Monday’s UT protest arrest cases remain active, County Attorney says

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A total of 79 people were arrested Monday after a group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on the South Mall at the University of Texas at Austin’s campus in the afternoon and set up several tents in the area. The group used metal chains and tables in an attempt to barricade themselves on the lawn.

The university issued a dispersal order around 1 p.m. Monday, and law enforcement, including UTPD, Austin Police and the Texas Department of Public Safety, responded shortly after.

79 arrested on UT campus during Monday protest, sheriff’s office says

Police and protesters clashing

Law enforcement began cutting chains and removing tents around 1:30 p.m., clearing the group from the tented area shortly after 4 p.m. Monday.

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday morning that 79 people were booked into the Travis County Jail Monday in association with the protest. The sheriff’s office said the university’s police department was the arresting agency for 75 of those people, and the Austin Police Department was the arresting agency for the other four.

Seventy-eight of the people arrested are charged with criminal trespass. One of them has an additional charge of obstructing a highway or passageway, and one of them is charged with interfering with public duties, according to TCSO.

Forty-six of the 79 people arrested Monday were not UT students, according to a UT source.

New protest charges

Travis County Attorney Delia Garza held a brief press conference Tuesday afternoon to give an update on where Monday’s arrest cases stand. She said her office, which prosecutes misdemeanors in Travis County, has received 65 cases for criminal trespass, and is continuing to review them as they come in. However, the large volume puts a delay on everyday processes, she said.

Last Wednesday, 57 people were booked into the Travis County Jail following a pro-Palestinian protest on campus. Garza’s office said Friday it reviewed the cases and determined they would not proceed because they did not have “sufficient probable cause.”

Garza said the initial review of the probable cause affidavits for Monday’s arrests did not reveal the same deficiencies as the cases dropped last week did, and the new cases remain active as of Tuesday. Garza said the difference between them is that the newer ones are more detailed and substantive, and the office believes they meet the standard for probable cause.

Garza noted that the manner in which the protests have been handled has put a strain on the criminal justice system as well as law enforcement officers, saying that the more law enforcement officers who are dispatched to respond means the fewer there are to respond to other needs, like domestic violence and other cases.

She also said she reached out to the university on how to “find a better way forward,” reprimanding the practice of sending the protesters to jail for low-level criminal charges.

“While we understand the safety concerns of the university, continuing to send protesters to jail on criminal trespass charges — one of the lowest level nonviolent crimes our office is presented with — is putting tremendous strain on our criminal justice resources,” Garza said.

Waiting for friends and loved ones outside of jail

People involved in Monday’s protests camped out overnight outside the Travis County Jail. Some waited for the release of their friends—others, the release of their loved ones.

UT student Arwyn Heilrayne led the group in chants periodically. She, herself, was arrested the first week of protests, spending hours behind bars in the Travis County Jail before she was released.

“It was very scary being in there alone,” Heilrayne said. “The one thing that did especially helped me, is I could hear the people out here chanting, from our cells.

She said that’s why she waited with others outside the jail on Tuesday. Resting next to many as they waited, was pro-Palestinian signs and banners, as well as snacks and drinks.

Not all protesters affiliated with UT Austin

As tensions remain high, students and community activists ban together in support of Palestinians being killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

While the University maintains it is upholding order on campus with the help of law enforcement partners, all protesters feel their freedom of speech is under attack.

DPS said in a statement Monday that “DPS personnel provided support with the on-campus protest as requested. There were no arrests made by DPS personnel.”

Groups behind separate protests

A separate protest was held Tuesday. Those involved said it was organized by a coalition of several student and faculty organizations showing their solidarity for Palestine.

This was different that Monday’s protest. The University believes a group called Weelaunee Defense Society of Austin organized that one per its social media page. That group is not affiliated with the University. However, UT students have taken part in all protests that have led to a clash with police on campus.

The University said it has contacted local and federal police saying threats have been made toward UT by Weelaunee on its social media page.

Grace Reader and Ryan Chandler contributed to this story.

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