King County prosecutors have filed criminal trespass charges against 33 individuals related to a pro-Palestine demonstration at the University of Washington's Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, which caused $1 million in damage. However, no one has been charged with vandalism. The defendants pleaded not guilty and raised concerns about the evidence and the media's coverage of the arraignment hearings. Many were released without bail due to lack of criminal history.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office has charged 33 people with criminal trespass related to the occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building at the University of Washington, but stopped short of accusing anyone of vandalism and the destruction inside.
Thirty-three people are now facing criminal trespass charges in connection with a pro-Palestine demonstration last year that caused an estimated $1 million in damage to a University of Washington engineering building.However, they are not facing felony charges tied to the property damage, as prosecutors say there is not enough evidence specifically linking any of them to that crime.Nearly a year after the demonstration, the defendants appeared before a judge to answer for their alleged actions, pleading not guilty to the charges. A judge ordered the media to not film the defendants' faces during Wednesday's arraignment hearings after defense attorneys raised safety concerns and cited instances of some individuals being doxxed. Defense attorneys challenged the strength of the evidence in court, pointing to gaps in the initial police report. "No explanation of who wrote the report, how they came to know the information in the report, or what they did or didn’t personally observe," one defense attorney stated in court. “There’s no allegation or evidence demonstrators broke in; the door was open because this is a public institution,” another defense attorney representing the accused stated. “There’s also no indication of where each individual demonstrator, later alleged to be inside the building, got into the building.” For now, the charges remain in place. Due to the lack of criminal history for many of the defendants, many were released without having to post bail and ordered to appear at all future court hearings.Tayler Hart; Max Rulff; Zachary Wallaced-Wells; Jade Wu; Jessica Schutz; Luisa Ortega Subdiaz; Ginger Newberry; Kimaya Mahajan; Gina Liu; Lea Keating; Akira Junyaprusert; Anna Hattle; Julia Fraczek; Cade Jackson; Jonas Piper; Ty Park; Lucy Zern; Tasbeet Iman; Ricardo Colon-Galvez; Roberta Collison; Ella Tunduwani; Zainab Chattha; Riley Centerwall; Catherine Brown; Brett Anton; Claire Berger; Yasmin Ahmed; Yafate Yared; Geneveve Konijisky; Finn Brown; Bailey Keen; Lucas Nichols-Mcauslan; Sam Sueoka. A number of those arrested are connected to the university as students and alumni. The university had previously suspended about two dozen students tied to the demonstration,. As part of their release conditions, some defendants have been ordered to have no contact with the university or the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building , where the May 2025 demonstration took place.“These students do not have a place at this university," Shira Kaufman of the UW Jewish Alumni Association said. "If you are not going to engage respectfully in debate about policy with others who disagree with you, and you're going to take over buildings to try to force your policies on others, I don't care if it's January 6 or this IEB takeover, this is not how we get politics done in the United States.” "I'm very concerned that the University of Washington has now allowed these students back onto the campus to continue to matriculate towards graduation and towards a degree," Kaufman added. "They could have expelled these students instead of giving them a slap on the wrist of only three quarters missed." In response to this claim, a university spokesperson stated, "Students are subject to due process and must be found responsible for violating the student conduct code based on a preponderance of evidence, and then the hearing officer determines what sanctions are appropriate for the violation." Although the defendants are facing criminal trespass charges, none have been charged in connection with the property destruction. Investigators have previously said there were'I WANT THEM': Pirro pushes to prosecute 'young punks' in Navy Yard takeovers A growing number of residents and business owners in D.C.'s Navy Yard say they are fed up with repeated teen takeovers.Authorities in Pierce County have seized large quantities of illegal drugs following a lengthy investigation, officials said.Members of the Pierce County SherifNBA approves expansion process for Seattle, Las Vegas The NBA may be on the verge of returning the Sonics to Seattle.PREVIOUS COVERAGE:Seattle leaders back Sonics return as NBA owners weigh expansion'Bring Back OurThe Mason County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a double homicide tied to a domestic violence incident in the Hoodsport area and arrested the suspect on Wedn
University Of Washington Criminal Trespass Pro-Palestine Demonstration Arrest Legal
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