The University requested today that Providence’s City Solicitor’s Office dismiss the charges against the 20 Jewish students who were arrested after staging a sit-in at University Hall earlier this month, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 told The Herald. The city has agreed to drop the charges, according to the University.
The students, who were set to be arraigned Tuesday morning on charges of willful trespass, will still face the University’s disciplinary process, Paxson said. The students have been made aware that the charges have been dropped and that they are not expected to appear in court tomorrow, according to a University statement.
“My hope is it will help refocus attention on issues that are important to us as a community” instead of being “distracted by other things that are divisive,” Paxson said.
The 20 arrested students, members of the group BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now, refused to voluntarily leave University Hall on Nov. 8 until Paxson agreed to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and commit to divesting the University’s endowment from “companies that enable war crimes in Gaza,” The Herald previously reported.
“I do want to stress that University Hall does not have 24-hour access, and we take trespass seriously and we will continue to do that in the future,” Paxson said.
While a BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now statement called for the decision to “set a precedent for how President Paxson and Brown will approach and respect civil disobedience in the future,” Paxson noted that the decision was made based on current circumstances on campus and that the University does not consider the decision as precedent.
Paxson described the choice to drop the charges as a move in hopes of getting “the campus to focus on things that are important to us right now,” referencing the shooting of three Palestinian college students, including a Brown junior, in Vermont Saturday evening. All three students are in stable condition, The Herald previously reported.
“The vicious attack against one of our students over the weekend is reverberating across campus,” a University statement read. “It has shaken some of our community members deeply, while others are struggling to process what this means, not only for our campus, but for this country and world that we all live in. There is so much confusion, fear and anger being felt right now that we feel this is a time to bring our community together and try to set aside issues that are exacerbating tensions and division on our campus.”
Following the Nov. 8 arrests, several student organizations on campus and hundreds of faculty members called upon the University to drop the charges against the arrested students. Alumni also criticized the University for the arrests, stating they set “a dangerous precedent and go against Brown’s long-held tradition of campus activism,” The Herald previously reported.
“We want to reduce tensions on campus, and certainly the attack on the students has helped to elevate tensions,” Paxson said.
In a campus-wide message shared Sunday evening about the Vermont shooting, Paxson invited community members to attend a vigil Monday afternoon that is closed to the public. Organized by the University Chaplain’s Office, the vigil aims to “bring our community together during this difficult time,” the message reads.
“We really need to recenter ourselves as a community in being kind and respectful to each other,” Paxson told The Herald. “I hope that the vigil will help us move in that direction.”
“Dismissing the charges against the students certainly won’t heal the rising tensions on campus from the ongoing violence in the Middle East — or the hurt and fear from Islamophobia, antisemitism and acts of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian violence,” the University’s statement reads. “But perhaps it can help refocus attention on other issues that are important for the Brown community.”
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
Last updated at 8:13 p.m.
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Sam Levine is a University News editor from Brooklyn, New York overseeing the staff and student labor and on-campus activism beats. He is a junior concentrating in International and Public Affairs.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
