disperse about 100 individuals who had gathered.

By 8 p.m., the group had reached MLK Plaza — the identical place the place the day before today’s occasions unfolded. Dozens of regulation enforcement officers watched from a distance because the group chanted and made room for individuals to wish.

You can meet up with all that occurred Tuesday at USF, and different Florida universities, right here.

Meanwhile, right here’s what’s occurring right now.

8:34 p.m.

The crowd is now marching out of USF again to their start line, chanting “disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest.”

— Justin Garcia, Times workers

8:28 p.m.

The crowd is about to march again.

“This is public. We have the right and power,” stated Lama Alhasan. “We will be coming back here on Friday because this is the people’s plaza.”

— Justin Garcia and Lesley Cosme Torres, Times workers

8:19 p.m.

Protesters shouted, “Free, free Palestine!” one final time, after which the group chatted amongst themselves as some protesters left the scene.

Another protester began speaking into the megaphone once more. They stated they weren’t afraid of intimidation from regulation enforcement and that protesters should be united and proceed the struggle.

Then, extra chanting. “Disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest.”

— Justin Garcia, Times workers

8:08 p.m.

Around 200 protesters returned to the spot the place police launched tear gasoline at protesters the day earlier than.

As the solar set, the group chanted, “The more you try to silence us, the louder we will be.”

Protest marshals sporting yellow vests confronted away from the group, maintaining a tally of the handfuls of regulation enforcement officers watching the group.

Protesters made room for individuals to wish and shaped a circle across the spiritual ceremony.

— Justin Garcia, Times workers

8 p.m.

The group has now entered MLK Plaza. It has thinned out a bit bit, however most protesters have stayed.

Dozens of cops are observing from over 100 ft away.

Chants can heard within the plaza: “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”

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— Justin Garcia, Lesley Cosme Torres and Sam Ogozalek, Times workers

7:41 p.m.

As protesters approached the primary entrance to USF, police shut down the intersection of Leroy Collins and Fowler so the group might cross the road.

The group is passing the USF library close to the MLK Plaza, the place protests had been held Monday and Tuesday.

— Lesley Cosme Torres and Justin Garcia, Times workers

7:36 p.m.

The crowd has grown to about 250-300 individuals. Marching west on East Fowler Avenue, they chanted, “Free Free, Palestine. Free, free, Gaza.”

As the solar lowered, the protesters approached the primary entrance to USF. Organizers aren’t sharing their plans with the media. They chanted as a number of protesters walked into the turning lane on Fowler Avenue eastbound.

— Justin Garcia and Lesley Cosme Torres, Times workers

7:10 p.m.

The crowd has grown to no less than 200 individuals. They are approaching the USF campus. Organizers haven’t stated the place they’re going, however they advised protesters to “prepare for a long walk” and drink water.

As they march, protesters are chanting, “Biden, Biden, you’re a liar. We demand a cease-fire.”

— Lesley Cosme Torres and Justin Garcia, Times workers

6:56 p.m.

The crowd is marching west on East Fowler Avenue. Police briefly stopped the protesters to inform them to remain on the sidewalk. State troopers may very well be seen taking photographs and movies of the group.

The crowd was chanting: “What do we want?” “Justice.” “When do we want it?” “Now.”

— Sam Ogazlek, Lesley Cosme Torres and Justin Garcia, Times workers

6:52 p.m.

Jake Geffon, one other protester who was arrested Tuesday, addressed the group.

“God is with us, every moment of our struggle,” he shouted right into a microphone. “All of our ancestors are cheering us on. This is a community of love and liberation.”

Geffon stated that when he was in jail in a room full of individuals, others expressed their assist for a free Palestine. “Everyone is on our side,” he stated.

The crowd is getting ready to march. They haven’t stated the place they’re going.

— Justin Garcia, Times workers

6:40 p.m.

Cameron Pressey was one of many 10 protesters arrested at USF on Tuesday.

“I was there for five minutes, recording. While I was doing nothing but recording, holding people accountable, they (police officers) tackled me to the ground,” he stated. “We’re not here just to make a lot of noise, we’re here for the people of Palestine. To stand against genocide.”

— Lesley Cosme Torres, Times workers

6:30 p.m.

The crowd is rising to a few hundred individuals.

“The atrocities that are being committed in Gaza right now can only happen with the funding coming from the United States,” Lama Alhasan, with the Tampa Bay Dream Defenders, stated to the group. “These are our tax dollars that are paid for this.”

Alhasan stated everybody has a job and accountability “to stop this genocide.”

“USF might say it’s complicated and say the students don’t understand. We know these are lies. We know it’s very easy to divest but USF refuses to.”

— Justin Garcia and Lesley Cosme Torres, Times workers

6:08 p.m.

The crowd has grown to about 100 individuals. It is unclear what number of of them are college students.

Ali Abdel-Qader, with the Party for Socialism and Liberation Tampa Bay, acknowledged the arrests of protesters at demonstrations and encampments throughout the nation.

“The reason why the administration, the politicians and the police are working together is because they are afraid of being held accountable for their complicity in genocide,” he stated.

Abdel-Qader, a Palestinian, stated that a number of college students suffered accidents from the usage of tear gasoline and aggressive arrests at Tuesday’s demonstration. He stated USF’s administration and regulation enforcement are cracking down aggressively on pupil actions to “break them up.”

— Justin Garcia and Sam Ogozalek, Times workers

5:55 p.m.

Victoria Hinckley, a senior at USF who spoke on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society, stated throughout a information convention earlier than the demonstration that she would not be capable to graduate this 12 months after she helped set up a protest this week. She’s been trespassed from the campus, she stated.

Hinckley stated that the protesters had been peaceable Tuesday till riot police launched tear gasoline on the crowd. She accused the USF administration of mendacity concerning the protesters being violent main as much as the arrests.

— Justin Garcia, Times workers

5:40 p.m.

About 30 protesters have gathered on the nook of North 56th Street and East Fowler Avenue in Temple Terrace. Protesters are chanting, “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide. You’re supporting genocide.” They’re additionally chanting “USF, shame on you, student voices matter, too.”

So far, few cops are on the scene. A Tampa Bay Times reporter noticed a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office squad automotive, a Temple Terrace police automotive and a Tampa police automotive. All had been throughout the road.

Hassan Shibly, founder and lead legal professional of Muslim Legal, stated his Tampa regulation agency is able to carry authorized motion in opposition to schools or regulation enforcement for any extreme use of power or First Amendment violations.

“Everything’s on the table,” he stated. “We’re exploring all options.”

Organizers of the protest are about to carry a information convention to kick off the demonstrations.

— Justin Garcia and Sam Ogozalek, Times workers

4:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, Florida State University police arrested 5 protesters on misdemeanor trespassing fees. The arrests had been peaceable and occurred minutes after protesters erected tents on the campus.

One of the individuals arrested was Elijah Ruby, who stated he was a senior weeks away from commencement. While he was sitting in a Leon County jail cell, a college police officer got here as much as him and handed him a bit of paper informing him he was being “indefinitely trespassed” from the varsity, Ruby stated throughout an off-campus information convention right now.

Ruby stated he couldn’t attend his ultimate examination for his French class right now.

“I can’t attend my own graduation. If I had to take an extra class, I couldn’t go to that class in person,” he advised reporters. “Just for setting up a tent.”

A college spokesperson didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Ruby’s arrest report states that interim college police Chief Justin Maloy requested Ruby to take down the tent or be issued a trespassing warning, and he refused. The report cites the college’s coverage on “camping,” which states that tents or different non permanent constructions are prohibited “except when used in connection with activities of academic or administrative units of the University.” The coverage defines tenting as utilizing a tent “with the intent to stay overnight.”

Ruby stated that he had not placed stakes within the floor, had not entered the tent and solely erected it “in solidarity with the protesters that were getting brutalized at the University of South Florida and University of Florida.”

He stated he’s since sought clarification from the college concerning the phrases of his “indefinite trespassing,” however has not acquired a response. The college, he stated, owns empty tons all through Tallahassee.

“I want to abide by this order,” Ruby stated. “But what they’ve presented me with is a situation where I can just be walking past, step on the wrong section of sidewalk, and legally speaking they can come and arrest me for trespassing.

“They’ve not provided any clear details on what boundaries of the campus are.”

— Lawrence Mower, Times workers

1 p.m.

Howard Simon, the interim govt director of the ACLU of Florida, launched this assertion on Wednesday:

“The right to protest is a central pillar of the First Amendment – a value that has shaped this country since its founding, and one that we will always defend. The right to peacefully protest is a freedom guaranteed by our Constitution.

“The Supreme Court has forcefully rejected the premise that, ‘because of the acknowledged need for order, First Amendment protections should apply with less force on college campuses than in the community at large.’ Students have the right to advocate for the movements and causes they believe in.

“The First Amendment applies to public universities and colleges, and, thus – while targeted harassment rooted in antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, or other bigotry may be proscribed – university officials must respect free speech and the right to peacefully protest.

“Cracking down on peaceful protestors is likely to escalate – not calm – the tensions on campus, as events of the past week have made abundantly clear. Threatening students with expulsion from their university or deportation from the country does not align with the obligations of public officials to respect First Amendment rights regardless of the point of view that is being expressed.

“University leaders must resist the pressure from politicians seeking to exploit campus tensions to advance their own notoriety or partisan agendas. Universities need to stand up to such intimidation and defend the principles of academic freedom which is essential to their integrity and mission.

“Universities are meant to be havens for robust debate, discussion, and learning — not sites of censorship where administrators and politicians squash political discourse they don’t approve of with threats, arrests, rubber bullets, and tear gas.”

10 a.m.

Three protesters had been additionally arrested at USF on Monday. Simon Rowe, 23, was the primary of them taken into custody.

At about 1 p.m., he began to pitch a tent when an officer walked over and stood on prime of it. Rowe continued establishing the tent whereas the deputy waved for backup, based on video that captured the incident.

Another video reveals an officer forcing Rowe’s palms behind his again earlier than three deputies escorted him away. A crowd of protesters adopted, chanting “Shame on you” at regulation enforcement.

Rowe, who’s charged with trespassing, stated your complete incident felt prefer it solely lasted a few minutes.

“I didn’t put up any resistance,” stated Rowe, who’s now a package deal handler for UPS. “That’s literally like what a police officer said — that I put up little resistance.”

Tents are allowed underneath sure circumstances on campus, however college officers warned college students in a written discover Monday that they’d not acquired the required permission upfront.

“I do not believe that the rules are valid. I don’t believe they follow the law of free speech on college campuses,” Rowe stated. “It’s a violation of our rights the way they treated us that day: myself and the other protesters.”

He added the college’s guidelines are enforced unequally.

“Whenever there’s someone right-wing on campus bothering students it’s always ‘free speech, free speech,’” he stated. “But whenever there’s someone pro-Palestinian, the same courtesy is not regarded to us.”

Rowe stated he wasn’t a part of the protest from the beginning, however joined later. It meant he by no means noticed the discover given earlier that day.

“I was hanging around MLK Plaza, and joined once they (protesters) had reached MLK Plaza,” he stated. “So I had never gotten that initial warning of arrest.”

Rowe was launched from Orient Road Jail about 9 p.m. Monday to discover a group of protesters gathered exterior the building. He chatted with them earlier than heading home.

Rowe, who graduated from USF in 2021, stated he’s barred from the college campus for a 12 months, per circumstances of the trespassing cost. While it limits his involvement in ongoing protests, he plans to stay close to the jail this week to assist bail out others, together with fellow Tampa members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Rowe stated he was disenchanted in his alma mater and different state college leaders.

”The rhetoric about that anti-Palestinian racism we’re seeing from boards of trustees and calling individuals — a complete group of individuals — terrorists is frankly disgusting,” he stated.

— Jack Prator, Times workers

9 a.m.

The Bay Area Dream Defenders and Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society introduced this morning that one other protest is deliberate for five:30 p.m., although will probably be off-campus on the nook of 56th and Fowler Avenue.

— Divya Kumar, Times Staff

10:45 p.m. Tuesday

USF President Rhea Law and Will Weatherford, the chairperson of the USF board of trustees, issued a letter late Tuesday evening.

Here is its full textual content:

Dear USF neighborhood,

The security and well-being of our college students, school, workers, and all members of the college neighborhood is our highest precedence.

We worth free speech and defending the constitutional proper for people and teams on campus to collect and specific themselves. This contains protests and demonstrations that we’ve got skilled many instances on our campuses with out incident. Free expression is an anticipated and vital a part of the general public discourse of a college, and we’re proud to say it’s among the many core values that outline our establishment. However, these actions have to stay peaceable and can’t cross a line that violates the regulation or USF insurance policies. To be clear, we won’t tolerate violent, disruptive or aggressive acts by protestors.

Unfortunately, as you have got doubtless seen, a protest on our Tampa campus escalated to an unsafe degree that required regulation enforcement to intervene. The resolution to intervene was not taken frivolously and was based mostly on the next information. Beginning this morning, roughly 75-100 protestors arrived, together with some college students and a few people who aren’t affiliated with the college. Throughout the day, USF workers members and college police remained in common communication with protestors concerning the expectations for sustaining a peaceable occasion, together with that it will have to conclude by the shut of business.

However, because the day progressed, police and college workers noticed individuals expressing their intent to refuse to go away the location and to occupy the house by way of the weekend, which incorporates graduation. Police and college workers additionally noticed protesters bringing in picket shields, umbrellas, and tents. The protesters then locked arms, raised the shields and umbrellas, and communicated their intent to refuse to go away. USF Police decided that these actions had been a harmful escalation and that the protest was not peaceable.

USF Police made a number of makes an attempt to tell individuals that the protest should stop and that individuals wanted to disperse. These warnings had no impact. When individuals continued to refuse to conform, regulation enforcement dispersed the protestors and took quite a few people into custody within the course of. It is of nice concern that one of many people taken into custody was discovered to be carrying a hid firearm. We are deeply grateful to the USF Police Department, our regional regulation enforcement companions, and the Student Success workforce for his or her unwavering dedication and dedication to prioritizing the protection of our neighborhood.

The college has a accountability to keep up a protected setting on campus, together with imposing violations of Florida regulation and USF insurance policies, particularly after repeated warnings. Should there be further protests on campus this week, we anticipate everybody to behave in a peaceable method and in a method that permits our neighborhood to organize for ultimate exams and graduation with out disruption.

As we at all times have in difficult instances, it’s important that we attempt to uphold our college’s values and hold our deal with how we stock out our institutional mission. We urge everybody to do their half to make sure that USF continues to be a protected and peaceable place the place we deal with one another with respect and empathy, even once we disagree.

Sincerely,

Rhea F. Law

President

Will Weatherford

Chair, USF Board of Trustees

— Thomas C. Tobin, Times workers