A college student teared up when she explained what the school was doing to punish her after she was arrested at the encampment that was set up at Arizona State University to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.
ASU senior Breanna Brocker was among the 20 students who were arrested when law enforcement cleared the campus of the camp. She told ABC15 Arizona last Friday she will not be able to graduate because the suspension she received will cause her to miss her final exam.
“I’m a 2020 high school grad so I wasn’t able to walk then. And so, you know, here it is, I’m not able to walk now.”
“I am little disappointed … I … I’m being restricted from a lot of thing right now that I didn’t expect to be for standing up for something I believe in. I have family coming in who I have to let them know to not come to my graduation ceremonies,” Brocker explained.
“I’m just disappointed. I mean, I’m a 2020 high school grad so I wasn’t able to walk then. And so, you know, here it is, I’m not able to walk now,” she added.
Brocker did say even knowing the consequences of not leaving the illegal encampment, she would still do what she did, “even if it means something negative to me.”
All 20 students who were arrested during the sweep have filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents for infringing upon their freedom of speech, according to the Arizona State Press. But the injunction was denied.
ASU defended the decision to clear out the occupiers because the encampment was “more than a protest.”
“There were multiple violations of university or ABOR policy including tents, overnight presence, creating a university disturbance and being in a reservable space that wasn’t reserved by ASU students, per policy. The unlawful assembly remained well past the 11 p.m. cutoff time established by policy,” ASU said.
“ASU’s first priority is to create a safe and secure environment for all those on campus,” the school continued. “This includes addressing the safety of individuals who come to campus to speak, listen, protest and counter-protest. After all-day discussions about the need to remove the encampment, protestors – most of whom were not students — were told at least 20 times over loudspeakers that the encampment was an unlawful assembly and they had to disperse or face arrest. People were also warned throughout the day of the potential legal, student conduct code and academic consequences.”
While schools like ASU and University of Florida quickly clamped down on the illegal occupations, it took other colleges a lot longer to clear out their encampments.
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