City councilors call on solicitor to drop charges against 41 Brown student protesters

Amy Russo, Providence Journal
Updated ·3 min read
18

PROVIDENCE – Three city councilors are calling on City Solicitor Jeff Dana to drop trespassing charges against 41 Brown University students arrested while protesting the school's investments in weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas War.

In a letter dated April 18 and obtained by The Providence Journal on Monday, Council President Rachel Miller and Councilmen Miguel Sanchez and Justin Roias told Dana it is within the power of his department to end the prosecution.

"In a time of extraordinary difficulty for our city, including a pervasive housing and affordability crisis, taxpayer dollars should not be used to prosecute these students," the letter read. "Limited city resources should not be used to assist in punishing student activists nor in intimidating organizers from taking future action to demand justice."

New protests: Pro-Palestinian protesters set up encampment at Brown University, joining nationwide movement

The students were apprehended on Dec. 11, 2023, during a sit-in at University Hall that had continued beyond business hours into the evening. The university contended that by remaining in the building that late, students had trespassed.

More than 200 Brown University students gathered outside University Hall while roughly 40 students sat inside, all of them demanding that the school divest from weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas war.
More than 200 Brown University students gathered outside University Hall while roughly 40 students sat inside, all of them demanding that the school divest from weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas war.

At the sit-in, demonstrators organized by an on-campus group called the Brown Divest Coalition demanded that the university stop investing in several weapons manufacturers identified by the Brown University Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices in a 2020 report.

University President Christina Paxson does not support the report and has criticized what she described as a lack of research and explanation of how divestment would alleviate social harms.

However, the three city councilors likened the protest to those seen during the Vietnam War and the fight for civil rights. They also fretted over the impact of criminal records on graduating students.

"These are young people who are about to enter the job market for the first time – for whom an arrest or criminal record may have devastating impact," they wrote. "Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democratic society, allowing individuals to voice their grievances and advocate for change. As government officials, it is our duty to protect and uphold the rights of our citizens, including the right to assemble and express dissenting views without fear of reprisal."

More: Brown University celebrates legacy of activism, but today's protesters feel ignored

After hosting sit-ins near the end of 2023, Brown's campus now has a pro-Palestine encampment with tents and signs of protest. As of Monday, students had until the close of business day to leave the encampment or face disciplinary action from the school, including potential expulsion.

Mayor's office calls councilors' request 'inappropriate'

In a statement Monday afternoon, Mayor Brett Smiley office hit back at the councilors' request.

"It is unprecedented and inappropriate for elected officials to make requests of or demands on the handling of prosecutions," said Smiley's spokesman, Josh Estrella. "This is particularly the case when the complainant, in this case Brown University, has not dropped the charges."

Estrella added: "To be clear, the City’s law department has an attorney responsible for handling misdemeanors in the court, as such this process would not incur any additional cost or use of city resources."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence councilors: Drop charges against Brown student protesters