BERKELEY — The University of California-Berkeley’s Black Student Union said it plans to hold a protest Wednesday over charges filed against two Cal students earlier this month.
In a statement Tuesday, the university’s public-affairs department said University of California police responded to a March 8 report of two people on campus, with one carrying a stun-gun device near Sather Gate.
After at least one arriving officer found two people matching witness descriptions, both initially denied possession of a device. Soon after, one admitted to having the device and offering to give it to the officer, according to the university’s statement, which added that possession of such weapons are prohibited on campus property by law.
“Following standard practice, officers asked her not to touch the weapon and told her that, due to safety concerns, he would need to take it from her,” the statement said.
“When the officer then reached for the stun device, a struggle ensued between the officer and the owner, as well as the second individual who sought to intervene.”
After apparently arresting the two, police referred the case to the Alameda County district attorney’s office, and the university said both were recommended for a diversion program instead of prosecution.
An advisory posted Monday to the Black Student Union’s Twitter account said two UC Berkeley freshmen had been walking home with a friend, a University of San Francisco student, when two officers approached and asked if they had a weapon.
After an initial denial, the USF student admitted to carrying a stun device for night-time safety, the BSU statement said, before one of the UC students was “thrown to the ground, arrested and brought to UCPD for interrogation.” The USF student was also arrested, while another student managed to record the incident on video.
Both students were cited and released, but neither student was read their rights during their arrests, with the UC student’s rights read after “asking during her interrogation,” the BSU statement said.
The university’s statement said it sought to acknowledge tense relations “during a time of heightened tension and suspicion between members of communities of color and law enforcement.”
In that statement, Marc Fisher, UC Berkeley’s vice chancellor for administration, said that “[w]e recognize this arrest has become a racial issue for some of our community members. We are committed to supporting a fair and thorough investigation, and to taking the steps necessary to maintain a relationship of trust with our community and our guests, while ensuring their safety.”
In a follow-up statement tweeted Tuesday, the BSU said it planned to gather outside the campus’ Golden Bear restaurant at noon Wednesday and asked that participants wear black to protest what it called police brutality.
“The constant targeting and harm directed at Black people is repugnant and unacceptable. We are calling on the black community and our allies to advocate for black lives on this campus through direct action,” demanding that all charges against the students be dropped, the statement said.
On the evening of March 8, 2019, two Black students were brutalized by UCPD and were charged for resisting arrest.We demand that all charges be dropped immediately. We will continue to fight police violence until we witness the abolishment of the police. pic.twitter.com/eunP4iDUz7
— #blackatcal (@CalBSU) March 18, 2019
Just released — https://t.co/kbExqUFcVz
— UC Berkeley (@UCBerkeley) March 19, 2019
Come support the three Black students who were brutalized by UCPD on March 8, 2019. Cal BSU and our allies will be meeting at The Golden Bear Cafe on Wednesday, March 20th at 12PM, continuing to demand that all charges against these students be dropped. #dropallcharges pic.twitter.com/XFC3oAa9oa
— #blackatcal (@CalBSU) March 19, 2019
In the event that it rains, we will be in the Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center (Hearst Field Annex D3).
— #blackatcal (@CalBSU) March 19, 2019
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.