Arizona State University's top cop, Michael Thompson, has been benched, set aside on paid administrative leave as the school sifts through complaints about his handling of protests on April 26-27. In his stead, Assistant Chief John Thompson has been tapped as acting chief, the university confirms in an announcement.
The focus of the fracas: a pro-Palestinian demonstration at ASU's Tempe campus, which called for an end to university partnerships with Israel, the dismantling of ASU and Tempe Police, and the resignation of ASU president Michael Crow. Videos, snagged by student smartphones and later splashed across social platforms, captured officers disbanding the crowd. Social media further revealed an imposing sight—Chief Thompson himself, swapping out his uniform for 'business casual' after a meeting, disassembling protestor's tents, an act caught on camera by an onlooker. In another incident, a video obtained by ABC15 displays Thompson cutting a tent with a knife, then appearing to knock a phone from a protestor's hand.
By the protest's end, nearly 70 arrests had been tallied, from trespassing to making an unauthorized encampment—both labeled violations of university policy. The ripples of the protest echoed in a news conference on May 2, where attendees vocalized their belief that these arrests shone a spotlight on police overreach. The incident at ASU was not solitary but rather paralleled similar clashes at university campuses across the nation.
"I think everyone should have the right to protest for what they believe in, and I feel like everyone should have the right to pre-speech, especially here on ASU's campus," ASU graduate Nyarah Breed told FOX 10 Phoenix. Meanwhile, ASU remains tight-lipped, offering only a slender statement promising to "provide an update on its findings" once the Office of General Counsel completes its review of the April protests.
