Three expelled Vanderbilt University students were due in court on Thursday facing assault charges from a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus earlier this year. The protest was one of many happening at college campuses around the country.
In March, 27 student protesters forced their way past a security guard to gain entry to an administration building. The protest was in support of a student referendum that would’ve divested student government funds from Israel. Administrators had denied the vote, citing a Tennessee law that prohibits boycotts.
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsVanderbilt students wore keffiyehs in court Thursday to support the expelled student protestors.
During the pre-trial hearing, a dozen Vanderbilt students donned keffiyehs — a traditional Palestinian garment — in solidarity with the expelled students, as witnesses from the university were called on to testify. Among those taking the stand was the security guard reportedly injured during the protest.
“A female student approached the external doors, the main entrance, and at the time, I opened the door and told her she was not granted access into the building,” security guard Tony Brown said. “At that time, two, three other students … ran up the steps, grabbed the door. And other students came up behind them, and they forcefully forced their way into the building.”
Kirkland Hall, which houses Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier’s office, had reopened for business in January after two years of renovations, but only specific faculty members had access.
Brown testified that he had received X-rays, pain relievers and “heat treatment” at Vanderbilt for his arm and wrist and confirmed for the defense that he had not needed stitches or surgery for the injury.
Of the three former students charged, only Jack Petocz had a preliminary hearing for his charges. Devron Burks and Samuel Shulman’s hearings were moved to late November.
Both Burks and Shulman’s initial bond amounts were both set at $1,000, while Petocz’s was $2,000, according to court records. Vanderbilt police officers also arrested a local reporter covering the protest, but the district attorney’s office decided not to prosecute.
Petocz would’ve been starting his sophomore year this week. The native Floridian has a history of activism, having been suspended from his high school for leading protests against the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and was honored at a PEN America gala for his efforts.
“These events did not occur in a vacuum,” Petocz said on the stand. “There have been many sit-ins at Kirkland (Hall) in the past … I never intended to harm anyone or cause anyone to feel unsafe. Again, I have a lot of experience organizing, and I would never conduct myself in that matter.”
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsDefense attorney Ashley Brown (left), Judge Lynda Jones (middle) and security guard Tony Brown (right) review footage from the March 26 sit-in at Kirkland Hall.
Judge Lynda Jones stopped Petocz, reiterating that the hearing was strictly preliminary and should only address the question of if there’s probable cause. Petocz was charged for assaulting both Officer Brown and Vanderbilt’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Dawn Turton.
“I did not push past the security guard, nor do I think I pushed past Dr. Turton,” Petocz said.
Turton testified that Petocz’s chanting and demands to see the chancellor made her feel unsafe.
The court found that there was probable cause. The judge told the court that Petocz could face up to 11 months and 29 days in jail for the assault charge. He might face more time, Jones said, if the state pursues a Class E felony for aggravated criminal trespass.
“There is a line between free speech and violence … Remember, young man: ‘Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon that … is a sword that heals, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it,’” Judge Jones said, quoting the words of Martin Luther King Jr.
The hearing for the other two expelled students will take place in late fall.
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