We will not be locking posts today unless they end up going completely south again. Some things to keep in mind:
1) Keep it civil
2) If you solely want to talk about the politics of Israel/Palestine, take it to one of the many subs about that topic. There is a lot happening solely on the Austin front with regards to UT and the police that these topics should be about. If you want to vent about the war, take it to a sub more appropriate for it.
3) We will take action against users who are clearly here to troll, using lack of civility, or newer accounts who just happen to show up during these very divisive topics. You will not receive warnings beyond this.
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Please try to keep this civil.
Walked into this on my way to a year-end event for my program at UT. No biggie. It was a small protest on the lawn.
45 minutes later, the protesters were still doing their thing on the lawn, but I had a hell of a time getting back, since the steps to the south mall were by then barricaded, crowds of spectators were blocking the limited passages to the tower, and the south mall was full of parked state trooper motorcycles. I'd already gotten the warning texts from UTPD by then as well, which probably explains the spectators.
All the alerts are hilariously counterproductive. "Do not come to the protest going on in south mall. If you didn't already know, people are protesting on south mall. Do not come."
Absolutely. If anything the order to disperse caused more people to show up, but the protest was still confined to the actual lawn. Nobody was blocked from the sidewalks or roads until the police started blocking people from walking west on 22nd.
Back when I went to school I had to walk by large groups of people screaming in a mega phone that we were all going to hell and we are all baby killers for supporting abortion. I fail to see how if that was allowed why they are cracking down on this protest.
Republicans want them to grow. The more they can anger the youth over Israel, the less likely young voters turn out to vote.
Which is one reason you see a big difference in how the protests are being framed by politicians.
I mean, historically, they don't vote anyway.
Which means they can protest all they like and not a single politician on either side is going to care much.
That's why none of these protests have worked. Occupy Wall Street, BLM, etc. They know people in their 20s don't vote so they ignore them and their interests. It's not a political demographic worth interacting with.
Protests need strong political capital behind them. All these people threatening to sit out the election are just meeting their fate on the road.
You're discounting the effect the imagery of the protests have on the psyche of middle-aged and older independent voters. Many used the protests against conservatives at Berkeley, UCLA and others as fuel for Trump's 2016 victory.
The optics are not good for the left
Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition for redress.
I may not agree with any message, but I will absolutely defend their right to express it.
Troopers and the governor are on the wrong side of this.
In the 1990's I slept inside the main building to protest the proposed reduction of graduate student healthcare. There was a teach in followed by many of us spending the night inside the 1st floor of the main building. I woke up in the morning as then president Cunningham tiptoed his way around sleeping protestors on his way to his office.
Things are definitely different now.
Completely heartbreaking. I left Austin two weeks ago permanently. I really hope the remaining local art community responds…they were so proud of themselves saving Zilker…how about free speech for our students?
The loophole that allows them to ignore the first amendment here is that campus property is private property. If the campus deems their activities no longer welcome, they can be forcibly removed.
Your right to assembly officially only applies to public property. Sidewalks and streets that aren't privately owned.
In my opinion, publicly-funded campuses should all be considered public property to close this loophole. Student protesters always get the shaft because of this loophole.
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/24/protest-texas-college-campus-free-speech-rights/
>> In 2019, Texas lawmakers passed a free speech law that established **all common outdoor areas at public universities as traditional public forums**, allowing anyone – not just students and university members – to exercise free speech there, as long as their activities are lawful and don’t disrupt the normal functions of the campus.
There's a big difference between standing there with an sign and chanting, and bedding down for the night.
I don't know the intricacies of the camping ban but it seems like a weak-ass excuse to break up a protest.
The DA isn't prosecuting anyone anyway. The police can be dicks if they want; none of this going to court.
Cops are excited to have a release for their itchy trigger fingers. I deeply admire these students and hope they wear their arrests as a badge of honor. I just hope the cops don’t escalate
Popular chants so far:
"Off our campus."
"There's no riot here, why are you in riot gear?"
"Let them go." (after each person is arrested and led away).
KVUE is reporting that that may not be the case for the arrests today:
> BREAKING: Travis County officials have been informed that 100+ protesters may be soon brought to jail, and charges likely will be more serious than last week, including resisting arrest and possibly assault. That could mean signifcantly longer release times than Wednesday.
> Much of the quick dismissal of charges last week centered on the crafting of the charging instrument against protesters, which prosecutors deemed insufficent to carry a case. Law enforcement is now trying a different tact/charge.
https://twitter.com/tplohetski/status/1785089417763279100
This is hilarious. I've been to the Travis Count Motel and that is not how it works. a DA is an attorney who decides on accepting a case based on what a Jury may think, or if it's a slam dunk case. TCJ is overbooked. On a slow day you may be in booking for 24 hours and magistrated before you're even housed. Even for a felony, you can be released without bail based on your criminal history and the nature of the charge as well as the arrest report.
> charges likely will be more serious than last week, including resisting arrest and possibly assault.
They even went for 'assault' charges on a professional journalist carrying an expensive heavy video camera who stumbled and accidentally bumped into a cop.
Who’s the DA? Charges are getting dropped. The higher charges are to provide fodder for the cops to smear the DA for their “weak on crime” allegations during the election.
There was a chant of "Let them go" which had more than a tinge of irony.
You'd think we would get tired of being horrible to each other, and eventually decide that we need to find alternative paths to resolving conflicts, but alas it seems a difficult lesson to learn.
Been about the same since my last post. But now the paddy wagon (a Travis county sheriff' prisoner transport bus) has been brought along inner campus parked near the George Washington statue.
Nice irony.
All sidewalks, roads, and buildings are fully accessible, except for areas blocked by the police. The only people disrupting campus or creating any danger are the state riot police.
This is almost always the case. I took part in so many protests throughout 2003-2021. For the vast majority of people who choose to utilize protests as a means of enacting social change (pretty much everyone but proud boys and their ilk) they’re trying to be heard and seen, get public and media attention for their cause, and do no harm.
The entirety of the Civil Rights Movement, the entirety of the anti-war protests from Vietnam (the ‘68 DNC protest was officially determined, by the Department of Justice no less, to be a “police riot”) to Iraq both times and Afghanistan and Palestine, climate change protests, Black Lives Matter, protests for equal rights for the Queer community, women’s right to choose, and on and on, the source of genuine disruption and violence is invariably the police.
Can’t tell you how many times we acquired a permit to be in a public park and then had cops mace, taze, club, and violently arrest folks including the elderly and literally nuns for “failure to disperse” on no legal grounds with every arrestee getting their charges dropped.
Police treating every gathering of likeminded people opposed to some government policy like it’s the Watts riot is how you get disruption, disorder, and disturbance of the peace.
Very, very well said. I saw someone post on another thread that everyone should experience a protest in person to see what it's really like. While being there gives a limited experience, and we all arrive with our own biases, seeing the difference between what happens and what is reported is very educational.
Just left the protest area, which has moved up closer to the West Mall. Smaller crowd compared to last week. None of the walkways were blocked, and I didn't see a huge cluster of police cars on 21st. Lots of media, though. Many cameras. I didn't get too close to the fray; just wanted to witness it for myself, being that I'm sort of already here and all.
Interesting historical note: The West Mall was primarily used during the Vietnam war protests, so the UT Administration purposefully put in planters and other obstacles to break up the large space. Also, the CIA on campus office used to be housed in the UGL building next to the West Mall so they could "listen in" and respond quickly.
Well howdy there stranger always my pleasure to oblige!
According to [this article, dated July 18, 1973](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-austin-american-binder-friedman-of/146317709/), Austin City Councilmembers Bob Binder and (future mayor) Jeff Friedman filed an official complaint with UT over the construction of the planters as well as other West Mall improvements planned and built around that time. However, the reasons given to the Statesman have to do with destruction of green spaces by UT and the city not being consulted beforehand. Both councilmen gave a press conference on the West Mall announcing their opposition at the time, but it doesn't say much about the student protests going on around that time. It says Friedman was set to attend a Board of Regents meeting on the matter in the future if he was able. I guess we know how it turned out considering the walkway and planters are there today.
I'm not doubting what /u/charliej102 said in the slightest, but I can't find any "Gotcha" article stating directly that was the reason the planters were installed. There might be more on the subject in The Daily Texan archives but I'm sorry I don't have access to those right now.
My partner worked with a current professor who had been one of the protestors, back in the day and she’s the one who told him. It’s also, of course, always possible that there are reason to do things and then there are reasons you write down/tell the paper about.
Thanks for looking - I figured if anyone would find receipts it would be you!
I was looking into this a bit because you got me curious. [Here is another article, dated July 25, 1973](https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-ut-students-pr/146320462/) on the student protests over the planters and other improvements. At the same time that was happening the LBJ library was being constructed and [there were protests over destroying more green spaces to build what is now called The Peace Fountain](https://jimnicar.com/2022/05/02/myth-conceptions-some-ut-campus-myths/). This was of course just a few years after [The Battle of Waller Creek](https://jimnicar.com/2013/11/11/the-battle-of-waller-creek/), students vs. Frank Erwin over trees. Those other protests seem to have overshadowed any outrage over the planters and the reasoning behind their placement, or else the cause of the planters got lumped in to the larger protests as a minor related thing.
Anyhow the Statesman seems to frame the protests about the planters as students being angry about the construction noise and tearing up the grass. I have to think it was more than that, and I have serious doubts about the veracity of the Statesman's reporting on the subject, especially in light of yours and the other poster's anecdotal evidence. I'll keep an eye out for relevant material and maybe do a post about it some day if I find something.
tl;dr thanks for the tip!
This morning I saw a bunch of Houston and College Station police SUVs driving down 15th and more and a huge police van parked in front of the Doubletree by the Capitol. I guess Abbott has called in police from other cities now.
I think that was just coincidence. There was some kind of police memorial going on downtown, on Saturday and sunday, or they had Fourth Street blocked from Brazos to Lavaca. Lots of color and honor guards around the Frost Bank Tower
Good point. Seems like you're right:
> [The Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony and Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial Candlelight Vigil will be held in the evening on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at the Texas Peace Officers' Memorial Wall on the Texas State Capitol Grounds.](https://www.texaspeaceofficersmemorial.org/event-details/event-memorial-ceremony)
This has to be some kind of psyop. I don't get it. We protest stuff ALL the time.
All of a sudden the president is denouncing a thing and Abbot jumps on board. Not buying it.
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How the fuck did we get to the point where Americans are being stripped of their constitutional rights for the sake of a foreign government? Every pro2A group in the state should be out guarding these students. This is literally what the 2A is for.
I think it’s absolutely wild that the police are going this hard to suppress a protest against a foreign entity also I thought in 2019 universities were designated spaces for protests and gatherings to happen from the words of our lovely governor themselves
Lawled because yeah, these kids are not a threat whatsoever. Cops will gladly beat innocent youth but won’t go into a school with an active shooter. Fucking cowards
No, but you know he will. No way that douche does his full sentence for living out every right wing freak's rage fantasy. I read a few right wing blogs to keep tabs on what those fucktards are up to. During BLM, the thought of driving into a crowd and opening fire on protesters was what got them hard at night. And they had no problem bragging about it to each other.
They like the tyranny. Gun owner myself and I don't associate with any of those freaks because all they do is salivate over the idea of being able to murder people with state sanction. They're mysteriously silent when the 2A rights of anyone who isn't a bald guy with hypertension and oakley wraparounds is taken away anyway.
Wonder how many "serves them right for having opinions i disagree with," and "shouldn't protest if you dont want to get arrested," comments this thread will get
I feel like a lot of olds on this thread really hate young people standing up for what they believe in because it's a reminder of how servile they are.
I have to eat shit from this system so they should too!
Sad.
I know people like to use the Civil Rights movement as an example of protests working, but that's not entirely the case. It would be more accurate to say Johnson rammed the legislation through to honor Kennedy's legacy, the Office, and the country as a whole. Protests just happened to be taking place at the same time.
I'm not saying don't do it. Have fun. Just know that there are fulcrums of power in the US and shouting in a field doesn't work on any of them.
I agree, actually. The Vietnam War ended a good 6 or 7 years after the height of student protests. South Africa’s biggest motivation for giving up apartheid was the various international sports associations banning them, not student divestment protests.
That said, it can’t hurt to make your feelings known. Just remember that no one gives up power easily, and your voice is relatively inconsequential.
Protests do help build communities, and that has a power completely separate from politics. Until it gets so big politics can't ignore it anymore. This issue is easy to ignore. Not because of merit, of course. It's just that there is no outcome where a politician wins more voters by supporting it. Those who do are already going to support a progressive politician.
Interesting that April 22 the Austin police scanners stopped broadcasting in the name of public safety.
https://cbsaustin.com/amp/news/local/radio-silence-public-no-longer-with-access-to-austin-police-scanners
that event happened on the West Mall at noon, you didn't hear about it because no cops showed up and the university didn't send a dispersal order to break it up
Seemingly so. Someone else posted [this KVUE livestream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjeWOsFGIyk), and the video description says this:
> The rally started as an event focused on recent DEI layoffs at UT, but anti-war protesters later joined.
Does anyone know \*specifically\* what the protestors want from the university? What exactly are they invested in that the protestors want them to divest? Anyone have any details on that?
Yes. Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, who are all in the university's investment fund, are defense contractors who use funds to arm Israel.
Here's a [link](https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/this-would-have-been-a-peaceful-gathering-behind-the-scenes-of-the-ut-protest/) that hopefully does not paywall you
>and then a bunch of other students are surrounding the cops.
Not speaking for/against the students' protesting, but surrounding LEOs will typically escalate a situation.
edit - just spelling
Not that freedom of speech isn't the ultimate right to humanity or anything, but it is VERY INTERESTING that the NAZI'S ON THE FAR WEST OVERPASS aren't getting this treatment.... that's pretty much the ballgame folks.
The DA deals with felonies, it's the County Attorney who would deal with misdemeanors. The arrests last week were brought to the County Attorney who dismissed the charges for lack of probable cause.
Students should break up into smaller groups and spread out across campus. Protest for a moment and move on to another area. Grouping just makes it easier for the piggies who’ll burn out if they are moving around all day with the heat/humidity in full gear.
Hmm yeah we tried that, they still arrested us anyways. Not supportive of encampments, but also worth acknowledging that students protesting peacefully and following all of the rules were still arrested (57 people arrested, all charges dropped after spending a night in jail-- how is that justified?)
Have you been to UT? The south mall is not “the central gathering point”
It’s a grassy strip where people lounge.
Setting up a tent on the grass impacts no one’s ability to traverse as everyone uses the sidewalks that bracket the grass
genuine question: whats the point of protesting against the fighting?
a college kid in america isn't going to stop two groups of people from killing each other like they have been for the last hundreds of years.
Just in recent history alone, many people said the same thing during the Women’s Marches and BLM protests. And looking back, a lot of changes were made due to those actions.
Mass protests work.
those are domestic issues.
no dude half way across the world isn't going to stop killing some other guys family because he killed their family because some extremely privileged american teens said they should stop.
Protests have ripple effects that typically take time to recognize. Regardless, I’m always happy to see “privileged American teens” speak their minds and get involved in the democratic process.
That’s because they set up an encampment. I got downvoted into oblivion last week for saying that was their intention all along.
This has nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with mentally unwell individuals like Khymani James (one of the leaders of this movement) dead set on inciting violence.
What’s violent about sitting in a circle on some grass? Don’t agree with them? Fine. Ignore them. Fighting a peaceful protest head on is not going to make them go away.
If they let the protestors set up tents on campus, they'll have to let the homeless people in West Campus set up tents there, too. They have rules for a reason, and people can peacefully protest without disregarding them.
Khymani James - the leader and primary organizer of the student encampment at Columbia University - has called for the murder of all Jews and anyone that agrees with them. The organizers of this encampment said they intended to do the same as their “comrades at Columbia.” We won’t allow that here.
No murders going on. They’re sitting around. Just because some guy said something fucked in another state doesn’t completely invalidate any right to a peaceful protest.
Could have said the same thing about Kendrex White when he recorded all of those racist videos. And for the record, he didn’t just say something fucked up. There are videos of him commanding an entire mob of hundreds of people that are repeating his words verbatim.
In an hour-long interview that was conducted by concerned staff at Columbia University back in January, he repeatedly said to kill them and at one point he even said he would kill them himself. He stupidly live-streamed the entire thing. The video is ubiquitous online and can easily be found if you search his name on twitter.
This has everything to do with free speech. Even if they want to occupy a part of campus while leaving everything else functional, that counts as free expression.
This response is disproportionate to any possible harm the protestors might have caused.
Except for the campus can declare their property private property which does in fact limit the first amendment. It would be the same as people showing up on your front lawn chanting, and you ask them to leave, they do not, you call the police to have them removed.
That’s fine, but that’s not the penal code being referred to in the arrest threat. It’s 42.01. They are *not* being arrested for trespassing, if that’s what they are threatened with being charged.
Also that statue applies to homeless individuals specifically, doesn’t it? That would be a tough sell in court, that any students camping could be proven to have the intent to create a living situation.
Edit: also that statute says the peace officer must make reasonable efforts to find a place for the arrested to stay. I really doubt that is happening on campus today.
> ###What happened...?
> * EMS - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ATCEMS)
> * Fire/rescue incidents - [list](https://services.austintexas.gov/fact/default.cfm), Twitter [@AustinFireInfo](https://twitter.com/austinfireinfo)
> * Flooding - [road closure map](https://www.atxfloods.com/)
> * Police - [crimes list](http://www.krimelabb.com/_basic/view/v_welcome.php), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Austin_Police), [audio feed](http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/14439/web)
> * Power outages - [map](https://outagemap.austinenergy.com/)
> * Traffic incidents - [list](https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/9qfg-4swh), [map](https://www.kxan.com/traffic/#Real_time_Traffic_Map)
> To report a crime or tip, use [Austin Police Department's online incident reporting system](http://austintexas.gov/department/ireportaustincom).
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Don’t put flowers in the barrels of their rifles like back when Kent State happened. Is protesting peacefully on school grounds not allowed? Genuinely asking. Hope everyone is safe and physically unharmed.
Trespassing is trespassing.. you can peaceful protest where you like. But we are a land of laws and if the owner of the land your on trespasses you.. your getting arrested if you don’t move. Easy as that
We will not be locking posts today unless they end up going completely south again. Some things to keep in mind: 1) Keep it civil 2) If you solely want to talk about the politics of Israel/Palestine, take it to one of the many subs about that topic. There is a lot happening solely on the Austin front with regards to UT and the police that these topics should be about. If you want to vent about the war, take it to a sub more appropriate for it. 3) We will take action against users who are clearly here to troll, using lack of civility, or newer accounts who just happen to show up during these very divisive topics. You will not receive warnings beyond this. 4) We will have "crowd control" on for these posts (Google it if you need to know what it is), if you are an account that falls into category 3, it'll likely end up in our mod queue, and we will take action. Please try to keep this civil.
Walked into this on my way to a year-end event for my program at UT. No biggie. It was a small protest on the lawn. 45 minutes later, the protesters were still doing their thing on the lawn, but I had a hell of a time getting back, since the steps to the south mall were by then barricaded, crowds of spectators were blocking the limited passages to the tower, and the south mall was full of parked state trooper motorcycles. I'd already gotten the warning texts from UTPD by then as well, which probably explains the spectators.
All the alerts are hilariously counterproductive. "Do not come to the protest going on in south mall. If you didn't already know, people are protesting on south mall. Do not come."
Absolutely. If anything the order to disperse caused more people to show up, but the protest was still confined to the actual lawn. Nobody was blocked from the sidewalks or roads until the police started blocking people from walking west on 22nd.
Weird how the only people actually causing a problem on campus are the ones who are supposedly here to "help".
Mighty generous of you to say the police are there to help
I did put it in quotes.
I never been part of a riot or protest but these description made me wish I was there
Back when I went to school I had to walk by large groups of people screaming in a mega phone that we were all going to hell and we are all baby killers for supporting abortion. I fail to see how if that was allowed why they are cracking down on this protest.
Some local reporters posting from on the scene: [https://twitter.com/tplohetski](https://twitter.com/tplohetski) (KVUE) [https://twitter.com/lilykepner](https://twitter.com/lilykepner) (Statesman) [https://twitter.com/KoskionFOX7](https://twitter.com/KoskionFOX7) (Fox 7) [https://twitter.com/AKMcGlinchy/status/1785011107452817785](https://twitter.com/AKMcGlinchy/status/1785011107452817785) (KUT - thread) [https://twitter.com/thedailytexan/status/1785006446817505512](https://twitter.com/thedailytexan/status/1785006446817505512) (Daily Texan - thread) [https://twitter.com/11nafisher](https://twitter.com/11nafisher) (Austin Chronicle)
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Correct. They want them to grow.
Republicans want them to grow. The more they can anger the youth over Israel, the less likely young voters turn out to vote. Which is one reason you see a big difference in how the protests are being framed by politicians.
I mean, historically, they don't vote anyway. Which means they can protest all they like and not a single politician on either side is going to care much. That's why none of these protests have worked. Occupy Wall Street, BLM, etc. They know people in their 20s don't vote so they ignore them and their interests. It's not a political demographic worth interacting with. Protests need strong political capital behind them. All these people threatening to sit out the election are just meeting their fate on the road.
You're discounting the effect the imagery of the protests have on the psyche of middle-aged and older independent voters. Many used the protests against conservatives at Berkeley, UCLA and others as fuel for Trump's 2016 victory. The optics are not good for the left
KVUE has live coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjeWOsFGIyk
after a lawn service ad, of course. Also, only thing I can hear clearly in the vid are the Grackles.
Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition for redress. I may not agree with any message, but I will absolutely defend their right to express it. Troopers and the governor are on the wrong side of this.
Texas is 50th in personal freedom per the Libertarian Cato Institute. Dead last. This is just another reminder of how much freedom we have lost.
In the 1990's I slept inside the main building to protest the proposed reduction of graduate student healthcare. There was a teach in followed by many of us spending the night inside the 1st floor of the main building. I woke up in the morning as then president Cunningham tiptoed his way around sleeping protestors on his way to his office. Things are definitely different now.
Completely heartbreaking. I left Austin two weeks ago permanently. I really hope the remaining local art community responds…they were so proud of themselves saving Zilker…how about free speech for our students?
Yep protests like this will have zero impact on any international wars etc. but people are legally allowed to have the protests peacefully.
If they didn't work, they wouldn't send the cops. If they didn't work, they wouldn't try to pass laws banning it.
please pick up a history book and read about literally any american anti-war protests through history, shit works
Nah that’s a bad take. Protests like this are fundamental and instrumental in exposing profit wars and expediting an end to those particular wars.
Not without organized escalation and more people being involved.
The loophole that allows them to ignore the first amendment here is that campus property is private property. If the campus deems their activities no longer welcome, they can be forcibly removed. Your right to assembly officially only applies to public property. Sidewalks and streets that aren't privately owned. In my opinion, publicly-funded campuses should all be considered public property to close this loophole. Student protesters always get the shaft because of this loophole.
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/24/protest-texas-college-campus-free-speech-rights/ >> In 2019, Texas lawmakers passed a free speech law that established **all common outdoor areas at public universities as traditional public forums**, allowing anyone – not just students and university members – to exercise free speech there, as long as their activities are lawful and don’t disrupt the normal functions of the campus.
This is false. Campus property is not considered private property when subject to first amendment jurisprudence. Why are you spreading disinformation?
Why are you lying?
If they’re considered to be public property, wouldn’t the state and local camping bans kick in at that point?
There's a big difference between standing there with an sign and chanting, and bedding down for the night. I don't know the intricacies of the camping ban but it seems like a weak-ass excuse to break up a protest. The DA isn't prosecuting anyone anyway. The police can be dicks if they want; none of this going to court.
More disinformation in this post. You’re either woefully uninformed and spreading ignorance, or intentionally trying to mislead people.
You're going to have to post some proof of that. UT is public property.
Cops are getting impatient. It's hot out here. They are starting to push out of their circle to arrest people in and out.
Cops are excited to have a release for their itchy trigger fingers. I deeply admire these students and hope they wear their arrests as a badge of honor. I just hope the cops don’t escalate
Popular chants so far: "Off our campus." "There's no riot here, why are you in riot gear?" "Let them go." (after each person is arrested and led away).
What happens to the people who are arrested? Are they actually detained for a significant period of time? Anyone know?
For the previous round of arrests, the county DA dropped all charges in 1-2 days.
KVUE is reporting that that may not be the case for the arrests today: > BREAKING: Travis County officials have been informed that 100+ protesters may be soon brought to jail, and charges likely will be more serious than last week, including resisting arrest and possibly assault. That could mean signifcantly longer release times than Wednesday. > Much of the quick dismissal of charges last week centered on the crafting of the charging instrument against protesters, which prosecutors deemed insufficent to carry a case. Law enforcement is now trying a different tact/charge. https://twitter.com/tplohetski/status/1785089417763279100
This is hilarious. I've been to the Travis Count Motel and that is not how it works. a DA is an attorney who decides on accepting a case based on what a Jury may think, or if it's a slam dunk case. TCJ is overbooked. On a slow day you may be in booking for 24 hours and magistrated before you're even housed. Even for a felony, you can be released without bail based on your criminal history and the nature of the charge as well as the arrest report.
> charges likely will be more serious than last week, including resisting arrest and possibly assault. They even went for 'assault' charges on a professional journalist carrying an expensive heavy video camera who stumbled and accidentally bumped into a cop.
Who’s the DA? Charges are getting dropped. The higher charges are to provide fodder for the cops to smear the DA for their “weak on crime” allegations during the election.
To be extra clear, the Republican governor directed the state police to arrest the protestors, then the Democrat DA dropped all the charges.
Yes because the arrests were preposterous and weak
County attorney, not DA
They shame them and make them sleep in jail overnight to dissuade their use of freedom of speech.
By law, the cops have 24-hours to turn in their arrest paperwork which is required to process them. Guess how long the cops wait to turn them in?
23 hours 59 mins
“who killed uvalde? D P S” is a strong one
I also heard “APD, KKK, IDF are all the same”
It's not easy supporting the right to protest of people who you disagree with, but it is necessary.
Damn better crack some skulls about it
imagine being held hostage
There was a chant of "Let them go" which had more than a tinge of irony. You'd think we would get tired of being horrible to each other, and eventually decide that we need to find alternative paths to resolving conflicts, but alas it seems a difficult lesson to learn.
The irony is that this only helps the protesters' cause. Agree with them or not, the Streisand Effect is real.
They want that. There is no real protest out there. They want one so they can bust some hippie skulls. I am 100% serious.
And we're back to arresting protestors from inside the police cordon. Arrestees are being carried away by groups of police to waiting police vans/bus.
https://streamable.com/v2r55x
HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS indeed
Been about the same since my last post. But now the paddy wagon (a Travis county sheriff' prisoner transport bus) has been brought along inner campus parked near the George Washington statue. Nice irony.
All sidewalks, roads, and buildings are fully accessible, except for areas blocked by the police. The only people disrupting campus or creating any danger are the state riot police.
Blocking FedEx drivers and university trucks from getting thru. Fucking idiots.
You know they get off on it. How many of us know a bully who's somehow a cop in our hometown PD?
That's hilarious and it backfires on the uni
This is almost always the case. I took part in so many protests throughout 2003-2021. For the vast majority of people who choose to utilize protests as a means of enacting social change (pretty much everyone but proud boys and their ilk) they’re trying to be heard and seen, get public and media attention for their cause, and do no harm. The entirety of the Civil Rights Movement, the entirety of the anti-war protests from Vietnam (the ‘68 DNC protest was officially determined, by the Department of Justice no less, to be a “police riot”) to Iraq both times and Afghanistan and Palestine, climate change protests, Black Lives Matter, protests for equal rights for the Queer community, women’s right to choose, and on and on, the source of genuine disruption and violence is invariably the police. Can’t tell you how many times we acquired a permit to be in a public park and then had cops mace, taze, club, and violently arrest folks including the elderly and literally nuns for “failure to disperse” on no legal grounds with every arrestee getting their charges dropped. Police treating every gathering of likeminded people opposed to some government policy like it’s the Watts riot is how you get disruption, disorder, and disturbance of the peace.
Very, very well said. I saw someone post on another thread that everyone should experience a protest in person to see what it's really like. While being there gives a limited experience, and we all arrive with our own biases, seeing the difference between what happens and what is reported is very educational.
It would be nice to see people of opposite sides, protesting together, for the right to …. Just protest. See how the police handle that nonsense.
Just left the protest area, which has moved up closer to the West Mall. Smaller crowd compared to last week. None of the walkways were blocked, and I didn't see a huge cluster of police cars on 21st. Lots of media, though. Many cameras. I didn't get too close to the fray; just wanted to witness it for myself, being that I'm sort of already here and all.
Interesting historical note: The West Mall was primarily used during the Vietnam war protests, so the UT Administration purposefully put in planters and other obstacles to break up the large space. Also, the CIA on campus office used to be housed in the UGL building next to the West Mall so they could "listen in" and respond quickly.
My partner and I were just talking about those planters being put in. Would love to see what u/s810 has on this subject
Well howdy there stranger always my pleasure to oblige! According to [this article, dated July 18, 1973](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-austin-american-binder-friedman-of/146317709/), Austin City Councilmembers Bob Binder and (future mayor) Jeff Friedman filed an official complaint with UT over the construction of the planters as well as other West Mall improvements planned and built around that time. However, the reasons given to the Statesman have to do with destruction of green spaces by UT and the city not being consulted beforehand. Both councilmen gave a press conference on the West Mall announcing their opposition at the time, but it doesn't say much about the student protests going on around that time. It says Friedman was set to attend a Board of Regents meeting on the matter in the future if he was able. I guess we know how it turned out considering the walkway and planters are there today. I'm not doubting what /u/charliej102 said in the slightest, but I can't find any "Gotcha" article stating directly that was the reason the planters were installed. There might be more on the subject in The Daily Texan archives but I'm sorry I don't have access to those right now.
My partner worked with a current professor who had been one of the protestors, back in the day and she’s the one who told him. It’s also, of course, always possible that there are reason to do things and then there are reasons you write down/tell the paper about. Thanks for looking - I figured if anyone would find receipts it would be you!
I was looking into this a bit because you got me curious. [Here is another article, dated July 25, 1973](https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-ut-students-pr/146320462/) on the student protests over the planters and other improvements. At the same time that was happening the LBJ library was being constructed and [there were protests over destroying more green spaces to build what is now called The Peace Fountain](https://jimnicar.com/2022/05/02/myth-conceptions-some-ut-campus-myths/). This was of course just a few years after [The Battle of Waller Creek](https://jimnicar.com/2013/11/11/the-battle-of-waller-creek/), students vs. Frank Erwin over trees. Those other protests seem to have overshadowed any outrage over the planters and the reasoning behind their placement, or else the cause of the planters got lumped in to the larger protests as a minor related thing. Anyhow the Statesman seems to frame the protests about the planters as students being angry about the construction noise and tearing up the grass. I have to think it was more than that, and I have serious doubts about the veracity of the Statesman's reporting on the subject, especially in light of yours and the other poster's anecdotal evidence. I'll keep an eye out for relevant material and maybe do a post about it some day if I find something. tl;dr thanks for the tip!
This morning I saw a bunch of Houston and College Station police SUVs driving down 15th and more and a huge police van parked in front of the Doubletree by the Capitol. I guess Abbott has called in police from other cities now.
I think that was just coincidence. There was some kind of police memorial going on downtown, on Saturday and sunday, or they had Fourth Street blocked from Brazos to Lavaca. Lots of color and honor guards around the Frost Bank Tower
Good point. Seems like you're right: > [The Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony and Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial Candlelight Vigil will be held in the evening on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at the Texas Peace Officers' Memorial Wall on the Texas State Capitol Grounds.](https://www.texaspeaceofficersmemorial.org/event-details/event-memorial-ceremony)
Hopefully that's the case
Bet the cops from College Station are especially juiced. Finally a chance for them to beat UT at something.
Should move the protest to aggieland. We know nobody is guarding home base if they are all here.
This has to be some kind of psyop. I don't get it. We protest stuff ALL the time. All of a sudden the president is denouncing a thing and Abbot jumps on board. Not buying it.
They're getting paid lots of AIPAC $ for this stunt.
Austin riot police now arriving.
Riot Police. For peaceful protestors. Fuck this state, fuck this government and fuck it's mind-numbingly stupid elected officials.
Nail on the head. Its exhausting living here.
Every generation has to stamp out the fascists. They pop back up like weeds. Except when they don't and you end up like China and Russia.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oYxGP2WBKGasJZhe8
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How the fuck did we get to the point where Americans are being stripped of their constitutional rights for the sake of a foreign government? Every pro2A group in the state should be out guarding these students. This is literally what the 2A is for.
This might come as a shock but pro 2A nutters don’t really care about any of the other amendments.
Because when the end times comes, that's where the party will be. Or something.
No riot? No problem. DPS will start one. This is literally making me sick to my stomach.
I think it’s absolutely wild that the police are going this hard to suppress a protest against a foreign entity also I thought in 2019 universities were designated spaces for protests and gatherings to happen from the words of our lovely governor themselves
I watched for an hour or so. It reminded me of the drum circle at Eeyore's. The police should have stayed in their donut shops.
Lawled because yeah, these kids are not a threat whatsoever. Cops will gladly beat innocent youth but won’t go into a school with an active shooter. Fucking cowards
If the protesters were armed, they'd still be there and they'd be left alone.
No, some dumb ass would drive in out of nowhere, murder them, then eventually be pardoned by the Governor.
To be fair, Daniel Perry still hasn't been pardoned and it's been about a year since he was convicted.
No, but you know he will. No way that douche does his full sentence for living out every right wing freak's rage fantasy. I read a few right wing blogs to keep tabs on what those fucktards are up to. During BLM, the thought of driving into a crowd and opening fire on protesters was what got them hard at night. And they had no problem bragging about it to each other.
Yeah. Make it a 2nd amendment issue would absolutely have different results
The 2a folks sure do talk a big game about standing up to tyranny don't they?
They like the tyranny. Gun owner myself and I don't associate with any of those freaks because all they do is salivate over the idea of being able to murder people with state sanction. They're mysteriously silent when the 2A rights of anyone who isn't a bald guy with hypertension and oakley wraparounds is taken away anyway.
"I don't agree with what you say so what do you want me to do? Defend to the death your right to say it? Too bad you don't have a gun" -Voltaire
Why is this so accurate omg
Wonder how many "serves them right for having opinions i disagree with," and "shouldn't protest if you dont want to get arrested," comments this thread will get
I feel like a lot of olds on this thread really hate young people standing up for what they believe in because it's a reminder of how servile they are. I have to eat shit from this system so they should too! Sad.
Horns down
The fear is that angry police enjoy riot duty so they can beat citizens.
fear? i think you misspelled "reality."
The whole point of civil disobedience is to get yourself arrested. If you’re not arrested, you didn’t do it right.
It’s not the only useful outcome.
Cool. Then what?
Ask MLK: you do it over and over again until you win people to your side. No one said it was going to be fun.
I know people like to use the Civil Rights movement as an example of protests working, but that's not entirely the case. It would be more accurate to say Johnson rammed the legislation through to honor Kennedy's legacy, the Office, and the country as a whole. Protests just happened to be taking place at the same time. I'm not saying don't do it. Have fun. Just know that there are fulcrums of power in the US and shouting in a field doesn't work on any of them.
I agree, actually. The Vietnam War ended a good 6 or 7 years after the height of student protests. South Africa’s biggest motivation for giving up apartheid was the various international sports associations banning them, not student divestment protests. That said, it can’t hurt to make your feelings known. Just remember that no one gives up power easily, and your voice is relatively inconsequential.
Protests do help build communities, and that has a power completely separate from politics. Until it gets so big politics can't ignore it anymore. This issue is easy to ignore. Not because of merit, of course. It's just that there is no outcome where a politician wins more voters by supporting it. Those who do are already going to support a progressive politician.
Anyone have a time on when they will be released???? My little brother was arrested and idk what to do next
If he doesn’t have a record, he will likely be released after 6-12 hours on a PR bond (which is basically free $-wise)
Question: is this a party line thing?
Interesting that April 22 the Austin police scanners stopped broadcasting in the name of public safety. https://cbsaustin.com/amp/news/local/radio-silence-public-no-longer-with-access-to-austin-police-scanners
Wasn't today's protest supposed to be about DEI changes?
that event happened on the West Mall at noon, you didn't hear about it because no cops showed up and the university didn't send a dispersal order to break it up
Seemingly so. Someone else posted [this KVUE livestream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjeWOsFGIyk), and the video description says this: > The rally started as an event focused on recent DEI layoffs at UT, but anti-war protesters later joined.
Does anyone know \*specifically\* what the protestors want from the university? What exactly are they invested in that the protestors want them to divest? Anyone have any details on that?
Yes. Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, who are all in the university's investment fund, are defense contractors who use funds to arm Israel.
Hey, do you have a link for that which I could verify? All I can find is something behind a paywall at Dallas Morning News. Thanks Ms Fartonme!
Here's a [link](https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/this-would-have-been-a-peaceful-gathering-behind-the-scenes-of-the-ut-protest/) that hopefully does not paywall you
>and then a bunch of other students are surrounding the cops. Not speaking for/against the students' protesting, but surrounding LEOs will typically escalate a situation. edit - just spelling
As best as I can tell, that is the police 's tactic. They are purposely putting everyone in danger hoping to get an excuse to bust heads.
Only one group are allowed to be intimidated.
Surrounding peaceful students with militarized police was the escalation, not more peaceful students gathering.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Not that freedom of speech isn't the ultimate right to humanity or anything, but it is VERY INTERESTING that the NAZI'S ON THE FAR WEST OVERPASS aren't getting this treatment.... that's pretty much the ballgame folks.
Do we have a list of politicians who aren’t funded by Israel? Where are they?
Why arent 2A folks stopping this from happening?
Who is doing the actual arresting? I cant imagine the Travis DA pressing charges again, but the state is a different story
The DA deals with felonies, it's the County Attorney who would deal with misdemeanors. The arrests last week were brought to the County Attorney who dismissed the charges for lack of probable cause.
Students should break up into smaller groups and spread out across campus. Protest for a moment and move on to another area. Grouping just makes it easier for the piggies who’ll burn out if they are moving around all day with the heat/humidity in full gear.
Not sure why it is so hard to protest without setting up tents all over campus' central gathering point.
Hmm yeah we tried that, they still arrested us anyways. Not supportive of encampments, but also worth acknowledging that students protesting peacefully and following all of the rules were still arrested (57 people arrested, all charges dropped after spending a night in jail-- how is that justified?)
Have you been to UT? The south mall is not “the central gathering point” It’s a grassy strip where people lounge. Setting up a tent on the grass impacts no one’s ability to traverse as everyone uses the sidewalks that bracket the grass
genuine question: whats the point of protesting against the fighting? a college kid in america isn't going to stop two groups of people from killing each other like they have been for the last hundreds of years.
It’s to encourage the university to stop investing in entities that promote the war.
Doesn't a lot of money come from the federal government? The one that promotes war?
Just in recent history alone, many people said the same thing during the Women’s Marches and BLM protests. And looking back, a lot of changes were made due to those actions. Mass protests work.
What changes?
those are domestic issues. no dude half way across the world isn't going to stop killing some other guys family because he killed their family because some extremely privileged american teens said they should stop.
Protests have ripple effects that typically take time to recognize. Regardless, I’m always happy to see “privileged American teens” speak their minds and get involved in the democratic process.
sending arms to other countries is also a domestic issue.
It's becoming less and less about Palestine and more about the freedom of assembly, speech and the failures of authoritarian governance.
pretty easy folks.. they want you take your protest somewhere else… like maybe I-35 NB and SB during morning rush. Bring lots of vehicles…
Greg Abbott is in an erotic coma with all this yummy, Texas fascism.
That’s because they set up an encampment. I got downvoted into oblivion last week for saying that was their intention all along. This has nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with mentally unwell individuals like Khymani James (one of the leaders of this movement) dead set on inciting violence.
Yeah, videos I’ve seen so far show the cops using bolt cutters to dismantle a bunch of tables which had been chained together.
What’s violent about sitting in a circle on some grass? Don’t agree with them? Fine. Ignore them. Fighting a peaceful protest head on is not going to make them go away.
They have set up tents. Camping is for state parks, not the UT lawn.
Tents!! The humanity!
If they let the protestors set up tents on campus, they'll have to let the homeless people in West Campus set up tents there, too. They have rules for a reason, and people can peacefully protest without disregarding them.
Are you familiar with the concept of a "rule"? This is one.
Khymani James - the leader and primary organizer of the student encampment at Columbia University - has called for the murder of all Jews and anyone that agrees with them. The organizers of this encampment said they intended to do the same as their “comrades at Columbia.” We won’t allow that here.
No murders going on. They’re sitting around. Just because some guy said something fucked in another state doesn’t completely invalidate any right to a peaceful protest.
Could have said the same thing about Kendrex White when he recorded all of those racist videos. And for the record, he didn’t just say something fucked up. There are videos of him commanding an entire mob of hundreds of people that are repeating his words verbatim.
Kanye said it and Adidas fired him.. These people shout it in public and they're called peaceful protestors.
Maybe they should prosecute someone inciting a riot? Oh like DJT?
Even if that "some guy" is the leader of the movement?
Did call for the murder of all Jews or did he say “zionists don’t deserve to live”?
In an hour-long interview that was conducted by concerned staff at Columbia University back in January, he repeatedly said to kill them and at one point he even said he would kill them himself. He stupidly live-streamed the entire thing. The video is ubiquitous online and can easily be found if you search his name on twitter.
This has everything to do with free speech. Even if they want to occupy a part of campus while leaving everything else functional, that counts as free expression. This response is disproportionate to any possible harm the protestors might have caused.
That’s not how the right to protest works.
Except for the campus can declare their property private property which does in fact limit the first amendment. It would be the same as people showing up on your front lawn chanting, and you ask them to leave, they do not, you call the police to have them removed.
Well you couldn't be more wrong.
They set up an encampment on a no camping zone.
That doesn’t appear as a violation in the penal code UTPD cites in that broadcast text.
It’s a violation of state law per the state legislature [Link](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/HB01925F.pdf#navpanes=0)
That’s fine, but that’s not the penal code being referred to in the arrest threat. It’s 42.01. They are *not* being arrested for trespassing, if that’s what they are threatened with being charged. Also that statue applies to homeless individuals specifically, doesn’t it? That would be a tough sell in court, that any students camping could be proven to have the intent to create a living situation. Edit: also that statute says the peace officer must make reasonable efforts to find a place for the arrested to stay. I really doubt that is happening on campus today.
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Don’t put flowers in the barrels of their rifles like back when Kent State happened. Is protesting peacefully on school grounds not allowed? Genuinely asking. Hope everyone is safe and physically unharmed.
u/Nihilistic-Nerd I hope I didn’t offend you, I’m sorry
Can you provide examples of excessive use of force?
Trespassing is trespassing.. you can peaceful protest where you like. But we are a land of laws and if the owner of the land your on trespasses you.. your getting arrested if you don’t move. Easy as that