57 students were arrested for trespassing in the UT Austin campus protests for divestiture on April 24th, per the demand of University President Jay Hartzell. On April 26th, however, Attorney Delia Garza’s office stated that all charges had been dropped as a Travis County judge stated there was “insufficient evidence” to proceed with the case.
Video footage shows that a Fox 7 cameraman was caught in the crossfire between the protestors and the riot police force, and an investigation is ongoing to determine whether the cameraman assaulted a trooper.
UT Austin students and faculty are now calling for the resignation of President Jay Hartzell, who, according to Greg Abbott’s 2019 free speech law, violated their rights with an extreme police force.
Originally, the spokesperson for UT Austin, Brian Davis, stated that students charged with trespassing would not be allowed back on campus, excluding students who needed to take final exams. However, the announcement was reversed shortly after charges were dropped, stating that students could re-enter campus for any reason.
Information regarding student motives to protest can be found in this article: CAMPUSES IN REVOLT
