Five protesters arrested when police broke up an encampment at Wayne State University will not face charges after an investigation found insufficient evidence to pursue prosecutions.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the investigation involved the review of police reports and body-worn camera footage.
The encampment, organized by Students for Justice on Palestine, was a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians and against Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.
The arrests occurred during two separate incidents.
The first incident took place around 6:30 a.m. on May 30, 2024, when a 22-year-old female student was singled out for using a bullhorn and arrested on charges of trespassing. Her mother and another student, who attempted to intervene, were also arrested for trespassing.
The investigation found that the charges were unwarranted, as the protesters were on a publicly accessible sidewalk on campus. Worthy determined the women were exercising their First Amendment rights.
The second incident occurred later that morning when a 20-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly obstructing an officer. However, after reviewing video footage, Worthy found there was no evidence of physical contact between the woman and the officer she was accused of striking.
A 24-year-old man who tried to intervene during the arrest was also detained for resisting, but body camera footage showed the protester only stiffened his arms during the arrest.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), believes those wrongfully arrested should consider legal recourse.
"I think that those people who were arrested should seek out legal counsel and potentially perhaps file some sort of action against Wayne State Police Department if that is deemed the step forward as proper from legal counsel," said Walid.
Walid emphasized the case of Wayne State student Nazmia Abdrabah, whose hijab was removed during her arrest.
“That was a violation of her religious rights,” Walid added.
This news comes as a relief to pro-Palestinian protesters, who have also been advocating for charges to be dropped against 11 demonstrators who were at the University of Michigan’s encampment on the Diag. Those protesters were charged by Attorney General Dana Nessel's office on September 12.
"Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel inserted herself into the case in the name of a broader public interest. We believe that her insertion was quite politicized. It's highly unusual that such minor charges or potential infractions would reach the level of the Michigan state attorney general," Walid suggested.
The Wayne County prosecutor’s handling of the May 2024 protests has drawn comparisons to the University of Michigan situation.
Walid compared the encampment to a riot that occurred on the University of Michigan campus after the football team won the national championship. Despite instances of arson and property damage, no charges were filed.
"I guess if all the University of Michigan students can have a small riot if the football team was national championship, but people protest against genocide, then they get indicted by the state attorney general," said Walid.
In addition, those who were ticketed during the Wayne State protest have had their tickets dismissed. Pro-Palestinian protesters hope to see similar outcomes for the University of Michigan students in the coming weeks.
