Thirty-nine more protestors from the University of California, Irvine have been charged for failing to disperse during a May protest deemed unlawful by campus police, bringing the total number of defendants to fifty. According to a press release issued by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, these individuals didn't comply with police orders during the incident on May 15. The initial ten, including a UCI teaching assistant and two professors among them, are set to appear in court for arraignment today.
The county's legal response to the UCI protests has resulted in charges against a diverse group, spanning across students and academia alike, charged with misdemeanors ranging from failing to disperse to vandalism and resisting arrest. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, "The right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional right and we encourage protestors to exercise their right to peaceful assembly on any issue.” “However, criminal activity which transcends peaceful assembly will not be tolerated," he added, in a statement made by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Scheduled for arraignment on November 20, 2024, those charged include Jemin Yoo, 19, Lubna Hammad, 49, and Andrew De La Cruz-Caccam, 20, amongst others, all facing one misdemeanor count of failing to disperse at the scene of a riot (PC 409). December 5, 2024, will see Shanice Hyler, 26, who, apart from the aforementioned charge, also faces counts of resisting arrest (PC 148) and vandalism, as detailed by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
In a related turn, UCI's campus climate has drawn increased scrutiny amidst these escalations between protestors and law enforcement. Standing charged with the additional count of resisting arrest, Omar Zegar, 36, is yet another example set for arraignment on December 11, as the demonstrations continue to raise questions concerning the balance between order maintenance and the right to peaceful protest. As per the press release, individuals including 26 UCI students received arraignment letters from the Central Justice Center regarding their respective charges.
