Police Beat 4/24/2019: State Your Case

Stand and Deliver

There’s no more appropriate place to stand up and make your argument than in a College of Law. Except maybe when it’s an impromptu speech during a fancy banquet.

On April 8, a man informed the University of Arizona Police Department of an incident at the James E. Rogers College of Law that took place April 6. During a banquet hosted by the Arizona Law Review team, a law student gave a surprise speech she also videotaped for Live.

The man showed an officer the video. In the speech, the student brought up the three UA students, known as the “Arizona 3,” charged with harassing Border Patrol officers in an incident on March 19.

The dean of the College of Law had just been introduced and handed the microphone. The student, who was wearing a shirt with the words “Murder Patrol” on it, took the microphone from the dean.

She spoke about the three students’ situation and how multiple departments had expressed their support of the Arizona 3. However, she said she did not believe that the College of Law leadership would bring attention to this issue.

She also said she did not feel safe, respected or appreciated in the College of Law; rather, she felt powerless, helpless and ostracized as an immigrant student.

The student finished by explaining she was wearing a “Murder Patrol” shirt and interrupting the meeting in solidarity with the Arizona 3.

She also said she did not think Border Patrol should be permitted on campus, as they posed a threat to students.

According to the man, the student then road away from the banquet. Her bike had been next to her while she was making the speech.

The man told the officer that once the event finished, he filed a Code of Conduct Violation with the Dean of Students Office. He said he did not disagree with the student’s message the university had treated the Arizona 3 unfairly, however, he felt her method of delivery and disruption was inappropriate.

That day, he had also spoken with members of the Arizona Law Review about potentially reporting the student to the police, as he felt she might interrupt other College of Law events. He initially did not go through with it.

However, later on, the man saw a Facebook post from the student. In it, she stated the man, who she referred to by first and last name, had called the police on her in an attempt to silence her.

She later took the original post down and wrote an updated post, which claimed he had been heard saying he was planning on contacting the police and the Dean of Students Office.

The officer and the student also looked at the comment she included with the video. She said she had interrupted the banquet to protest the treatment of the three students and bring attention to the situation.

She also wrote she felt grateful to have the right to protest as a naturalized citizen.

In the post, she also criticized President Dr. Robert C. Robbins for his handling of the situation and accused him of inciting violence and death threats against students of color by pursuing criminal charges against the Arizona 3.

The officer told the man none of the student’s posts were threatening in nature, nor did they constitute criminal activity.

The officer also called the dean of the College of Law. The dean said that at the time of the interruption, he believed the best course of action was to let the student state her case and then continue on with the event.

He said he did not want to prosecute the student and that he would have involved law enforcement if he had thought it was necessary.

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