Nine more protesters accused of failing to disperse after a May 15 pro-Palestinian protest at UC Irvine was deemed unlawful by police agreed on Wednesday, Nov. 13 to enter an Orange County Superior Court diversion program that would result in the dismissal of their misdemeanor charges.
The defendants — among 50 people charged in connection with the UCI protest — agreed to complete 30 hours of community service and to pay $100 in restitution during appearances before Commissioner Randall S. Bethune in a Santa Ana courtroom.
Three other protesters in mid-October agreed to enter the same diversion program under identical terms. Prosecutors have not objected. Most, if not all, of the UCI protesters charged with failing to disperse — and who don’t have criminal records — will likely ultimately take part in the diversion program rather than face a conviction or time behind bars.
The 50 defendants charged in connection with the May 15 protest include two UCI professors, a teaching assistant, 26 students and 21 other individuals. Most are facing a single misdemeanor failure to disperse charge, though some were also charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest. One person was charged with vandalism.
In a statement released when the charges were first filed, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer wrote that while the protesters were free to exercise their right to peaceful assembly, “criminal activity (that) transcends peaceful assembly will not be tolerated.” The charges have drawn criticism from some civil rights groups that alleged that they were politically motivated.
The arrests at UC Irvine came in the midst of a wave of protests at college campuses across the country, with student protesters and supporters demanding that campus leaders divest from companies with ties to Israel and weapon manufacturers and to support an end of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip.
Around 30 protesters charged in connection with the UCI protest have yet to make their first court appearance. In neighboring Los Angeles County, prosecutors have received more than 300 referrals related to protesters arrested at Pro-Palestinian demonstrations at UCLA and USC, though they have yet to decide whether to pursue misdemeanor charges against them.
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