The Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office has dismissed cases against nine pro-Palestinian demonstrators who were arrested at a University of Minnesota campus encampment and charged with trespassing on U grounds last month.
Cases dismissed for 9 pro-Palestinian demonstrators charged with trespassing at the U
A deal brokered last week between protest organizers and the University of Minnesota included leniency for those arrested.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 6, 2024 at 9:42PM
The dropping of the misdemeanor trespassing charges Friday came one day after protesters packed up their tents. Organizers reached a deal that included their promise to not interrupt final exams or graduation ceremonies at the Twin Cities campus while talks continue about the demonstrators’ demands and leniency for those who were arrested on April 24.
“Prosecutorial discretion” was the only reason cited by the City Attorney’s Office for the dismissals, and city spokeswoman Greta Bergstrom declined to elaborate.
University spokesman Jake Ricker said Monday the dropping of the cases was rooted in a part of the deal that said, “The University will commit to advocate to the Minneapolis City Attorney for lenient remedies for those previously arrested.”
The students are still subject to being disciplined by the university, Ricker added.
The encampment — the second in a two-week span — had been entering its third day when interim U President Jeff Ettinger and protest organizers held meetings Wednesday to try to reach an agreement. The students called on the U to divest from companies with ties to Israel, provide amnesty for protesters arrested in recent weeks and meet other demands. The protests at the U were not as heated as some at other colleges, such as UCLA and Columbia University, where hundreds of people have been arrested in recent weeks.
Still, pressure had been mounting for Ettinger to reopen U buildings surrounding the encampment, protect free speech and ensure the safety of both Jewish and Palestinian students. Complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen at the U and other college campuses since Oct. 7, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed an estimated 1,200 people and resulted in hundreds being taken hostage.
Israel responded by invading the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 34,000, according to statistics released by the United Nations.
Star Tribune staff writer Liz Navratil contributed to this story.
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