Stony Brook Faculty Demands Officials Drop Protest Charges: Reports

STONY BROOK, NY — Stony Brook University's senate faculty voted to demand all charges brought against the 29 people who were arrested last week during pro-Palestinian protests be dropped and records expunged by the institution, according to reports.

The arrests reportedly happened last week after protesters were asked to leave an area that had been previously reserved by another group.

The faculty also voted to investigate a new campus police operation created by university President Maurie Mcinnis and issued a vote of no confidence in her, News 12 reported.

Speakers at the meeting mentioned campus police took cell phones from some protesters and refused to give them back, the outlet reported.

McInnis defended her handling of the protest by saying officials were put in a very difficult position and they did their best to defuse a volatile situation, Newsday reported.

The outlet quoted her as saying, “We did not want to arrest anyone. We wanted to de-escalate the situation.”

University officials would not discuss why protestors' cellphones were confiscated and not returned, saying they involved “open cases, according to Newsday.

In a statement to Patch Tuesday, university officials said they "fully stand by the actions" that they took during the protest and "have clearly, steadfastly stated from the beginning that their "belief that free speech and the right to protest are bedrock principles" of the university.

"However, we also have articulated rules of engagement that are intended to protect and preserve the safety of all members of our community," the statement read. "The chronology of the events that we shared at the faculty senate meeting, including our offer or another space on campus to continue their protest, multiple opportunities for them to walk away, and a willingness to continue to speak with them, demonstrate that we went out of our way to avoid the unfortunate outcome of the evening."