ST. LOUIS — One hundred demonstrators were arrested Saturday night at a Pro-Palestinian protest at Washington University. Then, hours later, overnight crowds formed at the St. Louis County jail waiting for their release.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators established an encampment, criticizing the university's response amid the Israel-Hamas War and calling on the college to cut ties with Boeing, among other demands.
Demonstrators made their way from WashU's campus to the St. Louis County jail where dozens were detained and hundreds of people, including city leaders, waited well into the night for their release.
Among those arrested were students, community members and even Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein.
In a statement, Washington University said, "It quickly became clear through the words and actions of this group that they did not have good intentions on our campus and that this demonstration had the potential to get out of control and become dangerous."
The university said 100 people were arrested, including 23 WashU students and four university employees. The statement said everyone arrested will be charged with trespassing and some may be charged with resisting arrest and assault for injuries to WashU police. According to the university, three police officers were injured including a concussion, a broken finger and a groin injury.
Among the city leaders present were Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier and Board of Aldermen President Megan Green. Green posted on social media that arrestees had to sign an agreement banning them from campus.
Sonnier said, "shame on Washington University" for how they handled it.
"It gives cause for all of us to worry, because regardless of how you feel about this issue, we should all have the right to use our voices in a peaceful manner," she said.
St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green shared a picture on Twitter of the large group in the middle of campus saying it was a "very calm atmosphere."
"It was a lot of trying to get to know each other, while also making it clear that they were there to ask WashU to divest from sending money to Israel or companies that do business with Israel," Green said.
Green said she believes the use of force was excessive.
"There was definitely instances that I saw and I do have video of, of what I would consider excessive force. And I think the use of police in general was excessive," Green said.
Defense Attorney Scott Rosenblum said mass arrests, like this one, are cause for concern since everyone's not acting in the same manner.
"To that extent, it could be problematic, but I certainly think they were within their rights to arrest disruptive students and people that were crossing the line," he said.
While Rosenblum said students' right to protest is always welcome, it's not without restrictions.
"Certainly, private schools can have more restrictions than public schools, because the Constitution doesn't necessarily apply to the private schools when they're talking about discipline and things of that nature, and the right to assemble, and freedom of speech is not without limitations, and when they crossed the line, that becomes a problem," he said.
5 On Your Side asked Rosenblum if students and professors could be banned from campus and he said there's a student code of conduct that all students at WashU have to abide by.
"It's no different than if there's violations of Title IX and things of that nature, and there's procedures and policies in place to deal with it, and WashU can ban students from the campus if they violate Student Conduct Code," he said.
Silk Foundation Campus Rabbi Jordan Gerson said he applauds the university for its quick actions on what he called and anti-Jewish rally.
"I think they handled the situation extremely well and put the safety of all WashU students first," Gerson said.
Read WashU's full statement here:
"On Saturday, April 27, a large group of individuals entered the Washington University campus with the intention of causing a significant disruption to the university. The group, which included WashU students and employees as well as many individuals not affiliated with the university, marched to multiple campus locations, pitched tents, and indicated that they did not intend to leave. They also put out a call for more people to come to campus to join their demonstration.
It quickly became clear through the words and actions of this group that they did not have good intentions on our campus and that this demonstration had the potential to get out of control and become dangerous. When the group began to set up a camp in violation of university policy, we made the decision to tell everyone present that they needed to leave. We arrested 100 individuals who refused to leave after being asked multiple times. This number includes 23 WashU students and 4 university employees. All face charges of trespassing and some may also be charged with resisting arrest and assault, including for injuries to three police officers who sustained injuries including a severe concussion, a broken finger and a groin injury.
We are firmly committed to free expression and allow ample opportunity for voices to be heard on our campus. However, we expect everyone to respect our policies and we will take swift action to enforce them to their fullest extent."